Primary and linear flavors of black cherry, plum, red and black raspberry, and cassis make a punchy impression on the palate. The front end rides high initially and makes a decent stab at expansion,…
From the first sip, this smooth operator was all about seductive elegance, strutting its silky stuff with a sexy refinement that checked both New and Old World boxes (though most Francophiles would…
On the initial pull, more on the red berry fruit spectrum, with red and black cherry, red currant, wild red raspberry, creme fraiche, and strawberry seed. Not long after some exposure to air and some…
Blackberry and black cherry, bitter chocolate, Chinese Five Spice, oak char, black licorice, coffee grounds, and some dark black soil. Quite a mouthful for such a bargain wine. Drink now and over the…
Dark black cherry, blackberry, black raspberry, bitter chocolate, unsmoked cigar, Christmas spice, wet cedar, and the slightest bit of animale. Deep and saturated while maintaining a medium+ bodied…
Exquisitely detailed and classy, with a heightened purity that makes for an exacting and highly chiseled delivery of sophisticated flavors. Red and black currant, red and black cherry (more so with…
Plum, red and black cherry, and subtle earthy spice. Pleasant and medium-bodied on delivery; an agreeable demeanor overall that offers up its flavors in a somewhat simple but affable execution.…
Punchy and somewhat bitter on the back end, which makes for a linear and tight execution of flavors at the moment. Compacted and obviously young, the delivery vibes-off a stubbornness to open up and…
Blackberry, spicebox, wet limestone, black cherry, black currant, black licorice stick, cedar, and the slightest hint of violets. Exquisitely balanced and smooth for such a young wine. Silky…
Black fruit core, with plum, ripe black raspberry, bitter chocolate, and hints of leather. A compelling mouthfeel and notable depth for such a base Bordeaux. Could use 3+ years to balance-out and…
Fairly abrasive and angular, with an alcohol hit on the front end that all but kills a lot of the fruit trying to come forward. A bitter bite on the back end doesn't help matters. AIR!...helped a…
Black fruit and spice with medium delivery and length overall. An interesting combination of fresh and brooding; the tail fell off fairly quickly, with a faint cedar note clipping the finish. A…
Red and black currant, cedar, cinnamon, earth, saturated black cherry, warm leather, and some higher-toned floral and bitter blackberry seed. An old world profile with a somewhat deeper pitched…
I gotta be honest...this iteration of Pontet-Canet does what every other 2014 Bordeaux I've had does...underwhelms. It's fine and all I guess with its smokey blackberry, black currant, cedar, and wet…
It's compacted. It's tight. It's grippy. But it possesses a compelling blackberry and licorice core that lets it be known its stuffing will deliver pleasure come 5-7+ years. Some limestone, black…
Plum, blackberry juice, clove, and some rocky earth. More lithe and lean than I'd personally prefer concentration and weight-wise, but the flavors were nice and agreeable overall. Not too much acidic…
Starting off with a kung-fu kick of plum skin and pomegranate, the Enclos Tourmaline brings a quick pucker factor to the front end of its attack, nearly skipping the mid-palate and racing straight…
It took about 2-3 hours in a decanter to show any real signs of life, and even then it was a Simple-Simon overall. Not bad by any stretch, but fairly pedestrian and not a whole lot of distinguishable…
A gorgeous bottle of wine with a bangin' QPR to boot (which I'm probably letting influence me to some degree in terms of scoring - maybe even 95-96+? This punches WAY above its league). Totally…
Black currant, licorice, and earthy spice start out on the front end on the initial attack, with dark black cherry, cassis, espresso foam, pencil lead, tobacco, embers, and scorched earth emerging…
Ripe black raspberry, juicy plum, and some subtle earth lead the medium-to-full-bodied delivery of this saturating and juicy specimen. It's fairly simple overall, finishing a little abrupt; still,…
Really, really ripe (almost to the point of funky) warm plum/prune, overly muddled and saturated blackberry and black raspberry, red and black currant, soil, cassis, and subtle wet cedar. Has enough…
Blackberry, deep black raspberry, black currant, black licorice, espresso, dark spice, scortched earth, and chewy dark chocolate. Hedonistic without ever being heavy or burdensome. A perfect…
Blackberry, black cherry, and some earthy rock. Medium bodied with a slightly saturated delivery. Decent weight here, layering-on some bitter chocolate notes with air. Finishes medium and somewhat…
A pretty good value at $25-ish bucks, but slightly more juvenile and angular than some other Bordeaux in that bargain category. Served next to a 2016 Meyney and a 2016 Vieux Chateau Palon, both of…
