Opened a half bottle of 2019 Issan. It’s a remarkable wine for the money; took a few minutes to open, but this is a beautifully balanced young Bordeaux with excellent red fruit, spice and a much longer finish than I expected. I am pretty glad that I purchased the vintage in bulk.
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A recent 2015 Rauzan Segla showed a nice mix of ripe red fruits, earth, some floral notes and good balance. Too young to show any complexity. Give it another decade.
An early peek at a 2019 Meyney, which took an hour to open and was a bit shy on the nose showed some cassis, blackberry, forest floor, and cedar. Good balance, kind of chunky palate feel, tannins need some time to integrate but I had no trouble going back for more, especially paired with a grilled ribeye. Another 5-10 years are likely to make it even better.
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Really good year for D’Issan and drinking beautifully now. This is going to age really nicely
2015 Latour a Pomerol was just delicious. Totally ready to drink, I am no pomerol expert and therefore do not know how long this will age or potentially improve, but I was very, very pleased. Another bottle 3 years ago was in contrast not drinking well at all, not ready.
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I think it’s fair to say Pontet-Canet has been controversial in the last few years. Personally I love the 2009 which is often likened to a Californian blend, but personally I still think it is has a classic Pauiillac profile just with the signature of the hot vintage. The 2012 drinks really well now in a lesser vintage and I have a couple of cases of the 2016 and 2019 based on some tastings where personally I thought they showed well.
I’ve generally stayed away from 2021, Bordeaux pricing is really soft in good recent vintages, however these came up at less than CHF50 a bottle which really shifts this from a ‘special’ wine into a drinking wine which I thought was worth a shot.
Hmm - I’d not recommending buying this, I don’t want to say it’s a terrible wine as it’s a classed Bordeaux, but for a classed Bordeaux it’s a terrrible wine. It’s like drinking an ashtray, it’s exactly like you’d describe the tobacco flavours in an aged Pauillac alongside a load of other flavours except there is nothing else and this is just 5 years old - I couldn’t describe any fruit and there is just no tannin in at all. I can see no way this can get any better from here, it has nothing to it.
I picked up some Montrose 2021 for value as well - I wasn’t planning to open for a while but feel now I need to taste to see how much is a bad vintage and how much producer.
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I decided to give a 2016 Lagrange a try this week. On night 1 (Monday), I gave it three hours in the decanter and enjoyed a few glasses over another two hours. For about 110 minutes of that, it was super closed off, stern, shrouded in oak, very unforgiving. Only in the last 10 minutes did some nice red berry fruit come out. I didn’t get back to it until night 3 (Wednesday) and it’s finally opened up and in really fine form. Classic Saint-Julien notes on the nose with lots of blackcurrant, cedar, pencil shavings, tobacco. The palate follows along with a beautiful, silky texture that feels a bit richer than its stated alcohol (13.5%). In all, wonderfully balanced and showing nicely after a mere 70 hours of air. Long life ahead of this one.
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A couple from this week:
Château Plantey - Cru Bourgeois - Pauillac 2014
Four hours decanting and more would have been better. Very Pauillac on the nose and palate, so lots of cassis and cigar box, along with plums and reasonably rich blackberry. Like the first one tried in 2023, a little rustic, but improving and will certainly improve further with more time. A very decent claret but no star. Obviously I’ve had better Pauillacs but I’ve had better CBs too, so at 14 euros, OK for value but no more. 89 pts
Château Desmirail - Margaux 2021
Lovely nose, with spring flowers, roses and red cherries, plus a touch of vanilla. On the palate, a classic Margaux, albeit in a minor key: redcurrants, strawberries, red cherries, quite fresh but quite persistent, a seam of vanilla midpalate, then quite a long, dusty finish. Even better the second evening, it had fleshed out a little without losing any of the finesse and elegance. Drinking well already and not for the long haul, but well worth seeking out. Found at auction for around 20€, this is excellent value. 91, possibly 92 pts
Desmirail is not an address that features in many conversations, which probably explains the price I paid. At EP it was 36€, which is actually about what I would expect to pay for a wine of this quality.
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So after the 2021 Pontet Canet which I thought was terrible I decided to open a Montrose from 2021. It was a. highly rated wine for the vintage and also while Montrose was always highly rated I think in very recent years its probably been seen as the best Left bank outside of the first growths, with 19 and 20 even sitting alongside the first growths
Firstly, I’m pleased to say it was miles better than the Pontet Canet - noticeably black and blue fruited, drinking well now and there is some structure to it that I think will allow it to age. However… while it’s lovely drinking a wine from what is undeniably a great vineyard and a producer team that is really at the top of it’s game, I still find this a bit underwhelming - its still seems a bit thin and while I can see this drinking well in 15 years, I really can’t see this being a wine you’d pull out in 30 years and marvel how it has evolved.
I think there is often a lot of desire for long time Bordeaux drinkers on WB to look at ‘lesser’ vintages in the last 15 years as more akin to ‘classic’ Bordeaux vintages. Maybe 2014 and 2017 might more fit that billing, but frankly I think 2021 is just a bad vintage - I see a lot of 2021 being heavily discounted at the moment but after these recent tastings, nothing in this vintage makes sense.
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Solo steakhouse night was enough of an excuse for me to open one of my halves of this baby.
- 2020 Château Canon - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru (5/9/2026)
From half bottle. I basically never drink Bordeaux of this pedigree young, but the reports that the young wines are more approachable in their youth appear true. Certainly a little shy on the nose at first, but showing notes of baked bread, mulberry, blackberry, spice, and warm earth. On the palate it’s remarkable soft and sensuous, with a refined texture and nothing out of place. Tannic for sure, but the refinement of the tannins is truly notable. Notes on the palate of red and dark berry, fines herbes, and even a hint of bell pepper that appeared when drank with a fatty ribeye. More than anything though this wine had a kind of shapeshifting quality I associate with true complexity, revealing something new with each sip or sniff. I’m skeptical of perfect scores for young wines but I really can’t find any fault here, even if I have to acknowledge that this is just a fraction of what it will be in 20 years or so.
Posted from CellarTracker
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2 bottles of Certan de May 1979. Both corked, one badly, one just enough to show how good this wine could have been.
A general observation. Pomerol along with Margaux were really fine in ‘79, and if you can avoid corked bottles, well worth seeking out.
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We have tried this wine twice and both times I thought it was one of the best young Bordeaux I have tasted. Glad you enjoyed it!
Gonna pop a half bottle tonight with some Morgan ranch ribeye:
Thoughts on:
2006 Haut Brion (leaning towards this)
2002 Palmer
1995 Leoville Barton
2011 Magdelaine
I have some younger stuff too like 2016 cos but assuming that should need more time.
I don’t have tremendously high expectations of the 2021 vintage after tasting through a majority of the classified growths. Of them I’ve found Montrose, LLC, DdC, LCHB and Figeac to be the most enjoyable. I’ve purchased a 3 pack of each due to the attractive pricing. Similar to your assessment, I view them as nice clarets with ample acidity/freshness that can be opened earlier than other vintages and enjoyed with a nice meal.
Of that list, Leoville las cases was my favorite.
Michael, I would probably do the 1995 Leoville Barton, but I’m afraid that might not be exciting enough for you. It is a pretty classic, stoic wine. The 1996, and I think you sold all of yours to me, is actually a better wine. I really love the 2011 Magdelaine. It is a young and very fresh and delicious wine. I’m not a huge fan of 2002 outside of a few top producers.
I have not had the 2006 Haut Brion. Of the wines you have posted, my sense is that you would like this one the most, I’m guessing it will offer more complexity.
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If you decide to pop the Magdelaine in half bottle, I’d love to know how it shows. I’ve only had the 750 and it didn’t show any tertiary character. Curious to know if the 375 would show some evolution.
Sampling two under $25 from the 2020 vintage
Chateau La Gurgue, Margaux, Medoc: From the Lurton stable, mix of CS, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, and mixture of new oak, used oak, amphorae, and concrete vats. Juicy, energetic, lively, and full of life. Bright red fruits and a floral nose, very Margaux in structure. Still very primary, but smooth and refined Excellent example on a non classified growth punching above its weight Lacks the concentration of classified margaux, but is a perfect daily drinker or luncheon claret.
Chateau Le Thil Comte Clary, Pessac Leognan, Medoc: Part of the Smith Haut Lafite family, located 1km from the Smith Haut Lafite vineyard. Nice nose of earth and smoke and primary fruit. Great acidity, could continue to age to blend tannins in a bit more, but i love the bite. Big plum and cherry notes, a touch of menthol, right bank character, as the blend is 95% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. For 20 bucks this is a hell of a deal.
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Will probably open the hb
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Would you decant the 375?
2006 Chateau Haut Brion (375 mL)
Pop and pour, ultimately may have benefited from a short decant even in the half bottle format. Tremendous nose with cedar, leather, a hint of tobacco, cassis and black currants. The palate was structured with soft, accessible tannins that opened up over the course of an hour or so in the glass. There was ample lively acidity and beautiful dark fruits. The texture was elegant and finely knit. The finish was tremendous. I gave my father in law a glass and he was immediately stunned with the obvious quality. This was really a stunning wine and drinking better than I expected. Glad I have one more half bottle left. @Robert.A.Jr
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Brane-Cantenac - Margaux - 2008
Forest fruits on the nose, along with leather and tobacco, then a soft, gently persistent mouthful of brambly fruit and moderately creamy blackcurrant, along with some red cherries and earthy touches. Very classical, very restrained, a little too much so in fact - like many 2008s, it could do with more fruit. In fact, if I had some 09, I’d commit sacrilege and blend the two! But enjoyable as it is and at the release price paid of 30€, decent value, but I wouldn’t pay the current price, roughly 70€.
It did improve the second evening, so could probably do with another few years in the cellar. 91 pts
Sociando-Mallet - Haut-Médoc 2004
Every time I try this, it has got better. Like the Brane, forest fruits at first on the nose, but sweeter, albeit with some mintiness. Quite sweet blackberry at first on the palate, moving smoothly into notes of plums and red cherry, before a wave of blackcurrant and a chalky but persistent finish. Very elegant, very tasty, classic but quite plump, more appealing than the Brane.
I wasn’t expecting this to beat the Brane, nor was I expecting the 04 to rival other higher-rated vintages of SM - but it does, for me at any rate. I would say that the quality of the 04 has now caught up with the 01, which is cool because it’s cheaper - the 01 sells for about 40€ whereas the 04 sells for 31€. Anyway, one of the best SMs for current enjoyment and well worth a try - 93 pts in my book!
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