| Tasting note |
Best wine ever from here, with layers of ripe fruit, spices and milk chocolate character. Full and long. Velvety. Gorgeous. Best after 2018. By James Suckling, Feb 2012.
On the toasty, more modern side of the spectrum, with ambitious roasted fig, apple wood and blueberry confiture notes followed by racy graphite, espresso and blackberry pâte de fruit. Not shy, but has the density for balance. Best from 2013 through 2024. By Wine Spectator, Mar 2012.
Elegant, with loads of black currant fruit, cherries and dusty, loamy soil notes as well as hints of tobacco leaf, spice box and cedar, it is a medium to full-bodied, nicely textured, fleshy wine that should drink nicely for 10-15+ years. This is the best wine I have ever tasted from this property, which has gone through many changes and frequent listless, uninspiring performances. The change to a better class of St.-Estephe was started by the late Vincent Mulliez, who passed away tragically last year, but who got things started by reducing yields, cleaning up the place, eliminating the TCA that had tainted so many wines in the past, and going with a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. The result is the best wine they have ever made, or at least the finest I have ever tasted from them. By Robert Parker, Dec 2011.
Since the futures tasting in 2009, the wood element has been tamed. It is still an important factor, but the fruit has blossomed, showing a solid core of tannins, surrounded by dark plum and red fruit flavors. It will need many years, but everything is here now. By Roger Voss @ Wine Enthusiast, Dec 2010. |
