Showing 1-26 out of 26 items
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Chateau Lynch-Bages,
Ready, but will keep,
This the pure essence of Pauillac: profound, ripe cassis aromas flow from the glass and herald a palate of cool, spicy, incredibly concentrated blackcurrants, and cream, vanilla and bitter dark chocolate all tightly woven together in a precise core. Lynch-Bages has again performed as well as many of the super-Second Growths.
Chateau Pichon Lalande,
Ready, but will keep,
"This is superb: one of the best Pichon-Lalande in the recent years and one of the most charming and elegant wines of the vintage. Only 55% of total production went into the Grand Vin. The nose is creamy, decadent (Pichon-Lalande's signature) and extremely appealing, with a fresh red fruit character that continues on the palate and persistent finish."
Fine Wine Team
Fine Wine Team
Chateau Leoville Las Cases,
Ready, but will keep,
Performing better from bottle than it did from cask, this blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, and 11% Cabernet Franc has put on weight over the last year. It exhibits the classic style of both Las Cases and St.-Julien in its deep black currant notes interwoven with sweet cherries, wet stones, and toasty vanillin. Made in a structured, medium to full-bodied style with superb concentration, beautiful purity, and admirable symmetry, this beauty is one of the strongest efforts of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2028. Also tasted: 2004 Clos du Marquis (88)
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 29/06/2007
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 29/06/2007
Ready, but will keep,
Experts on the subject of soil will tell you that Haut Bailly boasts one of the finest terroirs in the Pessac-Leognan appellation. The wine made here has always been fine but in recent years it has reached a new level of excellence, rivalling some of the great Haut-Medoc Cab. Sauvignon-dominated wines. For me this new departure began with the 2004 vintage, not hailed as a great vintage in Bordeaux but bearing the hallmark of what the British call a "classic vintage", meaning a wine of finesse and elegance, with cool, sweet fruit supported by ripe tannins and balancing acidity. A joy to drink now and over the next 8 years.
Chateau Gruaud Larose,
Drink now,
Fantastic! Jean Merlaut's ownership since 1997 has seen these wines get better and better, culminating in this tour de force. Smoky ripe blackcurrants and sexy integrated sweet oak on the enticing nose is followed by a dense but pure palate with full-bodied fruit and a defined linear core. It is elegant and sophisticated with great charm-one of the great value wines of the 2004 vintage.
"Intriguing, complex nose with layers of black and red fruit and toasted oak, tobacco, spice and alluring minerals. Beautifully textured with an airy lift and vitality."
Decanter-Dec 2007- Wines of the Year
"Intriguing, complex nose with layers of black and red fruit and toasted oak, tobacco, spice and alluring minerals. Beautifully textured with an airy lift and vitality."
Decanter-Dec 2007- Wines of the Year
Ready, but will keep,
Potensac is an estate in the northern sector of the Médoc, a district renowned for producing tannic, brooding Clarets which require significant ageing before drinking. It belongs to the Delon family, who also own the great Ch. Léoville-Las Cases, and benefits from being made by the same highly skilled team.
The result is a wine of great complexity, one of the very best in the appellation. The 2004 is rich in blackcurrant aromas, with plenty of tannin. It would partner sweet meat such as lamb, as well as hard cheeses such as Gruyère.
The result is a wine of great complexity, one of the very best in the appellation. The 2004 is rich in blackcurrant aromas, with plenty of tannin. It would partner sweet meat such as lamb, as well as hard cheeses such as Gruyère.
Chateau Chasse-Spleen,
Drink now,
A blend of 44% Merlot, 53% Cabernet-Sauvignon & 3% Petit-Verdot, this wines has a good bright deep colour with ripe rich fruit on the nose. On the palate characteristics of butter cream and strawberries, raspberries and vanilla, liquorice mint, new oak and grilled meats, coffee with fine tannins. Lots of accidty dry tannins and fruit with good length. A masculine effort and great value for money. 16.5 points.
Ready, but will keep,
Château Saint-Pierre is the smallest and least well-known of the St-Julien crus and is now producing wine in accordance with its 4ème Cru Classé status. Saint-Pierre's style is powerful and tannic with considerable depth of fruit and concentration on the palate. It remains underpriced compared to its more illustrious St-Julien neighbours.
Chateau Lafite Rothschild,
Ready, but will keep,
Only 39% of production was used for the Grand Vin and with a whopping 90.5% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend (the balance being 9% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot) the 2004 Lafite needed little introduction. This wine has one of the most exciting noses - intense, spicy, pure cassis and a generous helping of creamy vanilla. The palate is just as exciting, exhibiting terrific concentration and a hint of warm new oak which leads to an intense, linear core of lively blackcurrants and layers of intriguing minerality. The Cabernet was very evident on the finish with the variety's characteristically firm tannins taking over at the end, making this one for the long term.
Chateau Leoville Barton,
Ready, but will keep,
Anthony Barton was not over-estimating this wine when he compared it to his outstanding 1996 - it is unquestionably of super Second Growth quality. With its more masculine style, this is always the star performer of the Barton brace and the 2004 expresses all that is best about this aristocratic estate. The nose is very fine and displays multi-faceted, lively fruit characteristics.The palate is dense with delicious, ripe, complex blackcurrant fruit and a fabulous, long, cool finish. This is a resounding success for the Barton family and is undoubtedly one of the star wines of the vintage.
Chateau Montrose,
Ready, but will keep,
Château Montrose has a lot to live up to after their 2003. This year they felt they have produced 'just' a very good wine, not dissimilar in style to thier 1996. WIth 64% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend this is a powefully structured Montrose.
Opaque and black-red in colour, the nose shows deep bitter chocolate and spicy red berry fruit aromas. The flavours reminded one of thickly textured, fresh savoury fruits and there was a wonderful balance of racy acidity and firm tannins. It is a superb follow-on to the 2003.
Opaque and black-red in colour, the nose shows deep bitter chocolate and spicy red berry fruit aromas. The flavours reminded one of thickly textured, fresh savoury fruits and there was a wonderful balance of racy acidity and firm tannins. It is a superb follow-on to the 2003.
Chateau Latour,
Ready, but will keep,
This sensational Latour left us totally speechless when we tasted it - a monumental task indeed when Berrys' Sales Director Simon Staples is present. The 2004 has the highest ever percentage of Cabernet (90%) in the final blend - usually it's around 80% - and is one which Director Frédéric Engerer likens to their astonishing 1996. The nose is dense and intense with deep black fruits yet without clumsiness or over extraction - just defined, cool and precise. The palate is powerful and majestic with its sweet raspberries and licorice following through to an indecently long finish. This Latour has great structure, great precision and is a great wine.
Chateau Gruaud Larose,
Drink now,
Gruaud Larose was classified as a 2nd Growth in the 1855 classification and still retains its position today as one of the leading lights in the St Julien appellation. Most of the top estates now produce a second wine but Gruaud was a pioneer in this field. With Sarget, the aim is to offer a wine which bears all the hallmarks of the Grand Vin but in a more approachable style which can be drunk young.
Chateau Leoville Poyferre,
Ready, but will keep,
For a long time this estate was a poor relation of the Léoville clan, however, improvements in quality have been noticeable since the early 1990s. This year looks set to become a real success for Poyferré. The blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, with the dominant variety's creamy cassis character very evident on the nose. This is a focused and well-defined wine with gorgeous pure fruit flavours, fresh acidity and firm tannins in perfect harmony. A very classically-styled St Julien.
Chateau Margaux,
Ready, but will keep,
With as much Merlot in the blend as the 1990 and 1996 the quality of this wine is as good as any vintage that winemaker Paul Pontallier can remember. When we tasted the 2004 Ch. Margaux we found it to be as fabulous and exciting as the 2000 had been at a similar stage. The nose was simply beautiful - ripe, fine sweet, elegant and powerful with huge potential. The palate is expansive and multi-faceted. Alongside Latour, this is one of the two wines of the vintage.
Showing 1-26 out of 26 items