This wine, which was reported to be very tannic in it's youth, has now shed it's tannin and has reached full maturity, and should be consumed now.  I have had a few bottles, and there does appear to be moderate bottle variation, although it could be due to differences in storage conditions, since I have not owned the wines since release and am unsure about provenance of these bottles over their first decade.

In general, the wines have a medium ruby color, and demonstrate a huge bouquet of truffles, pencil shavings, smoke, and baked cherries.  After a few hours, the truffle/ earthy scents faded.  I found the wine to be much more interesting in it's first few hours after opening, but those who do not like the strong "French Funk" bouquets should let it decant for a couple hours to let it blow off.  Those who like these scents may drink right after the cork is pulled, as I did.  On the palate, there is still sufficient fruit, mostly raspberry,  although the wine is far from "fruity".  The fruit flavors are muted, and mixed with spice, graphite,  and earthy mineral notes.  The tannins are soft, and the wine has a very voluptuous finish.

I bought several bottles at K and L in San Francisco for $69, which is a tremendous price for a 20 year old Bordeaux.  I have also seen the wine, I believe, at Wine Exchange.  Unfortunately, last I checked, both stores did not list it on their web sites.  It is availalbe for about the same price on-line at the Wine Chateau, and Post Wines, and for a slightly higher price at Hudson Wine Merchants.  I have never personally ordered wines from these retailers, and can not comment on their reliability from personal experience.

4 stars

 

What did you think of this article?

Liked
Disliked
No Opinion