1996 Guy Castagnier, Bonnes-Mares
A great looking cork – which I butcher because my corkscrew goes in ‘off-centre!’ The first nose is deep, silky, clean and just so inviting – I should have savoured it more because the wine slowly develops a balsamic edge and begins to hint of, if never fully expressing, brett. There’s a faint cloudiness too. The aeration that makes the nose less and less interesting actually aids the palate – the wine starts with a little too much acidity – 96-style – but slowly becomes more balanced – that, or I’m developing a taste for it! A wine that was much finer 15 years ago! It finishes well and still has something going for it as a wine – but this is Bonnes-Mares – I have much higher expectations. Drink up!
Rebuy – No – one more lies in the cellar…

1996 Guy Castagnier, Clos de la Roche
Hmm – the nose is certainly different here – a little non-standard too; there’s a slightly reductive impression that melds with a more classic dried leaves and occasional flashes of strawberry – reduction is pretty rare for older reds, but not whites. Still the nose is good and really very stable. There’s no cloudiness to this wine either – maybe it was filtered! Good texture and intensity – silky with still a modest grain if you really, really search. Wide, plenty of acidity – a wine of 1996 – if a little less overt than the Bonnes-Mares. Here is a wine that I wouldn’t think twice about cellaring for longer. Fresh, intense with plenty of interest in the flavour. Very enjoyable, juicy finishing flavour…
Rebuy – Yes
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