Alan Hense

9.2

Raspberry sauce, red cherries and cinnamon stand out in this well structured Beaujolais. Formidable! — 3 years ago

Tom Garland

9.2

1/2 hour decant (little cloudy sediment). A formidable dark tawny red color with decent bricking. On the nose: subtle nose of stewed meat, iron, cherry, smoke, and herbs. Taste: A creamy, smooth medium plus body wine with mouth coating raspberry, minerals, tar, leather, little chocolate, and a smokey tobacco medium plus finish. Drink em now or over the next few years. Cheers! — 3 years ago

with Brenda

Steve Pollack

9.4

Reduction initially, but with air and much swirling, it opened up. Beautiful and balanced. Wait at least 5 years. Formidable structure. — 5 years ago

John J

8.9

Formidable for an aged merlot blend (2010). Wet stone nose and then my french education gets serious. Hint of smoke and herbs on the palate, grippy tannins and ripe blackberry fruit.
Nearing pop and pour readiness, tasted five times over three days. — 7 years ago

Tom Garland

9.2

30 min decant(little cloudy sediment). A formidable medium garnet color with some bricking. On the nose: perfumed notes of raspberry, vanilla, forest floor, and cedar. Taste: A creamy, juicy, balanced wine with red plum, smoke, touch of blueberry, minerals, earth, spicy vanilla oak, and a medium finish. Sticking pins in my Packers doll and crossing my fingers, let's see what happens. — 3 years ago

with Brenda

Edo Wachters

8.9

Once part of the Beychevelle estate, this is the 2nd wine of Chateau Branaire Ducru. The grape varieties are typical Bordeaux, with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. A medium bodied wine, with plum, blackberry and cassis. The fruit is very present, with soft tannines. After 10 years in the bottle still young, but soft, and years ahead of it still. Surprisingly good quality for about 17-18 Eur. Formidable! — 4 years ago

V M

9.7

Sunday funday this wine is a perfect elegant pair to burgers and Cajun shrimp to eat and drink outdoors. This 2012 is drinking beautifully. Elegant yet expressive it brings forth the best of 2012 pomerol. Flowers and summer BBQ smoke on the nose it has bright red and purple fruit on the palate that while not overwhelming holds its own against spice and meat. It’s light enough to enjoy outside but formidable enough to linger without overwhelming a summer afternoon. Bravo to this wine. — 6 years ago

Kevin Cahoon

9.5

The youthful nose is dominated by high toned fruit notes of red cherry, pomegranate, raspberry with accents of allspice, iron ore and whole cluster fermented fruit, There is depth and complexity in the aromas but still quite coiled and restrained. Reticent but elegant red Pinot fruit flavors alongside a focused mineral edge. Dense fruit based tannins intertwined with the refreshing acidic zing provide a formidable structure. The finish has emerging but restrained red fruit and Corton power. This appears to need 3 to 4 more years to develop as air added layers but still reminded slightly reticent. I feel the wine will show well for many years. — 3 years ago

Tom Garland

9.1

Double decant and pour (decent sediment). A formidable dark garnet color with some bricking. On the nose: very aromatic nose of dark plum, green vegi, leather, sandlewood, menthol, wet forest floor. Taste: soft, rich, medium body wine with dark plum, tobacco, smoke, minerals, and a very dry spicy minty mocha medium plus finish. — 4 years ago

with Brenda

Bill Bender

9.4

First bottle since Saturday night’s bacchanal in tony West Des Moines (I still have 20+ wines to post)....it may be a combo of a great wine with low etoh and depriving myself for too long but this was just tremendous tonight. Formidable backbone and oozing balance, restraint and ripe red fruit. Floral dried cherry and pound cake. — 5 years ago