So the value Bordeaux thread prompted me to pop this baby.
Decanted 1.5 hours outside, cool evening outside.
Silky, musky Bordeaux perfume, a bit reticent early on. An interestingly red-fruited Bordeaux, lighter on its feet than I would have expected for this wine, this vintage. Tart red berries, hints of cassis, old barn wood, cigarette ash, bell peppers. Picking up some plummy, smoky notes about 2.5 hours into this wine. The merlot is shining now, though I have to admit to thinking this wine has a much larger percentage of Cab Franc (surprisingly, only 5%). Finishes long and grainy with some grip. This wine has barely entered its drinking window, and I will not touch my others for 3-5 years, but I have zero regrets drinking this wine right now. It’s showing great. Paired perfectly with grilled meats.
In an era where many decry the ubiquity of Bordeaux, this wine stands proud of its distinct tradition. This is a distinctive wine, a trait I value.
by coincidence, just had this wine 2 nights ago. It was slow-oxed for about 10 hours and not decanted. the wine was far more open and forward than I expected and than I’ve experienced with this wine in the last couple of years (perhaps because it was decanted on those occasions an hour or 2 before serving.) Fairly open plummy fruit–not so red fruited as you experienced. The bell pepper component was more subdued than in previous years, and as you say, the cab franc really comes to the fore–we were all surprised that it was only listed as 5%.
Have had this wine several times over the last few years. For me the bell pepper was overwhelming every time. Paired with grilled meats it was fine, but for more subtle dishes this made it hard to pair with.
I got a half case each of the 2000 and 2001 Sociando on CC for $25 a few years ago, sold by a fellow Berserker who couldn’t abide the bell pepper. I tried a bottle of the 2000 on arrival and I loved it.
Yea, the bell pepper is there. I like the signature, sorta like the way I liked Togni 2 decades ago.
This wine is not for everyone, and not even for every Bordeaux drinker. It has a distinct hallmark that you either like or you don’t. I’m guessing that anyone like me that loves Chinon, will love this wine too.
I can’t even keep my hands off of it. I decanted the wine and stuck half in a 375 in the fridge. I’m already halfway into that 375 right now.
The plummy notes have risen to the surface over time, but that initial sensation was all red fruits, tart cranberries and spicey raspberries, high acid, only a hint of dark fruits. I’m not surprised, therefore, how your’s showed after being opened for 10 hours. I suspect your approach was much more intelligent than mine. It definitely needs air!
The bell pepper was much less prominent this time around. It’s still there but integrating more. I’d just be patient, and I think it will evolve somewhat but not completely into other herbal things like mint/tobacco/eucalyptus. Of course, if you hate bell pepper, buy something from the Right bank.
This is a favorite of mine as well. I get the bell pepper in most St Estephe’s but much more in Sociando (which I know isn’t St Estephe but is nearby). Is it the Cab Franc or the Cab Sav or terrior? Or a little of everything?