Higher-toned, more giving aromatics of depth and interest. Lithe and athletic – it’s like a coiled spring – I don’t know how the energy was contained in the glass. I normally shy away from Bonnes-Mares, but this one stole the show. Beg, borrow or steal to drink this – I will!
Medium-plus garnet-red colour. The nose starts wide with a deep red core. Time adds a faint cedar with a mint edge that’s subtle enough to add a nice additional complexity rather than an obvious unripe element. The palate offers quite some surprises; the slightly astringent tannins are just a little rustic, but there is depth, plus a shape and acid balance that you would never assume to come from the ripe 2000 vintage. The concentration is ample, and delivered in a fresh and lithe, rather than fat way. The finish shows good, if not amazing length, but there’s a lot of complexity and depth here. It’s a young, rather ‘old school’ wine, but one that brims with value. I’ll revisit ~2012.
A deep nose that also shows quite some width. Warming and swirling fills in the picture with some higher toned notes. Big and impressive in the mouth with chocolate covered fruits and a wave of tannin that keeps abreast of the fruit. Incredibly impressive stuff, but for my own preference it’s just a little brutal today. Really impressive stuff.
Medium-plus ruby red. Aromaticly understated when first opened, hints of deep fruit and unfocused high-tones. Given time the nose both deepens and widens, at the same time bringing everything into better focus – really lovely. In the mouth this is silky and intensly concentrated, the acidity is much more ’96-like than either of the Clos de la Roche or Clos St.Denis; the acidity is to the fore and shows just a hint of a metallic edge, but it’s very smooth acidity. The finish is not so long as the ‘Roche’, but like the ‘Denis’, this is a good deal more linear if not primary. The acidity begs you to swallow the wine, so the tannins just slip by. I don’t expect this will reach its apogee for at least another 5 years – when I will gladly try again.
A tight and mineral nose with plenty of higher floral aspects. In the mouth this earthy and direct, concentrated and muscular. The fruit is certainly a good foil for the structure but this wine will require several years in the cellar. Very impressive but for my own taste less compelling than the Clos St.Denis, Echézeaux or Grands-Echézeaux – or come to think of it the Fuées or Petits Monts.
Deep cherry-red. A brooding nose that mixes red and black fruit, though black is dominant, with a coffee edge. Concentrated and tannic. Starts on full power, a gradual diminuendo is the character of the wine – well it couldn’t go higher! – fading very slowly into the finish. It’s fully-packed with material and shows great balance. Not a hint four-square, but I wouldn’t consider opening this bruiser for at least another 8 years.
Medium-plus cherry-red. The nose has a little oak-toast and shows a much more savoury and spicy edge than the other wines, the fruit has a blacker edge too. The spice is also there on the palate, in-fact it currently defines the wine more than the fruit. A completely different expression to the others, it shows impressive though primary density and balanced structure – more so than the 99 Amoureuses – different, but very interesting.
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