Chateau Citran

Chateau Citran has a history dated back to the Middle Ages, but the chateau only went back to the 18^th century, from the old fortress that was built in the 13^th century. The estate was acquired in 1832 by the Clauzel family, but the vineyards contracted from 90 ha to a mere 4 ha. In 1945 it was purchased by the Miailhe brothers, Edouard and Louis, who were brokers and negociants.

They held onto it for several decades, when the estate was passed to Louis’s daughter, who sold it to the Japanese Societe Touko Haus in 1987, seeing committed investment. Later it was Groupe Taillan, led by Jacques Merlaut, taking over in 1997, who already had owned properties in the region including Ferriere, Gruaud-Larose, Chasse-Spleen, La Gurgue and Haut-Bages-Liberal. It was Celine Villars that holds the reins.

The vineyards are located in Avensen, west of Margaux and covering 410 hectares. Two plots which both entitled to Haut-Medoc appellation, totaling 90 hectares, are adjacent to the chateau and near Avensen. Terroir is typically gravel, with some sand, marl and chalky clay. It is planted with 58% Cabernet Sauvignon and 42% Merlot, with average vine age of 25 years.

There is plan to deforest some adjacent high land to grow more Cabernet. The vineyards are ploughed between in rows, with manual harvesting. Fermentation is carried out in stainless steel with temperature control, with three week cuvaison, followed by one year in barrels which are 40% new. The wine is then fined using egg white before bottling, with the grand vin being Chateau Citran of 25000 cases, and the second wine Moulins de Citran of about 16000 cases.

I have recently tasted the 2003 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, this wine is of medium ruby color and with legs.

Nose

Clean, the nose shows medium (+) intensity aromas of red fruit such as redcurrant and plum, black fruit of cassis and dark cherries, under ripeness notes of green bell pepper, oak notes of cedar, maturity notes of vegetal. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, medium tannin of smooth and silky texture, the wine has medium alcohol and is of medium body with medium intensity flavors of black fruit of dark cherries, oak notes of cedar, red fruit of plum. The wine has a medium (-) finish.

Conclusion

Acceptable quality Haut-Medoc with a fairly intense nose of reasonable complexity, however, the wine has some rather unripe characters associated, on both nose and palate, and the palate is particularly simple with also quite a disappointing finish. Coming from a good vintage of 2003, it is surprising about the unripeness. Ready to drink now and not intend for further ageing.

Wineshark Cooking - Pork Chop with Anchovy Hollandaise

Ingredients:

• Pork Chop - 2 pcs
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Black pepper finely - 1/4 tsp
• Egg yolk - 1
• Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
• Water - 2 tbsp
• Butter melted - 4 oz
• Anchovy finely - 3 pcs
• Fresh basil finely - 1 tbsp

Procedures:

1. First marinate the pork chop with salt and black pepper.
2. Panfry pork chop.
3. Put the egg yolk into a bowl, add half of the lemon juice, and use whisk to stir well.
4. Gradually add the melted butter until finish, then add the remaining lemon juice, all the while continue to whisk.
5. Add water, anchovy and fresh basil, then add to the pork chop.

Chateau Brane-Cantenac

The history of Chateau Brane-Cantenac could be traced back to the early 18^th century, when it was under the ownership of the Gorce family, with the estate known as Chateau Gorce. The family probably acquired the estate around 1735, and had been active in viticulture. Under Marie-Francoise Gorce the estate expanded to 40 hectares, with the increasing price signifying the quality of the wine, which was on par with what Mouton was selling at the time.

In 1833 the estate was acquired by Baron Hector de Brane, who sold Brane-Mouton to finance the sale, renaming it Brane-Cantenac in 1838. Hector was also responsible for identifying Cabernet Sauvignon as Medoc’s number one grape, earning him a nickname Napoleon des Vignes. It was ranked a second growth in the 1855 classification

The estate was later bequeathed to Jacques-Maxime, who subsequently sold to Gustave Roy, who owned d’Issan. During the vineyard disasters, phylloxera and oidium, war and economic depression, the quality went into decline. The estate was sold in 1919 to the Societe des Grands Crus de France, a consortium that also owned Margaux, d’Issan and Durfort-Vivens. The dissolution of this company in 1925 saw the estate sold to the current owners, the Lurton family.

Francois Lurton later passed the estate to his son Lucien, who made significant expansion and improvement. In 1992 he passed to his son Henri, who had spent many years gaining experience far beyond Bordeaux’s border, which was something special at the time. Henri also got a handful of wine qualifications. Through his dedication, today the quality had come back to the level expected for a deuxieme cru standing, and still gradually improving.

The vineyards amount to 75 hectares, with three main terroirs: the large sweep of gravel in front of the chateau at the top of Plateau de Brane, which is a thick layer of surface gravel up to 12 metres deep, with wines of high quality tannin with silky-velvety presence. The second section is centred around and behind the chateau, with a gravel soil but higher proportion of sand and no clay, and a lower water level, with stronger tannin. The third section is on the other side of Route d’Arsac, La Verdotte, with gravelly sand soil and adopting organic viticulture since 2010.

The vines are planted at 8000 vines per hectare, at an average age of 35 years. Cabernet Sauvignon covers 55% of the vineyard, with 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and 0.5% Carmenere. The fruit is picked by hand with typical yield of 45 hl/ha, transported using the Air Tec system which cushions the fruit from damage. At the reception area the fruit sees double sorting, one in the vineyard and the other in the cellar. The fruit is mechanically destemmed and sorted using optical technology.

In 1997 new fermentation options were introduced with new oak vats, adding to the choice of stainless steel and concrete vats. Now half of the production undergoes malolactic in barrel. In 1999 the buildings also saw extensive renovating, with a new chai using greener technology and environmentally sensitive materials.

The freshly harvested fruit sees a cold soak, with concentration methods used in wet vintages to reduce water contents of the must by vacuum extraction. Fermentation is under temperature control between 7-10 days, with pumping over and pigeage, and even delestage. Maceration is carried out between 20-30 days before pressing, with the wine fed into barrels of 60-70% new oak, for malolactic fermentation.

The wine is left on lees for several months, with topping up. Finally the wine is tasted before blending, and racking is also done. The wine is aged in oak for 12 months for Baron de Brane, the second wine, and 18 months for the grand vin before fining by egg-white and bottling. About 12500 cases each of first and second wine is produced each year.

I have recently tasted the 2004 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, this wine is of medium ruby color, with garnet rims and legs.

Nose

Clean, the nose shows medium intensity aromas of black fruit such as blackberry and blackcurrant, oak notes of cedar and toast, maturity notes of savory, sweet spice of cloves, floral notes of violet. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, medium tannin of soft and silky texture, the wine has medium alcohol and is of medium body with medium intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackberry and cassis, oak notes of toast and cedar, floral notes of violet, maturity notes of savory. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion

Good quality Margaux GCC with a reasonably intense nose showing good complexity, the wine has exhibited signs of development but still got ample room to further evolve. On the palate it is balanced and elegant, with fair concentration and complexity, as well as a good finish. Ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.  

Tinto Pesquera

Alejandro Fernandez is born in 1932, and he quitted school to work as a carpenter, blacksmith and inventor of farm machinery, before starting his winery in 1972, releasing his first wine in 1975. In 1989 he built a new bodega called Condado de Haza, producing over 60,000 cases of wine. Recently he purchased a 2,000 acre estate in Toro.

Alejandro is credited for bringing worldwide attention to Ribera del Duero, forcing the government to grant the region an official DO status in 1982. The signature wine is Janus, with 50% coming from grapes without destemming, and ferment in stone trough and the other 50% coming from the more modern approach.

Tinto Pesquera is planted with 100% Tempranillo, the average vine age is 15 years. Originally the wine is fermented in concrete troughs called lagares which is used for making vintage port, now stainless steel tanks are used since 1982. The young wine goes straight to new oak for malolactic fermentation, predominantly American oak, but for special lots Spanish and French oak are also employed.

Clarification is done through racking and no filtration or cold stabilization is used. Bottling takes place after 18 months for Crianza, 24 for Reserva and 30 for Gran Reserva. Further bottle ageing prior to release includes 6 months for Crianza, 12 for Reserva and 30 for Gran Reserva. Total production is around 500,000 bottles for Crianza, 90,000 for Reserva, 30,000 for Gran Reserva, 10,000 for Janus (only five vintages produced) and 10,000 for Millennium (1996 vintage only).

I have recently tasted many of its wines, and the tasting notes are listed below:

Appearance

Bright and clear, this wine is of medium ruby color, with legs.

Nose

Clean, the nose shows medium intensity aromas of black fruit such as blackberry and bramble, oak notes of vanilla, animal notes of meaty, sweet spice of nutmeg, maturity notes of savory. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium (+) acidity, medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture, the wine has medium (+) alcohol and is of medium (+) body with medium intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackberry, red fruit of ripe cherries, kernel notes of coffee, oak notes of vanilla. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion

Good quality Ribera del Duero crianza with a reasonably intense nose showing reasonable complexity of aromas, the wine has a good structure, supported by good acidity and a robust tannin. The flavors are also reasonably concentrated with a fair length on the finish. It is ready to drink now and can benefit from further ageing of another 1-2 years.

Appearance

Bright and clear, this wine is of deep ruby color, with legs.

Nose

Clean, the nose shows medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit such as blackberry and dark plum, red fruit of cherries, oak notes of vanilla, pungent spice of liquorice, kernel notes of chocolate, maturity notes of savory. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, medium tannin of ripe and velvety texture, the wine has medium (+) alcohol and is of medium (+) body with medium intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackberry, oak notes of vanilla, pungent spice of liquorice, kernel notes of cocoa, animal notes of leather. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion

Good quality Ribera del Duero crianza with a fairly intense nose showing reasonable complexity, the wine has a robust structure, balanced, and exhibiting an all-round texture, supported by reasonably concentrated flavors of similar profile as the nose, as well as a fair degree of finish. Ready to drink now, the wine can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.

Appearance

Bright and clear, this wine is of medium tawny color and with legs.

Nose

Clean, the nose shows medium (+) intensity aromas of dried fruit of raisin and prune, black fruit of dark cherries, animal notes of leather and farmyard, maturity notes of game, floral notes of violet, MLF notes of cream, mineral notes of earth, oak notes of smoke. The wine is fully developed.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, medium tannin of rounded and silky texture, the wine has medium alcohol and is of medium body with medium intensity flavors of mineral notes of earth, animal notes of leather, kernel notes of walnut, dried fruit of prune, maturity notes of game, black fruit of dark cherries. The wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion

Very good quality Ribera del Duero with an intense and extremely complex nose, the wine is a pure pleasure with a good development while at the same time still showing ample fruit and other characters. On the palate it is balanced, with a firm structure and good concentration. The finish is also fairly long. Overall a wine that one can drink non-stop and finish a whole bottle in no time. Ready to drink now and not intend for further ageing.

Wineshark Cooking - Teriyaki Duck Breast and Orange Salad

Ingredients:

• Teriyaki duck breast - 12 slides
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Orange juice - 4 tbsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• Lemon rind - 2 tbsp
• Capers - 1 tbsp
• Orange wedge - 2 oranges
• Mixed salad - 1 pack

Procedures:

1. Mix well the ingredients (except the duck breast).
2. Put the duck breast on top.

Chateau Filhot

Chateau Filhot is the largest estate in the region at 350 ha, but only a small portion is dedicated to viticulture. However, the volume produced is still significantly larger than others in the region. It has a high proportion of Sauvignon Blanc, resulting in a less rich style, and in the 1980s the then-proprietor Henri de Vaucelles used no wood. Quality was not the highest then, and so it was a challenge to sell the huge quantity of less-than-stellar quality dessert wine.

The property was acquired by Romain de Filhot in 1709, with the vineyard already established then. Previously it was known as Maison Noble de Verdoulet, with the vines likely to be planted between 1630 and 1650. Even though Romain died a year after the purchase, his descendants controlled the property for almost a century.

Romain also commissioned the construction of the grand chateau. His son Jean-Jacques inherited the estate, and then passed to his own son Jean Francois-Xavier, with the reputation flourished and selling for the same price as Yquem. Thomas Jefferson also ranked the wine directly behind its more illustrious peer.

The fourth generation was Gabriel-Barthelemy-Romain, who also purchased the Barsac property Chateau Coutet, explaining the similarities between the two labels. However he fell to the guillotine in 1794, and his daughter Marie Francoise Josephine inherited at the age of four. By her seventeen Marie married Marquis de Lur-Saluces, thus making Filhot under the ownership of the same family with Yquem.

The property was well maintained and enlarged, finally getting the rank of a deuxieme cru in the 1855 classification. At that time it was under Josephine’s son Romain-Bertrand de Lur-Saluces, and he and his wife started a remodeling of the chateau in 1845, as well as the parkland and gardens. They also acquired the neighboring Pineau du Rey.

But the estate declined in the ensuing years, with vineyards contracted compounding by the disease, the subsequent wars in Europe, plus global recession. During that period the estate also changed its name to Chateau Sauternes for a brief time, and by 1901 reverted to the original name. By 1930 the vineyard size reduced from 120 ha to about one-sixth the size.

At that time the owner Marquis Bertrand de Lur-Salues sold the estate to his sister and brother-in-law, Comte Etienne Durieu de Lacarelle. The couple had many children and grandchildren, and the estate was later passed to Louis Durieu de Lacarelle, who managed until 1970s. It was later passed to the Henri de Vaucelles, son of Comte Pierre de Vaucellas, a French ambassador, and one of Louis Durieu’s sister, in 1974.

Today he is assisted by his son Gabriel, replanting and restoring the estate but still cannot get back to the glory days when it was on par with Yquem. The vineyard and cellar are both renovated, replacing the fiberglass vessels with temperature controlled stainless steel. Fermentation now also see more wood, with blending and maturing in French Allier oak, of which one-third is new.

It is the most southernly estate in the Satuernes appellation, and to the south are the pine forest of Landes, providing cooling effect, increasing local humidity and protecting the vines from strong winds. The vineyards account for 62 hectares, only a small fraction to the entire 350 hectares of the estate. Soils are composed of sand, gravel and clay, sitting on deeper limestone bedrock.

Planted with 60% Semillon, 36% Sauvignon Blanc and 4% Muscadelle with the average vine age of 35 years. Manually harvest, it is generally carried out a week later than the others due to the proximity to the woods, from several tries to pick only the botrytis-affected fruit with each pass. The yield is typically 15-18 hl/ha, which is normal for a Sauternes.

Now the cellar has temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation vats, as well as French Allier oak barrels of which one-third is new, for the elevage up to 2-3 years. The wine will be filtered after 10 months and blended at about 14 months, seeing less wood comparing with other estates, so the style is a lighter and brighter one than the other peers. The grand vin is Chateau Filhot, with a second wine called Chateau Pineau du Rey, producing about 4500 cases and 2550 cases respectively each year.

I have recently tasted the 2005 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance
Bright and clear, this wine is of light gold color, with legs.

Nose
Clean, the nose shows medium intensity aromas of citrus fruit such as lemon peel, oak notes of smoke, maturity notes of honey and waxy, stone fruit of apricot, tropical fruit of pineapple. The wine is developing.

Palate
Sweet with medium (+) acidity, the wine has medium (+) alcohol and is of full body with medium (+) intensity flavors of citrus fruit such as lemon, stone fruit of apricot, maturity notes of honey, tropical fruit of pineapple. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion
Good quality Sauternes with a reasonably intense nose showing fair complexity, the wine has a balanced structure, with the sweetness supporting by a refreshing acidity to make it delicate and not cloying. The palate is more concentrated than the nose, with a reasonable finish. Ready to drink now, it can benefit from further ageing of another 8-10 years.

Tenuta San Guido

Sassicaia is one of Italy’s most famous wines, one of the flagships of the super Tuscan camp. Cabernet Sauvignon based, it is started by Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, but is now under his son Nicolo. Mario was a revolutionary and don’t like the rigid wine law, so decided to break out to make the best wine he could under a vino da tavola.

His estate, Tenuta San Guido, was located in the Tuscan town of Bolgheri. The wine now includes about 25% Cabernet Franc, with a second wine called Guidalberto, accounting for 10,000 out of the total 25,000 cases produced annually. Mario had been dreamed to produce a noble wine based on Bordeaux model in the 1920s.

The gravel soils in Tenuta San Guido are quite similar to Graves and ideal for the varieties, and in fact Sassicaia is the Tuscan word for ‘stony ground’. The original wines came from a vineyard planted in an area called Castiglioncello. In 1965 Mario planted two new vineyards with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, becoming the later Sassicaia vineyard, located about 800 feet lower than the original vineyard.

Under Nicolo there was little change except for the conversion of old wood fermentation vats to temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. It is a catalyst for the vineyard development that has taken place along the Tuscan coastline, particularly in Bolgheri. It was among the first Italian wines to receive international acceptance.

I have recently tasted the 1992 and 2006 vintages and below is my tasting note:

Appearance
Bright and clear, this wine is of medium ruby color, with wide garnet rims and legs.

Nose
Clean, the nose shows medium intensity aromas of black fruit such as blackberry, dried fruit of prune, pungent spice of liquorice, oak notes of cedar, kernel notes of cocoa, animal notes of leather, herbaceous notes of blackcurrant leaf, hints of maturity notes of savory. The wine is fully developed.

Palate
Dry with medium acidity, medium tannin of ripe and silky texture, the wine has medium alcohol and is of medium body with medium intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackberry and dark plum, oak notes of cedar, kernel notes of cocoa, floral notes of violet. The wine has a long finish.

Conclusion
Very good quality Italian super-tuscan with a reasonably intense nose of good complexity, the wine has a good balance with a fair intensity on palate, and accompanying with a really long finish. However, the maturity characters are not that apparent and even though the acidity and vibrancy shows the wine is still in good shape the development did not really show the 20+ years in age. Ready to drink now and not suitable for further ageing.

Appearance
Bright and clear, this wine is of deep ruby color, with legs.

Nose
Clean, the nose shows medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit such as cassis and blackberry, red fruit of raspberry and plum, oak notes of cedar, pungent spice of liquorice, floral notes of violet, maturity notes of savory, kernel notes of cocoa. The wine is developing.

Palate
Dry with medium acidity, medium tannin of ripe and well-integrated texture, the wine has medium alcohol and is of medium (+) body with medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackberry and dark plum, red fruit of raspberry, oak notes of cedar, mineral notes of tar. The wine has a long finish.

Conclusion
Very good quality super-Tuscan from Italy, the wine has a good intense nose showing complex characters, with the interesting changes happening during the process of enjoyment. On the palate it is equally concentrated showing a good balance of acidity, with a seamlessly integrated tannin which is so perfectly matched into the wine. Accompanying by a very long finish, this wine is beautiful and ready to drink now, though can benefit from further ageing of another 5-7 years.

Wineshark Cooking - Oyster with Salsa

Ingredients:

• Oysters - 24 pcs
• Coriander leaves - as decoration

Salsa ingredients:

• Tomatoes peeled & diced - 1 lb 4 oz
• Lime juice - 3 pcs
• Tabasco sauce - 2 tsp
• Coriander finely - 2 tsp
• Parsley finely - 4 tsp
• Onion finely - 8 oz
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp

Procedures:

1. Cut the tomatoes at the bottom with a cross, then put in boiling water for 1-2 minutes.
2. Put the tomatoes in cold water, then peel the skin and remove the seeds.
3. Cut the tomatoes into dices, and then mix with all other ingredients.
4. Put into the fridge for 20 minutes, then put on top of oyster, and add a coriander as decoration.

Chateau Carbonnieux

Chateau Carbonnieux has its history dated back to the 13 century, when the originators - the Carbonnius family - cleared the land there. The Benedictine monks held tenure in the area afterwards, with records of viticulture already at that early stage. The chateau began construction around 1380, but falling into the hands of the Bordeaux Hospices in 1424, changing hands to Jean Dupuyau after the Hundred Years’ War.

After Jean’s death his widow sold the estate to Jean de Ferron, a wealthy bourgeoisie, maintaining ownership for two centuries. Jean’s son Jean-Charles gradually increased the holdings in the area, and took the title of seigneur of Carbonnieux around 1540. Charles de Ferron, a descendant, was later forced to sell the property because of financial difficulties, acquired by the same Benedictine monks from Sainte-Croix in 1741.

The monks enlarged the estate, planting new and replanting old vines, and secured the status of the property as a vineyard. The estate grew from 115 to 160 hectares, selling the wine in France and international markets, and the reputation increased. By 1776 the whites were some of the most highly regarded wines in the region, considered equal to the reds of Chateau Haut-Brion.

After the Revolution, the estate was confiscated by the government and sold to Elie de Bouchereau in 1791, who resided there for close to a century. The operation was under Henri-Xavier Bouchereau, who established a red vineyard but still the white were more renowned. When Henri-Xavier died in 1871, the estate was passed to another family member but due to the phylloxera it was sold to the Labarre family, and then to Georges Martin, a local doctor.

Georges sold the estate to Ernest Doutreloux in 1920, and in 1930 changed hands to Jean-Jacques Chabrat. By 1956, the present owners, the Perrin family, took over. The Perrin family could be traced to Nuits-Saint-Georges in Burgundy and was not new to viticulture. In 1839 Philibert Perrin left for Algeria and his son Anthony established a very large vineyard there named Chateau Tirenat-les-Pins, and when the situation in Algeria deteriorated decided to return to France, and acquired Chateau Carbonnieux.

At the same time, they also acquired the neighboring estate and rechristened it La Tour-Leognan, to avoid confusion with Chateau Latour. The property was in a poor condition then, having contracted to only 29 hectares. Anthony’s son Marc Perrin decided to replant the vines in 1957, shortly before the chateau was listed in the Graves classification of 1959, and by 1962 the family moved into the chateau.

The vineyard was expanded and by 1983 a new cuvier was built alongside the refurbished chai, with the facilities further expanded in 1990. Marc’s son Anthony inherited the estate, and it is now run by the next generation, Philibert and Eric. The vineyards are on gravel-rich soils typical of the area, covering 92 hectares, the largest of all the Graves estates classified in 1959. It produces both red and white cuvees under the Pessac-Leognan appellation, and is both classified.

The area under vine is divided roughly equal between red and white, but the red has recently dominated slightly at 50 hectares, planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, concentrated around the chateau, with Merlot (30%) on the peripheral with the soils more on sand and clay. Some small plots of Cabernet Franc (7%), Petit Verdot and Carmenere (3%) are intermingled with the Cabernet Sauvignon to the west of the chateau.

The whites are better known, which are dominated by Sauvignon Blanc (65%) on the gravel soils to the north of the chateau, Semillon (35%) on the more clay-rich soils. Average vine age is 27 years for white, 32 years for red. The philosophy for the Perrins is sustainability, with the soils ploughed and worked to reduce herbicide use, using pheromone capsules to confuse grape moth, but spraying was still used to control fungal diseases especially in wetter years.

Yields are reduced by green harvesting if required, with manual harvesting. The white are picked first, with a three-day maceration which is not very common. The must is then fermented in vat using indigenous yeast, and then transferred to barrel to complete fermentation for about nine months with batonnage. The reds are fermented under temperature control, with maceration up to four weeks. Pumping over is used to break the cap and then put into oak barrels for 18 months where malolactic fermentation took place, with a third of new barrels each vintage.

The wine is blended at the end of the elevage. Before bottling it is fined and filtered. The grand vin is Chateau Carbonnieux, and a second wine La Croix de Carbonnieux. Chateau La Tour-Leognan is labeled for the young vines less than 15 years of age and no longer reflecting the original part of Chateau La Tour.

I have recently tasted the 2007 red and 2008 white and below are my tasting notes:

Appearance
Bright and clear, this wine is of deep ruby color, with legs.

Nose
Clean, the nose shows medium (-) intensity aromas of black fruit such as blackcurrant, dark plum and blackberry, oak notes of cedar, kernel notes of mocha, mineral notes of earth, herbaceous notes of blackcurrant leaf. The wine is youthful.

Palate
Dry with medium acidity, medium tannin of ripe and integrated texture, the wine has medium alcohol and is of medium (+) body with medium intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackcurrant, blackberry and dark cherries, oak notes of cedar, kernel notes of mocha. The wine has a medium (-) finish.

Conclusion
Acceptable quality Pessac-Leognan with a nose lacking concentration and fairly simple, the wine is showing a bit of unripe characters. On the palate it shows balance and reasonable intensity, but not having much length. Overall a wine that is not of much interest. Ready to drink now and not suitable for further ageing.

Appearance
Bright and clear, this wine is of medium lemon color, with legs.

Nose
Clean, the nose shows medium (+) intensity aromas of citrus fruit such as lemon, green fruit of grapefruit and gooseberry, floral notes of acacia, MLF notes of beeswax and cream, maturity notes of honey, oak notes of smoke. The wine is developing.

Palate
Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium alcohol and is of medium (+) body with medium (+) intensity flavors of citrus fruit of lime, green fruit of grapefruit and gooseberry, dairy notes of cream, maturity notes of honey. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion
Very good quality Pessac-Leognan white with an intense nose showing plenty of complexity, the wine has a good structure, in balance, and provides an enjoyable palate which is concentrated and having similar flavors. If only the length can be longer the wine would be even more exceptional. Ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 4-6 years.