98 Fleur de Jaugue [St Emilion] Served cool, over 3 days. First day nose takes little while to open up. Medium bodied, garnet color, some lightening at the edges, but not yet orange. Raspberry and red fruit flavors. Elegant and well balanced, compared to some clunkier California wines over the last week. Later some coffee shows up in the bouquet. There is still a smidge of tannin here, surprisingly. Just a great example of how non trophy Bordeaux that are well made can age well in a good vintage. I was worried initially (before tasting) that it needed to be drunk up; I’m thinking my smaller 00’s have priority over estates like this.
Bought a case of the 2000 as a future. Not a bad wine but note quite what I had hoped. My TNs:
-
2000 Château La Fleur de Jaugue - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (12/23/2014)
Decanted for four hours then drank with Roast Prime rib. maturing Bordeaux. Not as good as I had hoped when I bought this as a future over 12 years ago, but not a disappointment. Developing earthy, leathery components of the aging process with a floral component - like violets - in the background, but there is not a lot of fruit here. (88 pts.) -
2000 Château La Fleur de Jaugue - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (6/26/2014)
Now we’re talking. Part of my first ever futures purchase. Popped and poured because no time to decant. The rough edges are gone and it is coming out of its slumber. Moderate fruit, earthyness, a bit of smooth saddle leather. NO BORDEAUX BANDAID. This is now a very smooth and pleasant wine to drink on its own. No food required. Not quite a Wow wine, but excellent. Was it worth the effort to buy and hold for 11-12 years? I don’t know, but I am not unhappy that I have seven bottles left.
My prior notes include criticisms like some bandaid and bitterness at the back of the palate. All bottles from the same case. The negatives are all gone and it has settled down as a very nice wine. (89 pts.)
-
2000 Château La Fleur de Jaugue - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (8/9/2013)
Decant, drink a glass, needs air, wait three hours. After three hours in an open decanter, there is dark red cherry, primarily smooth but still some strong tanins so it seems not to be on the downside. There is a depth to the fruit, but still brooding. The finish is long. There is a bit of Bordeaux bandaid and the beginings of the development of some saddle leather. (88 pts.) -
2000 Château La Fleur de Jaugue - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (5/25/2012)
Bought en primeur about 9 years ago. Popped, decanted and poured. Needed a bit ore time. Although this wine is good, I am disappointed. After holding it for so long, I expected a greater reward. There’s some dark red fruit, resolved tanins, and some sharp acidity. It’s fine at the front of the palate, but there is bitterness at the back. (87 pts.) -
2000 Château La Fleur de Jaugue - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (9/1/2008)
Bought on release, I drank one bottle in 2003 when the wine arri ved just to see what it was like and my head hurt ist was so intense. It has been sleeping in the cellar since then. Decanted for 2 hours. Extremely dark in color. I could not see any light through it even when held up to a floodlight in the “Target” Reidel decanter. This s a nice pleasant Borideaux but a bit of a disappointment because of lack of complexity of flavor. The nose had some blue cheese when first decanted, but that blew off. Red fruit and coffee that I find characteristic of right bank Bordeaux. There is something reminiscent of sherry deep in the background but I don’t think it’s maderized. Moderate to long finish. I was expecting something closer to a 90 point WOW from a 2000 Bordeaux, but still a very good to excellent wine. (87 pts.) -
2000 Château La Fleur de Jaugue - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (4/1/2003)
I couldn’t resist, having just picked up my futures order of 2000 Bdx, so I chose this one to open. Extreme infantcide but very interesting because through all the awful things that you taste from bottle-shocked unaged bordeaux, there was explosive strong fruit and strong tannin. The flavors were so strong that I almost felt dizzy. I won’t open another bottle until at least 2008, perhaps later, but I expect great things when I do. I expect this to be a 92, maybe better.
Posted from CellarTracker
Had another bottle of this last night, or at least the first half of one. Lots of the espresso/coffee/hazelnutty aromas here. Easy drinking and doing well.
I opened another bottle of the 1998 Fleur de Jaugue [St Emilion] and its been shining for 3 days. 13% abv, lots of red fruit, medium body, tannins all melted away, and low acidity. It drinks very well without food as a ‘sipping a glass while reading a book’ relaxer. The first hints of orange are starting to emerge at the edges, but it doesn’t feel like its fading to me. We had a bunch of 50 and 60 year old St Emilions last weekend, which was a good reminder of how right banks in big years can age like Medocs in some cases. This was purchased from Zachys on release; I hardly ever see the estate around any more. A B+ in my ledger.