TN: 2 Cotes du Castillon, '01 D'Aiguilhe and '00 Clos l’Eglise

Tried these over the past few days:

2001 Ch. D’Aiguilhe Cotes du Castillon (14% abv)

Medium-dark red-purple color. Somewhat musty and mushroomy aromas, hints of red fruits, perhaps a bit corked. Tastes ok, however. Rather high toned and ripe, with kirsch, red cherry, and currant. Balanced acidity, moderately tannic. Alcohol is a bit prickly/noticeable. Medium finish. Overall, liked it despite some of the issues. Probably drink my remaining bottle or two sooner rather than later.


2000 Ch. Clos l’Eglise Cotes du Castillon (13.5% abv)

Medium-dark red-purple color. Pop and pour, almost nothing on the nose – hints of toasted bread. Rather reticent and cool, plummy, fairly tannic. On day 2 (re-corked and left at cellar temp), still restrained, but much more open and enjoyable, showing moderate plum, black cherry, and currant flavors, hints of herb. Just generous enough to avoid being under-fruited/austere. Good acidity, tannic but not unbalanced. Medium finish. Overall, enjoyed it quite a lot on day 2. The two-day evolution suggests it could warrant further cellaring, but I’d be a bit concerned about the level of fruit.

15 years is a long time for Cotes du Castillon typically. Maybe some of the newer ones are able to age more.