From a half-bottle. Medium-plus ruby-red. A nose that remains relatively understated; faint red fruit overlain with equally faint, sweet caramel. Some fat, concentrated and with perfect acidity – this really dances across the palate. The tannins retain some grain but are on the wane. I rather fell-out with c.97-98 Grivots as unbalanced tannic monsters, but this is lovely – I’m happy to have a few in the cellar.
Medium-pale red with a strong amber caste. The nose started with a whiff of oak before settling for quite some time into a dirty, almost fixed sulfur motif. It wasn’t fixed as extended aeration brought a denser red fruit that eventually became more elegant and redcurrant in style. Good acidity with quite some extension in the mid-palate – this punch is delivered with little overt density but still impresses. The tannin has reasonably fine grain but still needs a little time to provide a perfect texture. This is not a powerhouse wine, but despite the initially disappointing aromatics there’s still some interest here.
Medium garnet core with a more mahogany rim. The nose started wide and forward with bloody, earthy tones. Plenty of time in the glass and you settle to a mineral, raisined cranberry expression, very lovely. The palate is much more understated and lithe, still with just a faint ‘jarr’ to the fine tannin. The acidity is good and you’ll find an equally good intensity from the mid-palate into the finish. Could still do with another 3 or so years in the cellar, but no crime to drink now.
(From Magnum) Medium-plus ruby-red. A dense and intense nose of meat, earth, blood and eventually red fruit – some of the effect is wood-driven, but it’s impressive all the same. Well-balanced palate of good acidity and relatively good texture for a ‘95 – the tannin is well-controlled. This is a very young wine that was never embarassed for density vs Dujac’s Clos de la Roche though by comparison was missing both complexity and a little length. A very young wine that definitely surprised on the ‘upside’.
Medium colour with just a hint of amber. This is a sniffer’s wine, subtle and complex – only slowly widening and becoming softer. This is also rather understated in the mouth; it has good freshness, nice transparency – again a subtle complexity – but you have to work hard to find all these elements. Long with a faint diminuendo. You would easily lose this in a large tasting.
Medium, medium-plus ruby-red colour. Bright, ripe red fruit – baked tarts – depth but limited width, the aromas are very persistent. Interesting, concentrated and ripe – there’s some complexity, but the fruit is quite dense, almost monolithic at the core. The length is very good and this is one very smooth wine. It needs plenty of time for complexity, but otherwise this is much more accomplished than the Rugiens.
Medium ruby red, little fading and despite a little amber at the rim, still looks relatively young. A fresh raspberry and cherry tart nose with a pleasing, slightly estery, tertiary depth. The dominant style of this wine is the acidity, smooth but in the ascendant. The fruit is actually quite tasty with a piercing red fruit aspect. There’s just a trace of dryness on the finish but the tannins are well mannered. Not fully joined up this wine, but it’s clean, very drinkable and unlikely to go downhill soon.
Medium ruby colour with a darker core. The nose is a bright mix of sweet, minty raspberry tart that overlays more meaty aspects. Really lovely texture, the tannins are still there on the finish, just slightly forward but fine-grained and not dominating. The well concentrated fruit is that same raspberry red colour with the minty notes of the nose still showing. Good acidity that follows through the raisin-tinged and eventually creamy finish. Certainly tasty enough to warrant a couple more purchases.
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