The estate's flagship 2007 Villa Fidelia is a serious wine bursting with mocha, roasted coffee beans, French oak, leather, licorice, spices that add considerable complexity to the dark, inky fruit.
It comes with a very comely, feminine and perfumed nose brandishing a whole bunch of rose petals in the glass. The palate is very well balanced, fleshy but still structured with fine grain tannin.
Exhibiting a dark ruby color with purple nuances, it is open-knit, with plentiful quantities of roasted herbs, smoky oak, vanillin, and creamy black currant fruit. A lush texture, low acidity, and an accessible, velvety-textured style will have many admirers.
Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Latour Martillac gives up notes of crushed rocks, tar and black olives over a core of stewed plums, cedar chest and dried herbs with a touch of dried cranberries. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid frame of chewy tannins and oodles of freshness supporting the muscular fruit, finishing savory.
It possesses the aromatics of the Pertuisots married to the darker expression of fruit found in the Bressandes. Polished, refined tannins frame the finish in a striking wine that captures all of the best qualities of the domaine.
The 2009 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo is impressive. The overtness of the year is nicely balanced by the inherent freshness and acidity of Sangiovese. Hints of tobacco, cedar, licorice and spices are layered into the insistent finish.
It has a fabulous bouquet that is mineral-rich and tensile. The palate repeats its performance from last year: focused, tense, laden with botrytis-rich fruit with a crystalline and sorbet-fresh finish that seals the deal.
On the nose, ripe black cherries mixed with cassis are all nicely defined and holding on to their freshness. It manifests spicy aromas, almost Moroccan-inspired, as it gradually opens in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with dense black fruit, a little tarry in texture with firm tannin.
Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Lafite Rothschild is a little mute on the nose at this stage, opening to reveal warm blackcurrants, baked plums and boysenberry scents with hints of chocolate mint, violets, cedar chest and pencil lead. Full-bodied, rich and densely packed with perfumed black fruit layers, it has a rock-solid backbone of fantastically ripe, grainy tannins and beautiful freshness, finishing very long and minerally.
It is dark ruby/purple to the rim, with notes of English walnuts, crushed rocks, black currants, and forest floor, dense, full-bodied, and opulent, yet classic with spectacular aromatics, marvelous purity, and a full-bodied finish that lasts just over 50+ seconds.
Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Echo de Lynch Bages has plenty of black fruits on the nose with an earthy undercurrent. The medium-bodied palate is firm and a bit hard with an herbal lift on the finish.
This blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc offers aromas of high quality unsmoked cigar tobacco, lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, earth, cedar and asphalt. Full, rich and stunningly concentrated,.
The sexy second wine of this estate, the 2005 Blason D’Issan, has a surprisingly saturated, ruby/plum/purple color, wonderful sweet black cherry and blackcurrant fruit, silky tannins, medium body and outstanding concentration, richness and length.
It's developed but it keeps some fruit character, plenty of spices and balsamic aromas. The palate is polished but has some clout, with clean, focused flavors and a long, spicy and tasty finish. This represents good value for the quality it delivers.
Always one of the better values and ageworthy wines from the Haut-Medoc, Lanessan’s 2003 possesses lots of cedarwood, creme de cassis and forest floor notes, outstanding ripeness, low acidity, and a round, generous mouthfeel with no desiccation or flaws.
Vine age ranges from 46-110 years old. The wine was aged for 18 months in older French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. It delivers a splendid bouquet of lead pencil, game, blueberry muffin, and blackberry liqueur.
Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Haut Bages Liberal is a bit subdued to begin, unfurling to offer glimpses at mature stewed plums and warm figs scents with touches of mossy tree bark, unsmoked cigars and truffles. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers lovely freshness and well-managed, approachable tannins, finishing on a mineral note.
Dense ruby/purple, it tips the scales at 15% natural alcohol and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Full-bodied in texture, it offers up loads of blueberry, blackberry and raspberry fruit intermixed with some cedar, vanilla and a touch of spring flowers. Impressively built, with good acidity and light tannin.
Wood spice, earth, black currant and sweet cherry characteristics are found in this elegant, medium to full-bodied, surprisingly rich, well-textured effort.
The 2016 La Massa is a terrific blend of 65% Sangiovese, 25% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon available at an accessible price. Alicante Bouschet was used in the blend until last year but has now been removed. The results are surprisingly complex and profound, although the wine's best asset is the fresh and straightforward approach it makes, especially on the palate. That inner depth will give this wine some proper aging potential I should expect.
The 2012 La Croix de Beaucaillou has a reserved but clean and focused bouquet of earthy black fruit, tobacco and a touch of bay leaf. It just needs a little more vigor. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. There is an attractive pencil lead note, fine balance with quite a long tail on the finish.
Its opaque ruby/purple color is followed by aromas of graphite, barbecue smoke, blackberries and black currants. The full-bodied, textured 2008 Saint-Pierre reveals a skyscraper-like mouthfeel along with tremendous viscosity and unctuosity.
The 2006 Sigalas Rabaud has a curious bouquet with peach skin and lanolin aromas, perhaps just a touch of volatile acidity here giving it lift. The palate is medium-bodied with fine balance
It has a straightforward bouquet with scents of red plum, autumn leaves and a touch of rose petal that needs a little more vigor. The palate is better than the nose, a little more cohesive than the 1998, with more freshness.
Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee is a forward, perfumed example of the cuvee that has classic Pegau black fruits, tobacco leaf, pepper and leathery notes as well as medium to full-bodied richness and depth on the palate.
There is pleasant purity, and certainly, it is less herbaceous than many of its peers, with peppermint-tinged red cherry and cranberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a mixture of red and black fruit, quite caressing in texture, with a well balanced if not overly complex finish.
Wild berry, black fruit, tar, garden herb and spice characterize the bouquet. In the mouth, the wine displays fine tannins and a perfectly polished feel.
Bernadotte’s well-made 2004 exhibits a deep ruby/plum/purple color as well as elegant cranberry, black cherry, and currant notes, good acidity, and a spicy, fresh, invigorating finish.
Offering broad, expansive, supple and silky tannin as well as loads of Asian plum sauce, blackcurrants, and sweet cherries, this wine is seductive, medium to full-bodied, and luscious.
While the 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve has never been my favorite vintage from Laurence, it nevertheless showed nicely on this occasion with classic Pegau notes of tapenade, garrigue and spiced meats flowing to a medium to full-bodied, supple, sexy wine that will continue to evolve gracefully for another decade.
A delicious, complex effort, the fully mature 2000 Lanessan offers notes of cedarwood, plums, loamy soil, and damp earth, medium to full body, plenty of spice, and a classic Bordeaux personality.
Dense ruby/purple with a spicy, resiny bouquet, a sweet entry on the palate, and admirable purity as well as texture, this is a classy blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Dense purple, with classic notes of cedar and lead pencil shavings as well as gobs of back currants and licorice, the wine has a full-bodied mouthfeel with fabulous precision and density. It also possesses a long, silky finish with moderately high tannins, but they are ripe and well-integrated.
Its bigger sister, the 2011 d’Issan exhibits an attractive perfume of black cherries, earth and background loamy soil and oak notes. Although elegant, medium-bodied and well-made.
This beautifully rich wine has an inky purple color, a big, sweet kiss of creme de cassis, incense, some background spicy oak and forest floor. Its gorgeous fruit, full-bodied opulence, impressive purity, expansive texture and broad, savory finish make for a terrific wine.
It is showing nicely, opening in the glass with aromas of crisp yellow orchard fruit, Anjou pear, white peach, pastry cream and subtle hints of freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and complete, with a delicate pinpoint mousse, ripe but racy acids and exquisite balance.
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2012 Grange sports an earthy/meaty nose with notes of tree bark, dusty earth, underbrush and chargrill over a core of dried mulberries and Christmas cake, plus hints of pepper and baking spices. Rich, medium to full-bodied and seductive, it has spicy layers and a long meaty/savory finish.
The 2009 Chianti Classico is a model of elegance and class. Firm yet well-integrated tannins provide the backdrop for expressive red cherries, licorice, tobacco and spices.
It has an inky purple color and a stunning nose of spring flowers, blueberry and blackberry fruit as well as touches of incense and graphite. Medium to full-bodied and stunningly concentrated,