A.m.l. Negociant A Saint Emilion
Couvent des Jacobins
St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend 2015
It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let's bring Merlot back!
Very dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.
Fruity nose of black currants, black plums, chocolates, light cedar, earth, herbs, black coffee and licorice.
Full-bodied and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate and fruit forward with plums, cooked cherries, currants, light cedar, herbs, chocolates, earth, coffee, light cola and black pepper.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a beautiful Merlot from Saint Emilion. Elegant and rich. Spicy and entertaining.
Really enjoyed the nose. Complex and interesting. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel.
Drinking beautifully now, but not at its peak yet. A great vintage from Saint Emilion, that will continue to age nicely in the next 15 to 20 years. Has good potential to become a 95+ point wine.
Good by itself or with food, and a great sipping wine.
A blend of 83% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Aged in (45% new) French oak barrels for 15 months.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$50 (current vintage). — 4 months ago
Château Monbousquet
Saint-Emilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2016
An Inky opaque brilliant color (10 out of 10), crushed berries on the nose with hints of smoke and stone. Full body,chewy, balanced and powerful. A beautiful Merlot based blend — 5 months ago
Château Franc-Mayne
Saint-Emilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2014
It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let's bring Merlot back!
Pretty color of dark ruby with a wide reddish rim.
Strong fruity nose with black fruits, cedar, chocolates, earth, tobacco leaf and herbs.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, spices, oak, licorice, light vanilla, dark coffee, tobacco leaf, earth and dark chocolates.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This 11 year old Merlot from Saint Emilion is starting to show some age, but still feels very fresh. Rich and fruit forward. Elegant and smooth.
Drinking beautifully now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. Complex and well balanced.
Good by itself as a sipping wine, or with food.
A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Aged in (50% new) French Oak barrels for 16 months.
13.5% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$50 (current vintage). — 2 months ago
Château Le Tertre Rôteboeuf
Saint-Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2005
#AgedWineTuesday
Beautiful color of dark ruby with a wide reddish rim.
Strong nose of black currants, black plums, cooked cherries, dried fruits, cedar, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco and herbs.
Full bodied and soft, with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate and fruit forward with blackberries, black currants, black plums, cherries, cedar, spices, dark chocolates, licorice, coffee, peppercorn, light eucalyptus, herbs, light vegetables, earth and black tea.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This 20 year old Merlot from Saint Emilion is absolutely fantastic now. Elegant, chocolatey and rich.
Drinking beautifully right out of the bottle, extracted and complex. Nicely balanced and powerful, with a great mouthfeel.
Wine Advocate 98 points.
Drinking it with the wine maker, from his personal cellar, makes it even more special for me.
Drinking at its peak, and will continue to drink nicely in the next 10 years.
Fruit forward and good by itself as a sipping wine.
A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Aged in New French oak barrels for 18 months.
94 points.
$350. — 5 months ago
Clos Labarde
St. Émilion Grand Cru 2015
It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let's bring Merlot back!
Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.
Fruity nose and medium plus in body, with medium plus acidity.
Dry on the palate with nice complexity.
Showing plums, currants, oak, vanilla, licorice, chocolates, herbs, spices, earth, light vegetables, tobacco leaf and peppercorn.
Tangy finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a very tasty 9 year old Merlot from Saint Emilion in Bordeaux. Rich and fruit forward.
A little tart right out of the bottle, and needed 90 minutes of airtime to open up properly.
Wine Enthusiasts 91 points.
I also had the 2016 vintage, but it was a lot younger. Time has worked in favor of this great 2015 vintage.
Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
Good by itself, and better with food.
A blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$50. — 8 months ago
Domaine Clarence Dillon Groupe
Chateav Qvintvs Saint Emilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2016
From magnum. Medium deep ruby , thin ruby rim . Deep summer fruits , red plum , cassis , cocoa , blackberry , deep earthy , touch smoky on the nose . After a while sweet cherry , raspberry jam . On the palate this is quite elegant and red fruited , quite good acidity , red currant , cherry , raspberry , some blackberry . Balanced acidity quite juicy tannins , good length , surprisingly fresh and balanced . Good red fruited , earthy length . A better showing here than last year I felt, better balance and fresher fruit . Showing surprisingly well now , though still young , better in 5 years , and will continue well for a further 10 -15 or so . — 5 months ago
Château Laroque
Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend 2020
Far more expressive than the 2019 at this stage, the 2020 Château Laroque is a gorgeous example of young Bordeaux and my first encounter with this vintage. The nose is quite generous at first and only closes down with time in the decanter, continuing the trend that I find with young Cru Classé Bordeaux of actually not benefitting from exposure to air. I wonder at what age this begins having a beneficial effect? Anyway, it’s replete with dark and sappy aromas of blackcurrant, cherry, cocoa, and graphite. The palate is rich, saturated and savoury, but fresh and not over-extracted, and following a relatively red fruited profile for this part of Bordeaux and certainly the wine does not possess any plush or luxurious character. No, this is a gastronomic St Emilion with great structure and length, which should age wonderfully. It may not be long before I pull the cork on another.
94+
May 2025 — 5 months ago
Les Angelots de Gracia
Saint-Emilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2011
I thought Les Angelots de Gracia was the second wine of Gracia, the OG “garagiste” producer from Bordeaux. Well, I was today years old when I learned that was not the case, rather it is a unique expression made in the same fashion as Gracia, but highlighting different terroir. Whatever, the results are delicious.
Poured into a decanter about an hour before service. The 2011 Les Angelots de Gracia pours a deep ruby color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing but beginning to show some vinous qualities with notes of brambles, plums, tobacco, mocha, milk chocolate covered toffee, leather, fertile earth, gentle baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose though it’s a little green on the finish (2011 vintage coming through?). But this is a really tasty wine if not on the more lean side…and that’s a compliment. Whether it’s the vintage or restraint or both, this is quite lovely!
For what it’s worth, I have never really sought out Michel Gracia’s elusive wines for two reasons: 1) I wouldn’t like the modern style and 2) they are elusive and expensive. As it turns out, only one of those things are true. These wines are delicious and worth the effort to seek out (and occasionally splurge for). Drink now with an hour decant and enjoy through 2031. — 2 years ago
Stefan Dolhain
2022 Mathilde. This is made from the vineyards of La Fleur Morange that are not classified as Grand Cru Classé. A beautiful wine in its own right that is hard to beat for value for money. — a month ago