Côtes de Castillon - Red Wine
191171 (XD) 750 mL
$20 per btl $60 per 3-btl. lot
RP: 87-89
DEC: ***
WS: 86-89
GD: 15.5
TJW: 9.0+
TASTING NOTE: A very reliable wine from the Cotes de Castillon, it is quite extracted and powerful in 2009, with a dense purple color, loads of blueberry and black raspberry fruit, with a hint of graphite. It should drink well for at least a decade. (Tasted once.) Drink: 2010-2020. Score: 87-89 (RP)
196576 (XD) 750 mL
$27 per btl $81 per 3-btl. lot
RP: 90-92*
DEC: ***
WS: 88-91
TASTING NOTE: The relatively new proprietor, Silvio Denz, has made his finest wine to date from this Cotes de Castillon property. A blend of 85% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon that came in at 14% natural alcohol, it is a full-bodied, super-concentrated effort displaying excellent purity as well as lots of minerality and floral notes imbedded in black and blue fruits. The oak is totally masked, the tannins are prominent but sweet, and the wine is fresh and precise. A sleeper of the vintage, this beauty should drink well for 10-12 years. (Tasted four times.) Score: 90-92* (RP)
193045 (XD) 750 mL
$45 per btl $135 per 3-btl. lot
RP: 92-94
DEC: ***
WS: 87-90
JR: 17
GD: 15.5
TJW: 9.1
TASTING NOTE: This 20+-acre vineyard, acquired by Gerard and Chantal Perse in 2001, is planted on a clay and limestone plateau. The 2009, a blend of 80% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, was cropped at 22 hectoliters per hectare, and possesses 14.2% alcohol. One of the top wines of the Cotes de Castillon, it boasts an inky/purple color as well as tremendous opulence, body, purity, and density, plenty of sweet boysenberry and blackberry fruit, noticeable, but subdued wood, full body, and an unctuous texture. It should drink well for 12-15+ years. (Tasted four times.) Drink: 2010-2025. Score: 92-94 (RP)
194423 (XD) 750 mL
$39 per btl $117 per 3-btl. lot
RP: 89-91+
DEC: ****
WS: 88-91
TJW: 9.1
TASTING NOTE: From a bio-dynamically farmed vineyard run with exceptional attention to detail, this 2009 had not finished malolactic fermentation when I tasted it, so expect future tasting notes to reveal more body and depth. Composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc cropped at 15 hectoliters per hectare, and a natural alcohol of 14.25%, a dense purple color is accompanied by notes of chocolate, roasted herbs, creme de cassis, and charcoal. The wine is deep, full, and promising, but also painfully backward and ferocious because it was still in malolactic. (Tasted three times.) Score: 89-91+ (RP)
194092 (XD) 750 mL
$42 per btl $126 per 3-btl. lot
RP: 90-92
DEC: ***
WS: 90-93
JR: 15.5
GD: 16
TJW: 9.2
TASTING NOTE: Tiny yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare have produced a wine with terrific fruit intensity, a moderately tannic structure, and hints of chocolate, cedar, spice box, and earth. Although not as big as I expected given the vintage, it is well-made and impressively endowed. Enjoy it over the next 12 years. (Tasted four times.) Drink: 2010-2022. Score: 90-92 (RP)
191403 (XD) 750 mL
$15 per btl $45 per 3-btl. lot
RP: 87-90
WS: 85-88
TASTING NOTE: Another sleeper of the vintage, the opaque ruby/purple-tinged 2009 l’Estang exhibits lots of sweet black currant and black cherry fruit intermixed with a hint of vanillin. Medium to full-bodied, with surprisingly pure, concentrated, lengthy flavors, it should drink well for 5-6 years. (Tasted once.) Drink: 2010-2016. Score: 87-90 (RP)
197475 (XD) 750 mL
$38 per btl $114 per 3-btl. lot
RP: 91-93
DEC: ***
WS: 89-92
TJW: 9.2
TASTING NOTE: Another excellent effort from this Cotes de Castillon estate, this 2009 from Juliette Becot is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc that tips the scales at 15.5% alcohol (the highest I tasted). The high alcohol is totally hidden because of the tiny yields (25.5 hectoliters per hectare) as well as the vintage character, which is one of great delicacy and freshness juxtaposed with unprecedented power and richness. A sleeper of the vintage, the 2009 Joanin-Becot possesses terrific opulence and layers of fruit and glycerin. This beauty should drink nicely for 10-15 years. Bravo! (Tasted four times.) Score: 91-93 (RP)
Scores:
We have included corresponding scores from various sources including:
RP: Wine Advocate, www.erobertparker.com
DEC: Decanter magazine, www.decanter.com (5-star system)
WS: James Suckling, Wine Spectator, www.winespectator.com
JR: Jancis Robinson MW, www.jancisrobinson.com (20-point system)
WE: Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast
GD: Greg Dunlop, Category Manager, VINTAGES European Wines (20-point system)
TJW: Tom Wilson, Vice President, VINTAGES (10-point system)
Note: An asterisk (*) next to a Robert Parker score indicates "...the finest potential of all the offerings I had ever tasted from that estate in nearly 32 years of barrel tasting samples in Bordeaux."
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