Maybe it’s just me, but I get the impression that Reignac has slightly gone off the radar in recent years. It had been a while since I tried one, so I tried two:
Reignac 2008
Cherry, plum and perhaps some vanilla on the nose. In the mouth, rather weird - a pot-pourri of sweetish red fruit, with every so often a streak of quite cool blackcurrant, a candified middle section and rather a dry finish. Quite rich with decent body, but a rather odd overall impression.
Reignac 2009
Much the same on the nose, although with an attractive minty touch at first. The attack is strong, sweet and fruity, but almost sherbet-like in its intensity and sweetness, with again a confusing middle section which veers from candy to cool notes of blackcurrant, but unlike the 08, with a very hot finish which reminded me of cough mixture. I threw in the towel after half a glass.
I’m sure others would like these more and I don’t want to be derogatory, but just for my taste, they were pretty unappealing. I think my taste has changed but I think the wine has too.
I got into Reignac with the 1996, which I liked, along with the next four vintages, but I think the style become sweeter from 01 onwards. I never bought the hype but it was a good value wine which I enjoyed.
I sought solace in a Clos du Jaugueyron (Haut-Médoc) 2009, an altogether different beast, which for my palate left the Reignacs in the parking lot. It’s amazing that they were produced at the same time - it’s like going from one epoch to another.