Bordeaux Bordeaux Blend Wine

From a superbly situated on St.-Emilion's plateau, 38-acre vineyard planted on primarily limestone and clay, this 2006 is meant for long-term aging. A combination of 80% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, it is a backward, brawny, muscular, long distance runner. Consumers lacking patience are advised to steer clear of this wine. Its dense purple color is followed by aromas of graphite, sweet cassis, pen ink, and charcoal. This powerful, dense, concentrated wine possesses high tannins and lots of structure. One of the more backward offerings from the right bank in 2006, it will not be close to drinkability for 8-10 years. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2030. 92+

Once again proprietor Alfred Tesseron has produced a wine of first-growth potential. One of the superstars of the vintage, Pontet-Canet’s 2011 exhibits an opaque purple color and a glorious bouquet of incense, subtle toast and copious quantities of creme de cassis. There is a floral underpinning, decent acidity and ripe tannin to this full-bodied effort. Big, rich, round and generously endowed, it should drink well for 20-25+ years.

Among the great Rauzan Seglas of the past 30 years, the 2006 Château Rauzan Segla is a worthy challenger to the estate’s brilliant 2005. However, while the 2005 has barely begun to shed its massive tannins, the ultrarefined 2006 is approaching a graceful maturity. A wine of enormous depth and complexity, with the perfumed, ethereal bouquet that only the greatest châteaux of Margaux are capable of producing, the 2006 Rauzan Segla is a joy to drink now, but promises an additional 10 to 12 years of marvelous evolution.
--Ben Giliberti, CW (June 2012)

Youthful nose offers scents of blackberry, blueberry, minerals, violet and Provençal herbs. Plush on entry, then sweet but firm in the middle, with plenty of energy to give shape to the supple, cascading fruit notes of currant, blackberry, iron and flint. Finishes with silky, fine-grained tannins. The grape varieties are 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, grown on a compact 4 acre vineyard, with an average age of vines of about 35 years. Total production is less than 3,000 cases.