I've been posting these notes all day on the WS board, but I figured since some of you on here don't visit there anymore I would post the entire list in one big post. This trade tasting was conducted in chicago for members of the local wine trade (retailers, distributors, etc.). Otisabdul snuck me, Blue Oval, Frankie, and the Vino Me's in through the back door.
St. Emilions
Angelus - Intensely focused nose of ripe red berries, smoke, and plums and inky dark red-purple color. Powerful and dominating chewy tannins, but tastes of plums, leather, smoke, pepper, and silky chocolate. Delicious, but difficult to judge. Number 4 wine of the tasting. 94+
Beau-Sejour Becot - Found a lot of oak here. Also, violets, plum, toast, smoke and asian spices on another hard tannic finish. 92+
Canon-La-Gaffeliere - Super rich red currant and tobacco aromas. Notes of licorice and vanilla, but, yet again, very deep tannin structure. Number 6 wine of the tasting. 93/94
Dassault - Very thin black fruit up front. Lots of spicey oak with hints of mocha and plum. Not a profound finish, but nice. 90/91
Clos Fourtet - Suprisingly similar to Dassault, however, with more fruit. 91
Franc Mayne - Sweet, but bitter black fruit with spice and mocha on a thoroughly tannic finish. 90+
Grand Mayne - This wine has a sort of floral rasberry nose going on. The sweet tannins have ripe red fruit, spice, oak, and bitter chocolate. 90+
La Couspaude - Didn't write a lot here, but I found it to be suprisingly yummy. Lots of candied cherries and earth on the nose. Over-ripe red fruit dominates the lingering finish. Somewhat un-balanced, but has potential. 92+
La Gaffeliere - Very balanced wine. Licorice notes and mellow soft red fruit. Chocolate, plums, oak, and pepper on a moderate tannic finish. 91+
La Tour Figeac - Woodsy. Very different from the other St. Emilions. Toasty oak, spice, plums, vanilla, mushrooms, and earth on the finish. 86
Overall, these St. Emilions have incredible tannins! There is no reason to drink these now. Sit and wait on the best ones for a decade.
Pomerol
Beauregard - Bitter chocolate, tarty rasberry and a chalky, bitter tannic finish. 87/88
Gazin - Strange nose of over-ripe blackberries and minerals. There is a lot of intense black cherry fruit before the sweet smooth tannic finish of mocha, leather, and plums. 89
La Cabanne - Stinker of the tasting. Nasty vinegar and stewed tomato taste. 81
Petit Village - Very lingering, almost bitter, finish of violets, blackberries, minerals, wet stones, mocha, earth, and oak. Excellent depth and balance. 92+
Pessac-Leognan
Carbonnieux - Some up front cherry licorice, creamy vanilla, and tobacco, but develops a bitter finish. 87
Domaine de Chevalier - Delicious strawberry and rasberry fruit. Nice dark red color. Solid and balanced finish of mocha and asian spices. Nothing explosive, just solid. 91
De Fieuzal - Chalky red currant, sage, earth, and tobacco. 87/88
Haut Bailly - Excellent depth of dark fruit, blackberry, minerals, smoke, toasty oak, earth and vanilla. Nice chewy tannins, built for the future. 91/92
Larrivet-Haut-Brion - Disappointing bitterness on the finish, but good earth, sage, tobacco, licorice and black cherry notes. 87/88
Latour-Martillac - This is one spicey meatball! Yes, there's spice here, along with tobacco, mint, earth, and jammy black fruit. Little over-spicey. 88+
Malartic-Lagraviere - One of my favorite inexpensive '99's generates a solid effort in 2000. A very lush tobacco and black fruit nose. More black fruit, earth, and smoke on an impressively velvety light tannin finish. 91
Olivier - Oops! missed this red ...
Smith Haut Lafite - In addition to being one of my favorite Bdx producer, I ordered this on futures. Does not disappoint! Copious amounts of jammy sweet red currant and sweet tobacco on the nose. Both carry over on the palate and the finish is intensely tannic with minerals, earth, lead pencil, tobacco, and more jammy red fruit. Tasted twice with consistant notes. Tied with the Canon for Number 6 of the tasting. 93/94
Medoc & Haut Medoc
Ferrande (Graves) - light ruby color, cherry notes, slightly herbal. 84/85
Fourcas-Hosten (Listrac, Medoc) - bitter and oaky nose. short finish. 85
Beaumont (Haut-Medoc) - Didn't see them at the tasting.
Cantermerle (Haut-Medoc) - Another futures order here and still at a reasonable price. Slightly disappointed in it's overly tannic finish. This wine has a very appealing earthy, woodsy, mushroomy nose and lush blackberries, earth, and lead pencil on a suprisingly tannic finish. Meant to cellar. 89+ now, 92 potential.
Coufran (HM) - Sweet licorice and pepper notes. 88
La Lagune (HM) - This has some bright intense red fruit action going on in the nose. Very appealing. Very sweet soft tannins on the finish. Inviting. Something to enjoy by the end of the decade. 90/91
Malescasse (HM) - missed this one too!
Greysac (Medoc) - Suprise performance here! Woodsy and cedar in the nose. Some up-front light chalky red fruit, but flavors of bubblegum, flowers, and mint all on a soft tannic structure. BBalanced and another short term drinker. 88/89
Margaux
Brane-Cantenac - yummy Margaux cherry licorice and cassis on the nose. Lots of cherry, herbs, sage and earthy notes. Overall, exceptionally balanced. 91/92
Cantenac-Brown - More sweet cherry licorice and vanilla aromas. Sweet tannins reveal sage, spice box, mint, vanilla, and candied cherries. 91/92
Du Tertre - Very floral bouquet and grilled meat aromas. Generous quantities of jammy black cherry fruit and toasty oak notes. 90/91
Ferriere - Cassis aromas. Red cherries, spice, and vanilla. Slightly too tannic and unbalanced right now. 90+
Giscours - An excellent display of sweet jammy black fruit and sweet cassis in the nose. Spice, plums, minerals, smoke, cedar, and earth on a very lingering finish. 92/93
St. Julian
Beycheville - Chocolate and floral aromas. Some bitter blackberries, spice, and mineral notes. Somewhat hollow on the mid-palate. Not explosive. 89/90
Branaire-Ducru - Outstanding super-ripe sweet red currant fruit! Lots of sensations going on here: sage, minerals, spice, toast, oak. Excellent balance and sweet tannin! 93+
Gruard Larose - Notes: I am no fan of the Gruard "woodsy" style, but even I like this. So, If you like Gruard, you'll freakin' love it. Lots of cedar, mint, and rasberry in the nose. Jammy rasberry upfront and notes of tobacco, earth, pepper, creamy vanilla and oak. A monstrous effort! 93
LaGrange - Rasberry, chocolate and earthy aromas. Lots more rasberry, cola, asian spices, roasted herbs, and sweet chewy tannins on the finish. 91/92
Leoville Poyferre - My second favorite wine of the tasting! Knockout nose of super-concentrated rasberries! It literally blew me away! Super quanities of jammy blackberries with smoke, oak, leafy tobacco and earth. The tannins are amazingly sweet here! I'm salivating over my futures! 95/96
Talbot - Cedar and black cherry aromas. Lots of upfront dark fruit and a velvety finish of oak, spice, cassis, bubblegum, and blueberries. Intensely delightful! 92+
Pauillac
Clerc Milon - Blackberry and spicey aromas. Amazing black fruit spread throughout the palate, with a sweet tannic finish of asian spices, graphite and vanilla. Tasted twice with consistent notes. 92/93
D'Armailhac - Bright blackberry and crushed violet aromas. Plums, earth, leather, and mocha on a deceivingly tannic finish. 91+
Grand-Puy Ducasse - Overly herbal with a green pepper streak in the nose. Somewhat weedy smokey black fruit ... disappointing for a Pauillac. 87
Haut-Bages Liberal - Not many notes, solid sweet red fruit and vanilla notes. 91
Lynch Bages - This was an exceptional soft velvety wine! Outstanding rasberry and trademark Paullic lead pencil aromas. The fruit is soft upfront, but really builds up into creamy blackberry. The soft sweet tannic finish was all tobacco, leather, oak, vanilla, and smoke. Tasted twice with consistent notes. 94
Pichon-Longueville Baron - D'Oh! I should have purchased this! Another suprisingly soft Pauillac. Outstanding blackberry and graphite on the nose. Charcoal, asian spices, vanilla, wet stones, and mega-blackberry fruit on the sweet tannic finish. IMHO, the finest wine of a fine tasting! 95-97
Pontet Canet - Toughest of the Paullics right now. Everything is underneath the tannins, but it is mighty powerful. A dull nose of blackberries, earth, and spice gives way to that wall of tannins. 93-95+
St. Estephe
Cos Labory - Very dark brooding fruit and a slightly herbal nose. Chocolatey ovaltine, minerals, herbs and oakey tastes on the finish. 90+
Lafon Rochet - Don't be alarmed when seeing this on the shelves, Lafon has a new label. However, it's just colored pale yellow. First try at this wine led me to believe it was corked. When back for a second taste later and found nice rasberry and licorice notes, along with some earth and oak. 91
Les Ormes de Pez - Nicely done and approachingly soft. Rasberry and cassis nose. Toasty oak, herbs, and more lush rasberry on the easy-going finish. 89/90
Phelan Segur - This wine didn't get big reviews from Suckling for Parker, but I quite liked it! Delightful sweet cherry and cassis on the nose and jammy black currant fruit on the palate. Also, there's a very pleasant layer of creamy vanilla, spiced oak, and toasted herbs on top of the tannins. 91/92
Sauternes
Guiraud - Fabulous! Mix some cream soda and some ginger ale and you have this. Otis called it a "creamsicle", and I can't disagree with the man. And I went back for seconds. 93/94
Suduiraut - It's a step down from the Guiraud, but I liked the overall balance. 90
Lafourie-Peyraguey - Frankie tried to convince me I was wrong, but I like it less than the Suduiraut. Impressive depth to the finish though. 89/90
Bastor Lamontagne - lacking depth, especially compared to the others. Too much oak. 86
De Rayne Vigneau - Crappy over oaked sauternes! Nasty! 78 |