Wow, this is a spicy, sultry, smoky little tart!
A modern-styled Bordeaux that can bridge the gap between the classicists and modernists. Popped for a buddy of mine that prefers California Cabs. Satisfies me, too. Medium bodied, nicely deliniated red and dark, plummy fruits. Dry earth, wet earth, gravel, toast. The musky nose is beguiling. Pepper spice finish, just a touch of heat.
(91 pts.)
SHL really delivers in the medium and lower rated vintages. 01-04 are all very good.
SHL '09–100 Parker
He pops a fav without me…'04 SHL is like a liquid Viagra for me…wait…no wonder I wasn’t invited over
FWIW, this wine was P&P’d, no decant. Relatively open and approachable, clearly into its drinking window.
Robert doesn’t want any hard feelings.
I’m as happy as I am surprised that you liked the wine. 
I have scored this wine as high as 94 points…and as low as 90…found lots of variation but no poor examples…this is my kind of wine…slate, gravel, smoke…Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts WOTY a couple years back…it’s a gem
In my defense, Jeff, we had been at a wine bar for a few hours before we came home to pop this, so my palate may have been a little stunted!! 
I’ve never been offended by a SHL, but I’ve never been wowed by one either.
Just pulled a 2001 from storage. Looking forward to it.
Another haunting gem, though I have not tasted this in 8 years…but I fell in love
I like this wine. Yes it’s modern in style. I’m keeping some as part of my “Do modern Bordeaux develop true aged Bordeaux character by age 15-20?” experiment. Of course by the time I have the results it will be too late to do anything about it.
Is this a Chinese wine?
I’m surprised Robert liked it too, knowing how his palate tilts. I forgot the last year I had of this, but my experience didn’t do it for me; actually I dreaded returning to the bottle, it was just too full of oak slather and modern nemesis.
One of my favorites was actually their 98, a nice vintage in Graves.
I think that was the beginning of their efforts to turbo charge the wine, but probably before they had gotten it up to level 11.
For those who might lament modern SHL, their older stuff was really dilute. I remember disappointing bottles of 70, 90 and a few others that ought to have been more flavorful.