2008 Château Cabannieux Blanc - Graves. $12.99. Light yellow in color. The 80% Semillon really comes through in the nose, with lots of toasted-wheat aromas, rather than clover. A bit bitter in mouthfeel, good flavors and nice juicy acids.
2009 Barons de Rothschild-Lafite Réserve Spéciale - Bordeaux. $11.99. Light ruby in color - almost see-through. Smells buttery, with the carbonic aroma of nouveau beaujolais. Thin in mouthfeel, with Gamay-like favors that belie the 70/30 Merlot/Cab Sauvignon origins. For $1 more, you can get a "real" Bordeaux in the Macquin below.
2008 Château de Reignac - Bordeaux Supérieur. $19.99. Very dark ruby color. Effusive nose of cassis, toast and oak. Huge on the palate, with big unrelentingly tannins and somewhat bitter fruit. While not very friendly at the moment, it just may come around with a few years of aging. FWIW, this also has one of the more unsightly labels of any of its brethren.
2008 Roc de Cambes - Côtes de Bourg. $49.99. Dark ruby-garnet color. Gorgeous nose of savory fruit, along with kitchen spices and toast. Lovely flavor profile, with dark fruit, savory spices and a very juicy latter palate and long finish. I liked the nose a bit better than the mouthfeel, but it's all good.
2008 Château L'Enclos - Pomerol. $35.99. Medium-dark garnet color. Lush nose of dark berry and cherry fruit. Tasty, if a bit tannic and oaky on the palate, with nice integration of flavors and a long finish.
2005 Château Nenin - Pomerol. $59.99. Medium garnet color, that also seemed to betray some premature aging. Very nice nose of dark fruit, savory spices, charcuterie and saline. A little sweet initially in mouthfeel, followed by very nice savory fruit flavors that seem to thin out about 2/3 in, allowing drying tannins to finish things up. This may just have been bottle variation. But, it's awfully pricey if this is representative.
2006 Château Providence - Pomerol. $99.99. Medium-dark ruby garnet color. Very similar savory aromas to the Nenin, but much deeper in concentration and integration. Very good concentration on the palate, with nice chewy dark fruit, and lots of meaty savory flavors through the long finish.
2008 Château Macquin Saint-Georges - Saint-Émilion. $12.99. Medium ruby garnet color. Nice, if primary nose of cassis and dark cherry, with a faint tobacco scent. Very fruit-driven flavors on the palate, with good balance, and a hint of green tobacco at the finish.
2006 Château Haut-Brisson La Grave - Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. $24.99. Mediumgarnet color. Nose of cassis, tobacco, some savory spice, and classic French stink. Very nice and flavorful on the palate, with elements of dark fruit, toasted spice, and touches of toast and tobacco. Nice!
|
2008 Clos la Madeleine - Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. $24.99. Medium ruby garnet color. Nose of dark fruit, with toasted spice and meat drippings. Not a big wine, but smooth and seamless on the palate, with lots of savory flavors and lovely finish.
2006 Lucia - Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. $39.99. Medium-dark ruby garnet color. Nose of dark fruit and spice, with an interesting hint of roasted beet. Fabulous flavors, excellent balance and very long tasty finish.
2008 Château Fontplégade - Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. $49.99. Dark ruby-garnet color. Nice fruit-driven oak-integrated nose, with black cherry and cassis aromas - mingled with toasty new oak. Nice concentration, generous mouthfeel, with lots of dark fruit and toasty flavors. Excellent balance and long chewy finish. A really nice wine from the best of neighborhoods. Yet, a bit overpriced for my palate.
2007 Château Haut-Bailly - Pessac-Léognan. $59.99. Medium-dark ruby color. Amazing nose of dark fruit, kitchen spices, and roasted meat. Sadly, the palate didn't seem to carry forward on this tour de force. Very nice dark fruit flavors, but missing other elements made the mouthfeel less entrancing.
2008 Château D'Issan - Margaux. $39.99. Medium-dark ruby garnet color. Lovely nose of moderate cherry and cassis notes, with traces of vanilla and some savory aromas. Nice fruit, if a bit vanilla-laced and sedate. Tasty long finish.
2008 Clos du Marquis - Saint Julien. $39.99. Medium-dark ruby garnet color. Nose of cassis, dark cherry and toasted spice. Filled with fresh red fruit, slight macerated quality, very good balance and finish. Has a little New World quality to it.
2008 Château Saint-Pierre - Saint Julien. $49.99. Medium-dark garnet color. Beautiful nose of dark fruit, toast, and savory spices. nice acids create a hi-toned quality to the dark fruit. Less savory elements on the palate, with more emphasis on fruit through the long finish.
2006 Château Léoville Barton - Saint Julien. $69.99. Medium-dark ruby color. Great nose of dark toast-scented fruit, with hints of tobacco and spice. Excellent balance, very tasty in mouthfeel, with a long luxurious finish.
2008 Moulin de Duhart - Pauillac. $39.99. Medium-dark ruby color. Nose of black cherry, cassis, tobacco and leather. Nice concentration of fruit, although some green notes creep into the flavor, and a light quinine-like bitterness seems to permeate the latter palate and finish.
2007 Château de Myrat - Sauternes. $35.99. Medium gold color. Lovely stone fruit and sweet citrus in the nose. Smooth across the palate, with no edges and a seamless but crisp finish.
|
