92++ points
Classy. Shares the vintage character with its Margaux neighbours; a rather successful vintage for Margaux.
Dense fruit enveloped in sawdust oak. Great balance. Lovely finish with just a hint of the sort of sweet character that will open up with age. A wine with a very long future in front of it. Should be lovely in 2020-2030. Potentially great.
84 points
Fairly unexciting claret. Nice weight good colour but without great character or flair.
89+ points
Margaux. 12.5%
Good, fine, intellectual rather than sensuous wine due to the prominent acidity. Acidity is part of the Chateau style, but will this ever turn into something as sublime as the 1985? I wouldn’t bet on it.
92 points
Coonawarra & Barossa, South Australia. 13.5%
Consumed in Bordeaux France alongside some great claret (Rauzan-Segla 85 and Haut-Bailly 88).
It seems such a strange wine. It’s not the Shiraz as the Cabernet is dominant. It’s the added acidity, the oak (which must be American) and the slight mintiness.
The nose is gorgeous, by far the best feature.
It’s a good wine but I can see why collectors like me favor Bordeaux in their cellars.
91 points
Pessac-Leognan. 12.5%
Nice claret. Quite voluptuous with a good dose of French oak. Bigger than I’d expected for 1988.
Slightly short and a little over-whelmed by the company of Rauzan-Segla 1985.
90 points
Margaux. 12.8%
Second wine of Chateau Rauzan-Segla from a good vintage but unlikely that it was meant to last 20 years.
Surprisingly dark colour. A large framed Merlot oriented claret, becoming a bit frail with obvious oxidation. Quite a lot of fun drinking now.
Slightly spirity even though it’s only 12.8% alcohol.
This was bought from a wine store called Uylsses in Margaux owned by Rauzan-Segla. This no doubt largely explains the good condition of the bottle.
96 points
Margaux. 12.5%
A truly gorgeous wine. This is one of the greatest wines I have ever tried.
Light appetizing. Classic claret. Marked by fresh acidity even now at 25 years old.
I tasted a vintage around this date as a young inexperienced wine drinker and was unimpressed by its lack of body. Now I think this style is superb. Concentrated, complex, ripe but on a fine lithe frame.
UPDATE 2012 – I have been fortunate to have been able to source a number of bottles of this wine. Tonight I’m trying what will probably be my last. I’m firmly convinced that this style of wine could not be made without the low alcohol and greenness that is part of the mix. It convinces me to buy great estates in the non investment (super ripe) vintages.
I wish I could drink wine like this every night.
92 points
Sauternes. 13.5%
A bit rustic with formic acid characters. But the thing I enjoyed was just how characterful this wine was. Not so fine but plenty of fun.
80 points
13.5%
Oily clean viogner like perhaps this is the Roussanne?
91+ points
Haut-Medoc. 13%
Good Cantemerle as you’d expect from a good vintage – unlike other wines this doesn’t reek of 2005 instead what it largely says is Cantemerle.
89+ points
Hermitage, Rhone. 13.5%
I didn’t get a chance to pay this much attention but it seemed to have all the requisite components for a good hermitage in a ripe vintage.
90 points
Enjoyable serious savoury big-ish Champagne. I would never have picked this as a blanc de blanc.
First time I’ve tried this brand. Good not great but well priced.
92 and 90 points
Margaux, Bordeaux. 13% and 13.5%
Surprisingly the 2004 was the better wine on the night. Finer more floral aromas. The oak is a little more noticeable on the 2004. The 2005 is bigger, as expected, dense with lots of very ripe tannins – but lower acidity so it is more approachable. It’s a very nice wine but the 2004 is a class act.
90 points
Pessac- Leognan. 12.5%
Very mature, oxidized colour. A wine a bit past it’s peak yet after a while in glass as it became warmer it was actually more enjoyable with a touch of creme brûlée. Not really dry Sauternes but related.
90 points
Champagne. 12.5%
Complex bold Champagne. I’m sure others would give this higher points which would be fair, it’s just that I personally prefer leaner styles.
85 points
A premier cru proprietaire-recoltant wine that competes well with Grande Marques. Good non vintage.
90 points. Drink now.
Bonnezeaux, Loire. 12%
Delicious but surprisingly low acidity. Forward creme brullee creamy smooth.
87 points
Cru Bourgeois, Haut Medoc. 13%
Firm with an inner richness that you wouldn’t normally expect for a wine of this price. Should turn into a slightly leathery complex minor claret with 5 more years of age.
83 points
Medoc. 13.5%
A new “chateau” or brand, a vineyard on land north of the Medoc at Port de Goulee from the Cos d’Estournel team ( St Estephe).
I recall reading a favourable review somewhere but this was a bit disappointing. Dolled up with oak, it’s too modern too manufactured. Better with food and some breathing. It’s sort of rustic savoury but souped-up.
Not my sort of wine.
72 points
Loupiac. 13.5%
Makes me realize how good the Sauternes I’ve been drinking recently are.
This is bland. Low acid, not terribly sweet with a lack of character. Alcohol flavour is too obvious. It’s clean winemaking but the vintage and the vineyard have created a boring wine I’m sad to say.
91 points
Saint Chinian. 13.5%
I’ve long considered St Chinian a superior appellation in the South – or at least one that produces wines that appeal to me (a higher % of Shiraz).
This is very good. At 10 years of age it is smooth, not soft, with some depth. Warm Shiraz with a touch of vegetal cooler climate character along with a touch of southern spice. The result is a wine I am sure I would find awfully difficult to pick in a blind tasting. More class than usually encountered down South yet different from Northern Rhone. If it were Australian I’d guess it were from Bendigo but I’d still be puzzled.
90+ points
Cru Bourgeois Superieur. Haut-Medoc. 13%
Obviously Cabernet dominant, not a plummy 2005. That said it is still quite approachable. Nice ruby fruits. Should develop well over the next few years.
80 points
Cru Bourgeois. Haut- Medoc. 12.5%
A difficult vintage for Merlot which made things very hard for estates that depended more on Merlot and couldn’t afford to make more drastic selections. All things considered this isn’t too bad.
Dark colour. Flavours are a bit hard but savoury. Drink now with food.
90+ points
Pessac-Leognan. 13%
Gorgeous aromas of dusty oak integrated with brambly fruits and iron. Reminds me of Domaine de Chevalier. Ripe but with refreshing acid lift.
The palate is a bit of a surprise then. This is less charming than expected there is bitterness and a good deal of tartaric acid. This wine demands food. Really needs a couple more years of age.
Interesting wine.
91 points
Sauternes. 13.5%
I wouldn’t normally drink Sauternes so young (although it can be charming when the initial fruit is so forward in the first few years) but this was so cheap.
Lovely fresh with excellent sweetness, uncluttered by oak. This will turn into a fine beeswaxy Sauternes with purity and complexity. Today it is quite simple but lovely still. It drank well over a week.
68 points
Mendoza, Argentina. 13%
Water and alcohol.
78 points
Vin de Corse, Corsica, France. 13%
100% Vermantino. Crisp up-front with some citrus and a touch of herbal flavour, marred by a finish that tastes of alcohol. Not exciting.
83 points
Listac-Medoc, Bordeaux. 13%
A Chateau with a reputation for producing solid good value claret. Cru Bourgeois Superieur.
Rather inexpressive nose, a surprise given the vintage which has youth and acidity on its side. A weedy palate, not thin but with vegetal flavours. Not great wine although I like the dry classic style. Look for another vintage.
89++ points
Fresh young serious Champagne. Great value.
The pluses mean, as usual, that this wine is very likely to improve with some age.
90 points
Saint-Emilion Grand Cru. 13.5%
Rich, very enjoyable. A savoury style with quite a lot of ripe tannin. Serious wine, quite sturdy.
2001 was good right bank vintage.
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