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2015 Bordeaux: Every Bottle Tells a Story… (Feb 2018)

The 2015 La Gaffelière is a wine of total finesse. Much less obvious and overt than most Saint-Émilions in this vintage, La Gaffelière makes its case on harmony and grace above all else. Bright, lifted Cabernet Franc–infused aromatics give the 2015 striking freshness and aromatic presence. The flavors are bright and nuanced to the core,…

Finally: Bordeaux 2015 In Bottle (Jul 2019)

The 2015 Clinet has a beautifully delineated bouquet, quite floral in style with rose petal and iris scents filtering through the red fruit. A second bottle is a little distant with more pronounced crushed stone aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, a fine bead of acidity, but those tannins tend to dominate the…

2015 Bordeaux: Every Bottle Tells a Story… (Feb 2018)

A dramatic, sweeping Pomerol, the 2015 Clinet is ample, racy and voluptuous from the very first taste. Those qualities are going to make the 2015 nearly impossible to resist young. Readers who can wait will be rewarded with a racy, deeply layered Pomerol of the highest level. For now, the raciness of the dark red…

A Century of Bordeaux: The Eights (May 2018)

The 1988 Pape Clément is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. Now at 30 years of age, it has a deep core with a thin brick rim. The nose is classic in style with blackberry, cedar and sandalwood, just a touch of tobacco. This is very composed and refined, not powerful but…

2006, 2005 and 2004 Bordeaux (May 2007)

Bright red-ruby. Knockout nose features boysenberry, currant, cedar, graphite and mocha. Suave, gentle and sweet, already displaying ineffable inner-mouth perfume. The 17% merlot component injects a silky component, and the oak element adds a complementary sweetness. Complex, lush, horizontal finish saturates the mouth with flavor. It was not clear to me in April that the…

Margaux Focus 3: Château Margaux (Sep 2023)

The 2004 Chateau Margaux is one of the dark horses of the decade. This bottle, which came directly from the château cellars, accidentally landing in my hands (long story), reconfirms the caliber. The bouquet takes a little time to find its feet, eventually offering richly layered scents with raspberry, blackberry, crushed rock and pencil shavings….