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Cleaning Out the Cupboard: Bordeaux 1943-2020 (Jan 2023)

The 2005 Batailley is dark in hue with little aging on the rim. The nose is backward, tight and almost “moody”, piqued that it did not undergo a three- to four-hour decant. Firm tannins frame the palate. The oak may not be as assimilated as the best 2005s. Dark chocolate and espresso hints develop with…

2016 Bordeaux…It’s All In The Bottle (Jan 2019)

The 2016 Ausone is magnificent. Seamless and supple, the 2016 hovers with striking aromatic nuance and layers of finely-knit fruit that gradually open in the glass. A whole range of floral and citrus notes perk up the sweet red/purplish berry fruit, with hints of lavender, blood orange and jasmine that develop as the wine is…

Southwold: 2016 Bordeaux Blind (Aug 2020)

The 2016 Ausone initially left me nonplussed, and so I left my glass for 10 or 15 minutes before returning to a different wine. The nose had opened up to reveal red cherries, wild strawberry, rose petals and touches of crushed stone and pencil shavings. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins and perfectly matched…

Cleaning Out the Cupboard: Bordeaux 1943-2020 (Jan 2023)

The 2000 La Fleur-Pétrus is a vintage I have not tasted for a while. This has an intense, enveloping bouquet that wraps its arms around your senses and gives it a gentle cuddle. Minty black fruit, wilted violets and sage emerge with time. The palate is well-defined and structured, displaying a bit more backbone than…

The Annual Red Bordeaux Report (May 2003)

Bright ruby-red. Superripe, highly perfumed aromas of raspberry, tobacco, minerals and spices. Sweet, lush and deep, with liqueur-like red fruits complicated by notes of tobacco leaf and fresh herbs. Very silky, voluminous Pomerol with real sweetness and inner-mouth perfume. A thoroughly seductive vintage for this chateau.

Squares & Circles: Bordeaux ‘10 At Ten (Apr 2020)

The 2010 Troplong Mondot, which clocks in at 15.8% alcohol no less, actually has developed an elegant bouquet with perfumed red berry fruit laced with rose petal, sous-bois and pencil box aromas, focused and quite delineated. The palate is silky smooth on the entry with a fine bead of acidity. There is a fair whack…