Opened this to celebrate not being in a NFL knock out pool this year
Last bottle, which is a shame as this is drinking quite nicely. Old school claret. Popped and poured at cellar temp, but a quick decant would probably do it some good as it was a little surly and dilute at first.
Still quite dark core, but some bricking on the rim. Lovely nose of gravel, blackberry fruit and tobacco. Mid weight on the palate, with tannins resolved, nice acidity and a good blend of gravelly minerality, peppery spice and black fruit. Doesn’t have the texture of the big boys from the 2000 vintage, but doesn’t have the price tag either. I think this will hold for a while longer, but I don’t think it wil improve, so time to drink them.
The Chateau sold in 2010 and the new owners started making major changes. You can really start telling by the 2014 vintage (which I bought) and it was full-on by the 2015 vintage (which I avoided). I did buy 16 and 17 but will not be buying the ripe 18. I have to admit that the 2016 is an excellent wine, but it is glossy, a major change from what I used to love about this estate. It is not OTT like many of the modern wines that I abhor.
I went to the trouble of self importing a case of the 1982 a lifetime ago, when no one had ever heard of the place. (Alas long gone now) That was back when one could attend a UGC tasting and chat with the owners, since there was no crowd around their table either.
My purchases ended after the 2012, simply due to the prices, rather than any great style objection.
