Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Haut-Médoc
WA 89
This blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the best wines to yet come from this estate, owned by the proprietors of Pichon Lalande in Pauillac. Juicy, succulent, cedary black currant fruit intermixed with licorice, herbs and spice box are very pure, authoritative and substantial. Dark ruby/purple, medium to full-bodied and delicious, this wine should be drunk over the next 10-15 years. A sleeper.
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Haut-Médoc
WS 90
This property is a real hidden "gem", just a stone's throw away from the St. Julien appellation and stars such as Lagrange and Gruaud Larose. We're happy to keep the secret because it means more wine for us! Owner Francois Nony, whom we got to visit with during our recent trip to Bordeaux, delivers a great 2009. A blackcurrant and cassis-like nose leads to a classic Medoc earthy finish. This wine is well-balanced with a freshness of fruit that is a hallmark of this vintage. It should age well for 5-10 more years. A real bargain!
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Haut-Médoc
WA 88
The home residence of the construction magnate Clement Fayat, this property sitting in the very southern end of Medoc has turned out a very attractive wine with lots of black currant, black cherry and cedary notes. It is evolved, elegant, medium to full-bodied, with a dark plum/ruby color. Savory and complex already, this wine should drink nicely for another 7-10 years. (A member of the Association of Crus Bourgeois du Medoc.)
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Haut-Médoc
We started with this chateau during the 2000 vintage and we were blown away by its color and concentration back then. This 2009 is dark and concentrated as well, with flavors of dark fruit, but more balanced and fresh with an impressively long finish for a wine of this caliber. Tasted multiple times during our trip.
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Haut-Médoc
WS 96
WA 95
It is not unusual that the 2009 La Lagune is a spectacular effort given the fact that this estate has been making terrific wines over the last decade or more. It boasts a dense purple color as well as a beautiful perfume of blueberries, mulberries, cassis, white chocolate and subtle toasty oak. Notes of Chinese black tea, cedarwood and forest floor also make an appearance in the singular aromatic and flavor profiles. This sumptuous, full-bodied La Lagune possesses low acidity, abundant but ripe, sweet tannin and a long, 45-second finish. Give this beauty 5-7 years of bottle age and drink it over the following three decades. Read More
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Haut-Médoc
WA 89
We have not carried this wine in a few vintages, but the 2009 was consistently great each time we tasted it during our trip. The nose was a bit reticent at first but after a few minutes, wonderful aromas of dark red and black fruits became prominent. On the palate there is a real sense of terroir, with a bit of earth to complement the concentrated fruit flavors and velvety tannins. There is a core of acidity that runs all the way through to the finish that keeps the wine refreshing through its power. Very well balanced.
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Haut-Médoc
We tasted this wine on the first morning of our trip -- at our very first appointment -- and this was one of our favorite wines. We even highlighted it in our first "Update from Bordeaux" that we e-mailed. We tasted it once or twice more and we knew as soon as this wine was released we'd buy it. Deep, dark, rich and elegant, this wine has lots of perfectly ripened fruit and a nice, long finish.
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Haut-Médoc
WS 88
WA 90
This uncompromising property has turned out a backward, forbiddingly tannic wine that, even in this very opulent and flamboyant vintage, will need a minimum of 10-15 years of cellaring yet keep for 40 or more years. Opaque black/purple, with notes of crushed rock, white flowers, graphite, blueberry and cassis, the wine is tight and needs to be coaxed from the glass. It is medium to full-bodied, with an excruciatingly tough-textured finish. Everything is here, and the wine is set for a long life, but it is not the least bit charming and certainly won't be for at least another decade. Read More
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Haut-Médoc
WS 88
WA 90
This uncompromising property has turned out a backward, forbiddingly tannic wine that, even in this very opulent and flamboyant vintage, will need a minimum of 10-15 years of cellaring yet keep for 40 or more years. Opaque black/purple, with notes of crushed rock, white flowers, graphite, blueberry and cassis, the wine is tight and needs to be coaxed from the glass. It is medium to full-bodied, with an excruciatingly tough-textured finish. Everything is here, and the wine is set for a long life, but it is not the least bit charming and certainly won't be for at least another decade. Read More