2011 Chateau Le Crock (Saint-Estephe)
Soft and mellow merlot nose, quite plummy with some interesting very ripe tomato. Very soft opulent tannins, nice freshness good acids, very supple and generous, quite broad and surprisingly light, balanced concentration. Good purity and freshness.
2011 Chateau Moulin Riche (Saint-Julien)
More closed on the nose, deeper darker fruits, less brightness more brooding, concentrated and subdued by oak for now. Excellent lines through the palate, bold on the front but softening quite nicely, cabernet doughnut hole being well filled by the merlot and petit verdot. Mouth-filling acidity and tannins, firm but not heavy or abrasive. Great consistency through the palate and extension. Benefit from 5-10 years in bottle.
2011 Chateau Leoville-Poyferre
Deeper more intense colour, but good clarity. Significantly more cabernet sauvignon influence on the nose, very berry concentrated with stalkiness and some tight-grain oak characters, but overly a great balance between fruit and savoury characters. A little more texture and grip from the tannins, certainly an influence of more cabernet sauvignon, textured and will take a lot more time in bottle to soften out and start to express the concentrated and closed fruit characters. Powerful expression but not heavy and well-balanced alcohol.
Chateau Moulin Riche 2007
Starting to show some age in the colour. Very stalky and dusty on the nose, fruit somehow a little subdued but more in the red fruit area. Good freshness and balance, seeing some of the secondary and tertiary elements come through, good balance and some nicely developing texture as well. Still with another 5 years perhaps, you might start to see a little more leather in the background.
Chateau Leoville-Poyferre 2006
Wonderfully perfumed floral and dark berry aromas, very inviting and expressive, a lovely bouquet, one of the nicest I’ve seen in a Bordeaux for a long time. Intense and fresh, lively and full, soft yet structured. Excellent purity but still tight in the structure and needing more time to continue softening and opening up in the bottle. Tight but showing wonderful finesse and elegance, great acidity to keep things together and ageing well. Superb balance will be wonderful in 15-20 years.
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| Chateau Leoville-Poyferre case |
The Intrepid Wino 