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2005 Bordeaux: Here and Now (Apr 2021)

The 2005 Clos de L’Oratoire is a huge, bombastic wine. Its concentration and depth are impressive, to be sure. But I find the 2005 monolithic, heavy and one-dimensional. Copious new oak, espresso, blackberry jam and dried herbs are all amplified in this decidedly hedonistic Saint-Émilion. Some readers will surely appreciate this style more than I…

2007, 2006 and 2005 Bordeaux (May 2008)

Good deep red. Truffley aromas of raspberry, mocha and earth. Rich, roasted red fruit and woodsmoke flavors sexed up by sweet caramel. Fleshy, round and sweet but with serious stuffing too. I find this very easy to taste today, but Stephan von Neipperg notes that it has the tannic structure of the ’98 made here.

The Riches and Richness of Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Dec 2019)

Deep glistening ruby. Aromas of ripe red berries, cherry preserves, lavender and smoky minerals; a sexy Moroccan spice nuance builds in the glass. Juicy and seamless on the palate, where the lush raspberry, spicecake and floral pastille flavors show superb depth and energy. Clings impressively on the long, spice-tinged finish, which features velvety tannins and…

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc: 2016 & 2017 (Oct 2018)

Light brilliant yellow. A highly complex bouquet evokes ripe citrus and orchard fruits, white flowers and smoky minerals, and an exotic saffron nuance emerges as the wine opens up. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering concentrated Meyer lemon, pear nectar, candied ginger and toasted brioche flavors that become more lively on the back half….

Southwold: 2016 Bordeaux Blind (Aug 2020)

The 2016 Batailley has an attractive, meaty bouquet with more red fruit than black, unlike many of its peers. With aeration it appears to gain more floral notes and lift. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, linear and focused, offering pencil lead, cedar and light spicy notes toward the conservative, controlled finish. A mocha-tinged…

Dive In: Cantenac Brown 1978-2018 (Oct 2022)

The 1990 Cantenac Brown, which was José Sanfins’ first proper vintage (he was a trainee in 1989), has a pleasant, mature bouquet with summer fruit, sage, mushroom, leather and wild mint; it’s a little feral but it gets an applause from me. The palate is well balanced, old school with melted tannins, quite spicy towards…