St. Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

Better day 3….

Deep Ruby with aromas of red berry fruits and perfumed pepper spice. On the palate flavors of black fruits, cacao, tobacco and spicy herbal notes. Lively acidity, fine tannins, medium+ finish ending with fruit, cacao and spicy oak.

The mid palette showed best with typical Bordeaux merlot characteristics. Finish was a bit flat. At 7 years tannins were resolved. This is good to go.

Enjoyed the 2011 vintage on February 13, 2023.

Beautiful dark pallet of rich fruits but not heavy

Nice dark aromatics with gravely black fruit, light cedar wood and a uplifting note of menthol & cassis. Plus a very characteristic note of fresh walnuts.
On the palate this is fresh, quite light considering the colour yet with a proper tannic bite (ripe, juicy!) and great balance. Nice finish and surprising depth for a second wine. Kudos for the v. long savoury fruity finish.
This is really good stuff, also for sipping solo.
And surprisingly approachable upon opening.

With overly salted steak 🥩

Feels even riper than the 2015, but the fruit is purer and more transparent, exposing slightly simple structure which wasn’t as obvious in 2014 and 2015. The aroma is simpler as well, but the concentration and the density are excellent. The Bordeaux character is almost absent but almost an excellent wine.

Darker, denser, shorter and simpler than the 2014, its Italian nose is highly attractive but the the palate is fatiguing. 

Very true old school Bordeaux nose, high acidity but ripe tannins. The fruit density is lower than that of the first label, more traditional than modern, not over-extracted and slightly introverted.