Instantly captivating, and clearly the stallion of the stable, the powerful push on the front end of the 2009 Cheval Blanc benchpresses the initial thrust of dark black and red cherry, licorice,…
Without question the best 2012 Bordeaux I've had to date, this bottling of Cheval Blanc is a smooth operator through and through. With an elegance (not fragility) that interlaces the core red cherry,…
Well ok ya'll, I'm-a gonna hafta tell a secret here now, cuz anyone even remotely thinkin' bout bustin' out their plastic money chomper from their wallets best do so with haste, cuz I just grabbed a…
The nose on this monster is off the hook crazy intoxicating. The attack on the palate is less mind-altering initially, with a hyper-linear and primary delivery of powerfully torqued-up unripe black…
Dark chocolate, black cherry, stewed plum, medjool date, menthol, and anise dominate the profile, with earthy elements complementing chewy black licorice, purple flowers, cedar, and Christmas spice.…
With a makeup of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon (per Valandraud's spec sheets. Note, however, that I've seen other erroneous "pro" reports that list the CF as high as 15%…
A little Merlot-y at times, with plumy, softer and rounder contours presenting like hanging out and watching tv with your best friend, or maybe just a decent friend. A chill experience without being…
Poured alongside the Adamvs wines just for a fun comparison. The Fonplégade is of course a bit of a different animal, both in terroir and price point (most vintages of Fonplégade can be had for…
I'll start off by saying that I am indeed a 2019 BDX fan, believing that a number of wines from that vintage display a budding exuberance and purity that make for some early consumption enjoyment as…
This is presenting as quite the agreeable unfolding of ripe black cherry, raspberry, and blackberry flavors. Ripe and round in the middle with a requisite grip that gently squeezes the sides of the…
This seemed to be in a less than affable mood for most of the evening. On one hand, I think there were not only other better showing wines, but also, simply better wines that the Belair-Monange just…
The 2015 Figeac was stuck in the "friend zone" during the entire tasting. Unripe blackberry, currant, and cedar notes delivered in a superficial and flat plane of flavor, without ever reaching much…
Black fruit. Black rock. Black fruit. Black rock. and a bit of booze on the tail that didn't let up (ok, so a point or two off for that). But otherwise, this was totally in my wheelhouse. The profile…
If you long for grandma's hope chest filled with cigarette butts and old dusty diaries with yellow-stained pages, then best venture elsewhere, because this vintage of Pavie is front-loaded with super…
A lot of high scores here, so I of course had to open one of these to see what all the fuss was about. Upon the first pull of the cork, you might as well have just poured this down the drain and…
Checking in on this wine after a couple of years, I was somewhat surprised how agreeable it was showing. There is a gentle firmness encapsulating the steeped plum and black cherry flavors, but the…
This bottle was a shy guy throughout most of consumption. After three hours with the cork off and swirling in the glass, it found depth and a dollop of richness. Otherwise, it was in the friend zone…
An old soul, with cedar chest and red currant flavors intertwining with plum, dry dirt, and cigar notes. Finishes extremely dry and dusty. I know I'll take a little heat here, but I'm simply not…
Tiiiiiiight and dryyyyyyy, with crunchy blackberry, black gravelly soil, dark spice, stemmy black cherry, black limestone (like the kind that is underneath a cave waterfall and has that black fungus…
Plum skin, unripe berries, wild blackberry, and tart cherry all scream young Bordeaux, with the acid and structure really biting down on the flavors' attempts to expand. There is power here as well.…
Earth, dust, and bit of funk playfight with black and red cherry flavors; new kids on the block meet old school rules here. Higher in acid than just about any wine up to this point, but with a…
Dominant spice and black cherry notes play Jai-Alai with a little pelota of dry earth and cedar to fashion a wine that is ready to party. but a party that is more about ice swan sculptures and…
Starting to come around and perform at an even more accessible level, the 2015 Pavie Macquin shows notable expansion of flavor after three hours in the decanter (kept at a cool cellar temperature).…
Locked, loaded, and tight as a drum, the 2016 Pavie is SUCH an infant all it needed was a pacifier and its blankie to get it all set for its requisite hibernation for the next 15 years. The precision…
Similar to last year, but seemingly even more spun-up and tense. Unripe red and purple plum, pomegranate, black raspberry, river rock, gravely soil, and even hints of citrus rind make for a…
