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FRENCH RED WINES (September - December 2014)

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Index:

1949 Leroy Corton-Bressandes  100/100

1953 Chateau Angelus  97/100

1986 Chateau Pichon Lalande 89-91+/100

1989 La Mission Haut Brion  97/100

1990 Leroy Latricieres Chambertin  92+/100

1990 R. Chevillon NSG “Les Cailles”  92/100

1993 Domaine Tempier, “Cabassou”  92+/100

1995 J.L. Chave Hermitage  94/100

1995 Les Cailloux, Chateauneuf du Pape “Cuvee Centenaire”  94/100

1995 Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie “Cote Blonde”  96/100

1996 Denis Mortet Gevrey Chambertin, “Les Champeaux”  89+/100

1996 Joguet Chinon “Clos de la Dioterie”  93/100

1997 Jaboulet Hermitage “La Chapelle”  92/100

1998 Rene Rostaing, Cornas  93/100

2000 Chateau Lafite  96+/100

2000 Gigondas “Les Pallieres”  89/100

2000 Robert Groffier “Bonne-Mares”  94/100

2002 Chevillon Nuits St. Georges “Les Bousselots”  92/100

2004 Domain Leccia, Petra Bianca, Patrimonio  93/100

2005 Chateau Lagrezette  91/100

2005 Domaine Tempier Bandol “La Migoua”  92/100

2006 Jamet Cote Rotie  94/100

2006 Saint Cosme Gigondas Louis Barruol “Hominis Fides”  93/100

2010 Comte Lafon Volnay “Clos des Chenes”  92/100

2010 Jean Foillard Fleurie  93/100

2010 Pierre Gelin Gevrey Chambertin Premier Cru “Clos Prieur”  92-94/100

2011 Domaine Tempeir Bandol Rouge  91/100

 

1996 JOGUET CHINON “CLOS DE LA DIOTERIE”

Complex aroma and flavors.  If you play the game one can detect tart blackberry, pomegranate, raspberry, licorice, bloody meat, wild mushroom, cinnamon.  Flavor follows with nice fruit and a touch herbal, meaty, earthy but still fruity finish. Excellent integration of different elements in an overall harmonious bundle.  Should drink well a few more years. 12.5% alcohol.  93/100

1997 JABOULET HERMITAGE “LA CHAPELLE”

Much better than another bottle drunk a few months ago which was jammy/pruney.  Some brett/barnyard aroma mixed with leather, humus, fungus, earth. Plummy fruit is ripe and mouthfilling and there are earthy notes on the finish.  92/100

1986 CHATEAU PICHON LALANDE

Fungus, earth and leather aroma with a hint of fruit. Tannins are still harsh. It mellowed the second day and showed some elegance and focused black fruits.  Will all the elements come together without losing fruit? Hard to evaluate.  89-91+/100

2000 GIGONDAS “LES PALLIERES”

Still not brown at the edges. Sweet spice, nutmeg, cinnamon aroma.  Soft red and black berries, melted tannins.  Drinking well but will not age. Gives pleasure. 89/100

2000 ROBERT GROFFIER “BONNES-MARES”

First impression is like biting into a bitter-sweet cherry. Silky and smooth. On the nose it reveals exotic spice with a kiss of oak. The finish is medium-long and is true to Grand Cru status.  Many elements have come together and it is drinking very well now but should hold some more years. 94/100

2002 CHEVILLON NUITS ST GEORGES “LES BOUSSELOTS”

This wine is fully open and giving pleasure. Juicy and sensual aroma with cloves, mace, eucalyptus and sage. Rasberry and black cherry, good balance.  The soft texture reveals relatively young vines. It developed an attractive herbal component in the finish. Tannins have melted. Drink now or within 5 years. 92/100

2000 CHATEAU LAFITE

A claret where various elements are just coming together.  Well known Pauillac aroma  with lead pencil, cassis, tobacco and so on is now beginning to be detectable. Integrated oak and the bright fruit is well integrated.  Not big but concentrated.  Quite elegant. No herbaceousness in the long and persistent finish. The texture is noteworthy and classy. Many years ahead. Should continue to improve. 12.5% alcohol. 96+/100

1995 J.L. CHAVE HERMITAGE

Iron like minerals, spice and cassis aroma.  Stoney and freshly cut bloody meat like flavors interact with wild berries. Persistent and concentrated with good acidity.  Very long finish.  Very good expression of Syrah in old world terroir. 13% alcohol. 94/100

2005 CHATEAU LAGREZETTE

Old wine Malbec from Cahors.  Rolland’s style is evident in round but strong tannins and velvety texture which makes this approachable at young age. The oak is well integrated. Spicy and big and structured.  Blackberry, ripe plum and licorice nose. Quite concentrated and thick and chunky  and black currant palette and the long finish is earthy and tannins reassert themselves.  Excellent pairing with a lievre a la royale. 91/100

2010 PIERRE GELIN GEVREY CHAMBERTIN PREMIER CRU “CLOS PRIEUR”

This wine gives maximum pleasure right now. It is generous, round mouth feel, silky and tannins are very refined and the acidity is bright and buried in fruit.  The captivating nose is floral and spicy with red and black berries perfume.  Soft spices such as nutmeg and mace unfold on the palette in the charming finish. 30% new oak is used and the vines are about 45 years old.  A great premier cru GC. I am curious about how it will age but it is hard to resist right now. 94/100 (another bottle imported to US tasted more oaky. I wonder if they bottled separately for the US? This bottle will warrant 92/100)

2010 COMTE LAFON VOLNAY “CLOS DES CHENES”

This is a masculine wine with good grip and concentration.  Full, round and spicy with black fruits and strong acidity. Nice texture. A little restrained right now.  92/100

2006 SAINT COSME GIGONDAS LOUIS BARRUOL “HOMINIS FIDES”

Excellent Gigondas from a very old vineyard. Stoney, black pepper like spicy, ripe blackberries and touch gamey and forest floor aroma. Full, lush and smooth and the ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit is not jammy. Stays fresh and lively due to perfect acidity.  Very well integrated oak.  Very long finish. This is a complex wine and it is better in a not too hot vintage like 2006.  Some highly scored wines from hot vintages may be too candied and sweet/jammy and  get boring after the first sip.  Paired well with roasted becasse.  93/100

2010 JEAN FOILLARD FLEURIE

Another great Beaujolais from Foillard.  Immediately likeable but not simple.  It is aromatic with powdered strawberry and fresh herbs.  Elegant and silky texture with loads of pure black cherries.  Quite long finish and some complexity due to the interaction between spice, herbs and fruits. This wine should age till 2020. 93/100

2006 JAMET COTE ROTIE

Textbook Jamet. Underbrush, dried herbs, tobacco leaf, red berries and bloody meat nose.  Good acidity, very precise and elegant and deceptively light, long finish. Very suave and complex. Still very early stages of its development but giving great pleasure.  94/100

2005 DOMAINE TEMPIER BANDOL “LA MIGOUA”

Very nice sweet berries, garrigue herbs and cedar nose. Some complexity and depth on the palette with good grip and balance.  The finish is pleasantly herbal. A good showing for this Mourvedre dominated wine which ages well and is adept in pairing with a variety of food in my experience. 92/100

1953 CHATEAU ANGELUS

Mid neck but corked in great condition. Has not traveled more than 100 miles from the Chateau and only once.  The nose gives off tobacco leaf, sous-bois and candied raspberry.  Tannins have completely melted but the texture is still dense, almost chunky.  The fruit became less of currant and plums but more like raspberry, blue and black berries. Over 3 hours the fruit still held on and the texture became less dense and more velvety.  The finish is long and not particularly earthy or vegetal. This is more suave than elegant and complex.  97/100

1949 LEROY CORTON-BRESSANDES

Not filtered (label was written by father Leroy when he was a notable negociant). We found 4  bottles and chose the 2 with good fill (about an inch lower than neck) and both turned out to be outstanding.  The wine was decanted half an hour before tasting and it was wet and smelled wonderful.  The color was very bright and limpid.  Like a dark rose or light red with brick edges. It displayed an intoxicating aroma of exotic spice, rose petal and wild strawberries. The palette was beyond adjectives: pure silk and elegance and a particular fruitiness which was ethereal.  Almost weightless but with persistence. The  finish lasted forever and unfolded a cornucopia of sweet spices and sweet ottoman strawberries of my childhood.  100/100

2011 DOMAINE TEMPIER BANDOL ROUGE

Earth, sous-bois, wild mushroom, forest floor and black summer fruits aroma.  Soft entry and then an austere but gamey-meaty, rich, earthy and plummy, dark chocolaty feel. Finish is medium-long with earth and dried herbs. Nice acidity and firm tannins which should take a few more years to soften. Showing well in its early stages but this is the one that matures before the other Tempier red wines.  91/100

1990 R. CHEVILLON NSG “LES CAILLES”

Barnyard, fungus, roasted meat and blood aroma. Good structure  and  the fruit is not baked and complements other elements. I liked the green notes on the finish.  92/100

1995 RENE ROSTAING COTE ROTIE “COTE BLONDE”

Almost all you expect from Cote Rotie.  It opens up in glass with a complex nose of wild forest floor, fungus, spit roasted meat, wet earth, tobacco smoke, wild blackberry. It is beautifully structured and complex and all elements are in proportion.  Long, elegant and spicy finish. Depth without fat. Near its peak and may improve more and give pleasure many more years. 13% alcohol. 96/100

1996 DENIS MORTET GEVREY CHAMBERTIN, “LES CHAMPEAUX”

This wine is good but does not give pleasure.  The fruit is candied with bright cherry but somehow the acidity is out of proportion and the tannins green, unripe.  The nose is complex with tobacco, green leaf, soil and summer berries. Over 2 hours it improved and became more balanced and some spice and bitter almond notes developed in the medium-long finish. 89+/100

1995 LES CAILLOUX, CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE “CUVEE  CENTENAIRE”

Earthy, funky, sweet black fruit, fungus, stony nose. Palette follows and the interplay between earthy, soily and fruity elements renders this wine complex and fun to drink. The finish is long and spicy with cardamom and black truffle notes. Tannins are soft and barely noticeable. This wine has peaked but should continue to give the same pleasure for a few more years before the waning of fruit. 94/100

1990 LEROY LATRICIERES CHAMBERTIN

Spice, dark fruit, wild mushroom and touch wild herbs nose.  Quite feminine for Leroy with fruit, spice and herbs in ample proportions. Extremely well structured but a bit linear.  It kept changing in the glass. Needs at least 5 more years to give more pleasure.  92+/100

1989 LA MISSION HAUT BRION

Sweet cassis, plum, earth, spice and mineral nose.  Very suave texture, not overextracted.  Blueberries and blackcurrants on the palette are pure, neither sweet nor green.  The long finish is elegant and complex  with noticeable metallic minerality. The tannins are still noticeable. Needs 5 to 10+ years to reach its peak. Almost as good as 89 Haut Brion.  97/100

1993 DOMAINE TEMPIER, “CABASSOU”.

Dark red color but no browning at the dark ruby edges. Slightly sweet, plummy aroma with exotic spices.  Good palette and it leaves a sweet, baked fruit, especially black rasberry impression in the medium-long finish along with spice, thyme, oregano nuances. Good acid-fruit balance. The interesting thing is that the wine put on weight the second day and did not lose its fruit. Should continue to improve 5+ more years.  92+/100

2004 DOMAINE LECCIA, PETRA BIANCA, PATRIMONIO

A very nice surprise from Corsica. The best Nielluccio I have tasted. It opens up with a forest floor, candied black fruits and wild thyme and  marjoram aroma. On the palette the black berries and plum is slightly baked and candied but excellent acidity keep the fruit from becoming cloying over the meal. The medium to long finish has plenty of earth and fungus notes to add complexity. The tannins are very interesting, almost grainy and they give character to this terroir wine. Is this cepage a clone of Sangiovese as some claim?  This is more like Castel in Villa than modern style Chiantis. 13.5% alcohol.  93/100

1998 RENE ROSTAING, CORNAS

Freshly cut bloody meat, dried herbs and  red raspberry aroma. Lean palate with good clarity of flavors. Fruity and earthy flavors in balance. The finish is quite complex, with tart berries, garrigue dried herbs and metallic-earthy notes.12.5% alcohol. 93/100

 


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