Context
Château Cantemerle
Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend 2010
Not the team’s I wanted to see, so I’ll just stick to the basics. Went well with some A5 coffee crusted New York Strip, the steak 🥩 is so rich you don’t want to waste it on a fruity wine
The 2010 is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot. The vineyard is situated on deep gravel deposits in the Macau and Ludon villages of the appellation and has 9,600 vines per hectare.
Vinious 93 The 2010 Cantemerle is vigorous and open on the nose, a mixture of red and black fruit with cedar and humidor scents. I admire the focus and detail. The palate is rounded in texture on the entry. This is a plumper, richer, more fruit-driven 2010 with a lush finish on the context of the growing season. You could broach this now, although I would prefer to leave it another three or four years. This is another excellent wine and candidate for most over-performing cru this vintage. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal. — 2 years ago
Bodegas del Palacio de Fefiñanes
Rías Baixas Albariño de Fefiñanes 2019
Limpid, green-tinged yellow. Sharply focused, mineral-driven lemon pith, pear skin and tarragon scents pick up a floral nuance with air. Shows distinct saltiness and sharp focus as well as depth on the palate, offering sappy Meyer lemon, pear and honeycomb flavors and a touch of herbacity. Finishes long and chewy, with the floral and tarragon notes repeating. This wine's intriguing, savory and briny character is pretty wild, and I can vouch for how well it works with raw oysters and clams. In the context of world-class white wines, this one delivers simply amazing value. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, June 2021)
— 3 years ago
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2017
The 2017 Les Carmes Haut-Brion comprises 45% whole bunches and matured for two years in 80% new oak plus foudres and amphorae. Complex on the nose, this offers black olive and brine tinged black fruit, crushed stone and light minty aromas, quite intense in the context of the vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit on the entry, quite Rhône-like in flavour profile, hints of fennel and thyme interwoven into the red fruit, persistent on the finish. Delicious and distinctive. Tasted at the Les Carmes Haut-Brion vertical at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, October 2022)
— a year ago
Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg
Les Chaignots Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Pinot Noir 2010
Less dense and minerally compared to the 09' d'Eugenie Clos Vougeot, but it was my preferred red Burg on the table. It just had more energy! Pure and pretty bouquet of red and black fruits (leaning on the latter), florals, savory spice, and earth. The same can be said of the palate, with quite a bit of power in the back-end. Finishes weighty with a drawn out fruit sweetness that's perfectly in tension with the saline, tangy elements. Dissipated quickly over dinner. Another win for the sisters and 2010!
NB: An episode on Wineking got me thinking about the way I rate wines. Totally "unprofessional". Haha. The hosts were talking about how wine professionals have to forgo preferences and put on their thinking hats to judge wines, which makes perfect sense (and is taught in WSET too) but I just rate wines here based on how "drinkable" it is to me (and in context of the occassion). Scores wise, I'm sure this was the "lesser" of the two red Burgs we had. Just had less "substance". But "drinkability" wise, clearly everyone thought this was better. — 2 years ago
Bodegas Alejandro Fernández
Tinto Pesquera Crianza Ribera del Duero Tempranillo 2015
Deep ruby, stewed red fruits, white and black pepper, clove, herbaceous, some vegies. Medium + tannins, high alcohol, full bodied, medium acidity. Medium finish. Very nice. On to an older competitor...
Please read my subsequent notes in the Muga Prado Enea for more context.
@Antonio Galloni any thoughts?
92 points — 3 years ago
Cameron Winery
Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2018
Pop and pour, 1hr slow ox. Third btl from a half case. No brett or reduction on this btl, go figure (see previous notes for context). Lovely Cameron mushroomy funk, sandalwood, dark wild strawberry..fantastic purity. My favorite btl so far aromatically. On the palate: very good acidity, nice and savory with some earthy bark notes, maybe thinner than I would like, but very finely grained tannin on the finish. This btl is drinking very well now. — 3 years ago
De Toren
Fusion V Stellenbosch Red Blend 2017
The 2017 De Toren Fusion V, the Left Bank Bordeaux-based blend, 90% raised in 50% new French oak, is deep garnet in color. It has a well-defined blackberry, bilberry and soy-tinged nose, touches of pencil shaving coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, almost Médoc-like tannins, quite structured and more austere compared to older vintages that I have tasted, especially in the context of a ripe growing season. Noticeably bitter toward the finish. Personally, I would afford this a couple of years in the cellar just to shave the edges, but it is a commendable Stellenbosch Bordeaux blend, one that cohered nicely after two or three hours. (Neal Martin, Vinous, April 2021)
— 3 years ago
Delectable Wine
Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.
The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon is incredibly elegant and refined. Just starting to enter its plateau of maturity, the 2001 is distinctly medium in body - especially within the context of the year - with captivating aromatic presence and superb balance. What a gorgeous wine it is. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, April 2023) — a year ago