Petit-Figeac, 2015

Price: $40-$50
AOC: Premier Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux
Varietal: 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc 

Second wine of Chateau Figeac

Color: Dark Ruby, a little amber at rim
Aroma: Matured right bank! some perfume, focused sweet red fruit, a little flower   
Palate: concentrated red fruit, cedar wood, tobacco, a little perfume, very fine and a little astringent tannin adds structure and suggests the wine will improve if given more cellaring time. Proper acidity, savory, intoxicating and powerful, enjoyed it a lot but have opened the bottle too early!

      

Chateau La Vieille Cure, 2004

Price: $30-40

AOC: Fronsac, Bordeaux

Variety: Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Color: Opaque, dark purple, little orange at the rim

Aroma: It definitely needs time to aerate~Sweet! a "medium to full body" aroma, not an elegant, light bodied, and penetrating aroma like pinot, but a typical aroma from matured merlot. stewed red fruit jam, seductive, very good

Palate: 13 years of aging, flavor is concentrated and bold, matured, medium to full body, medium+, fine tannin (still shows some potential for cellaring for few more years, but totally fine to drink now) , tea leaf, earthy, sweet stewed red fruit dominant, a typical, matured right bank Bordeaux, irresistible for me, can't beat the value for the price. (needs time to aerate).  

Chateau Puygueraud, 2012

Price: $10-20
AOC: Francs - Côtes-de-Bordeaux, Bordeaux
Variety: 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec

Color: Dark ruby, a little deep violet
Aroma: pretty opened already right after opening, red fruit and vanilla, sense some alcohol, intensity is not particularly high
Palate: can taste firm red fruit and a little black fruit right after opening, however the sweetness faded pretty quickly, so do not decant this wine for too long (<30 mins), even just enjoy it from the pour without decanting is fine. Firm and clear acidity, some tobacco, some vanilla from oak and on the palate it somehow shows a buttery feeling which I am not a fan of, feel like this wine has too much oak in it, medium+ body,  little and fine tannin, and still can sense the alcohol, feel like 2012 is not a powerful vintage, the 14% alcohol and oak is too much for this wine. It needs more fruit and sweetness to balance the wine. Have tasted the 2009 vintage before which is much more enjoyable. 
Second day tasting: Half bottle of the wine was stored in the fridge with vacuvin pump, surprisingly on the second day, the wine becomes round and soft, the buttery mouth feeling is gone, tannin shows up and can taste red fruit from Merlot! There is even some fragrant(perfume) shows up in the aroma, starting to feel confused regarding how long to decant the wine.

Chateau Loirac, 2010

Price: $20-30
AOC: Cru Bourgeois, Medoc, Bordeaux

Variety: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot

Color: Dark violet

Aroma: quite nice actually, tobacco, wood, black fruit, some flower, some perfume and some vanilla from oak

Palate: medium+ body, tannin is integrated and fine (not too much tannin left), savory but can taste firm black fruit, tobacco, a touch of mineral, can sense cab perfume and flower while tasting, a little bit big (structure) and bold, fruitness concentration is medium+, very clear and standard characteristics of cab from left bank Bordeaux, a good introduction wine. quite enjoyable for the price range! ps: Aroma is a little bit more impressive than the palate. 

La Parde De Haut-Bailly, 2010

Price: $30-40
AOC: Pessac-Leognan, Graves, Bordeaux

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Second Wine of Chateau Haut-Bailly

Color: Dark Ruby, very little orange at the rim

Aroma: Black Currant, tobacco, can smell alcohol (never use a burgundy glass for a full body wine!), black fruit aroma came out after decanting(good intensity)

Palate: Clear black currant, some tobacco and tea leaf, very little mineral, tannin is moderate and fine, body is high, medium+ thickness, acidity is there, with slightly sweet finish. Fruitness concentration is not particular high, feel a little big although it is a second wine. Not the type I like.

Chateau Grand Corbin-Despagne, 2004

AOC: Grand Cru Classes, Sanit-Emilion, Bordeaux
Variety: Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Color: Ruby, very little amber color at the rim, early maturing
Aroma: The part I enjoy most, some merlot perfume, a little mineral feel, sweet red fruit, a little wood and smoke, Aroma is good, medium intensity
Palate: pretty standard Bordeaux, need decanting, definitely not a big structure wine,  a little red fruit sweetness(concentrated fruitness), wood, a little mineral feel , a little acidity, a little bit dry, medium+ tannin, medium+ body, elegant side, not my favorite, not a big wine but an easy drinking one. A wine more enjoyable smelling than tasting.    

Chateau Barde-Haut, 2004

Price: $40-50
AOC: Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux
Variety: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc

Color: orange, amber color at the rim, its almost matured, can drink now

Aorma: very clear, quite mature bordeaux merlot aroma, merlot perfume, a little meaty hint, ripe red fruit!

Palate: the mid palate is almost empty right after opening, after two hours of decanting, ripe merlot fruitness came out (the fruitness concentration is very good consider that 2004 is not a powerful vintage, longer decanting is also ok), red fruit, tea leaf and some tobacco, tannin is integrated and moderate, acidity is integrated and balanced. just a little of every thing in harmony. This is a balanced and matured right bank bordeaux I enjoyed a lot!

   

Chateau du Tertre, 1996

AOC: Fifth growths 1855 classification, Margaux, Bordeaux
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

Color: Doesn't look like an old wine by color, Ruby, very little orange at the rim
Aroma: very strong graphite right after opening, earthy smell, medium intensity, cedar wood and red fruit coming out after two hours of decanting
Palate: strong graphite right after opening, flat flavor, need around 2 hours of decanting, tannin is almost all integrated, light body, pretty earthy, some mineral, medium+ thickness(not on the elegant side to me), fruitness concentration is there, a good wine that shows chateau's characteristics, however feel like a little bit over the peak.  

    

Dame De Montrose, 2008

tasted 10/22/2015
AOC: Second wine of Chateau Montrose, Saint-Estephe, Bordeaux
Variety: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

Color: dark ruby to violet
Aroma: medium intensity, elegant in style, cassis, classic bordeaux left bank aroma
Palate: a little raspberry, pretty dry(almost bone dry), light thickness, a little bit austere, not the type I like, I still feel like it worth to try second wine only for better vintage.
   

ECHO de Lynch Bages, 2010

AOC: Second wine of Chateau Lynch Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

Color: Dark Ruby, Inky

Aroma: cedar wood from cab! intensity is not very high but still good black currant and some red fruit aroma. 

Palete: everything balanced, black currant and cedar wood, acidity is there, tannin and body is moderate, can also taste merlot. A good second wine that shows the chateaux characteristic. Easily enjoyable, a good left bank bordeaux(Cedar wood + black currant). Price is a little bit high.     

Reserve Speciale Pauillac, Barons de Rothschild (Lafite), 2011

AOC: Pauillac, Bordeaux

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Merlot 30%

Color: dark ruby

Aroma: intense, classic bordeaux left bank aroma, tobacco, red fruit, very good!  

Palate: high body but still elegant in style, very fine tannin, concentrated red and black fruit, totally open up after one hour of decanting, a very good everyday bordeaux. 

Chateau Leoville Barton, 1990

For Dad's birthday, Got it from Sotheby, NYC

Chateau Franc Couplet, 2010

Price: $10-20
AOC: Bordeaux Superieur, Bordeaux
Variety: 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon

Color: Dark Ruby red to purple

Aroma: black currant, licorice, clear black fruit aroma, ripe red fruit aroma comes in after proper decanting, a touch of vanilla, fragrant! 

Palate: black fruit dominant, clear licorice, tobacco, very little mineral, adequate red fruit, well-balanced, firm tannin, a good example of Bordeaux blend, perfect for a wine under $15!     

Chateau Grand Village, 2009

(based on memory)

The same owner as Chateau Lafleur. The same techniques making wine and managing vineyard are applied here.

AOC: Bordeaux Superieur, Bordeaux

Variety: Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Aroma: powerful, can tell the wine is from a very good vintage, clear earthy and licorice(?) aroma

Palate: both earthy and fruity, very clear licorice(?) palate. Although the fruitness and acidity is there, the wine is a little too thick for me, it is more on the earthy side. A quality wine but not a favorite one.   

Sarget de Gruaud Larose, 2009

AOC: second wine of Chateau Gruaud Larose, Saint-Julien, Bordeaux 

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

Color: Ruby

Aroma: there is some creamy and meaty nose upon opening, can easily tell the wine is from a powerful vintage, classic black currant, cedar wood, some perfume and tobacco show up after decanting, strong aroma

Palate: a classic bordeaux left bank, more on the elegant side, medium thickness with round tannin, taste black currant, cedar wood and a little tobacco, a little juicy acidity, a little red fruit, feel like Cab dominant, easy drinking style

          

Chateau Larose-Trintaudon, 2009

AOC: Cru Bourgeois, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

Palate: Cab black fruit with some merlot perfume, tobacco with a little mineral, bright acidity, light thickness for a bordeaux, easy drinking style 

Chateau Brane-Cantenac, 2011

AOC: Second Growths 1855, Margaux, Bordeaux
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

Aroma: very refined, penetrating red fruit aroma, with some spring flower.
Palate: elegant in style, medium+ body, a 50-50 feel of Cabernet-Merlot blend, soft, fresh, juicy acidity, concentrated fruit, more on the elegant side of a bordeaux, refined and balanced.  

Chateau de la Riviere, 2010

AOC: Fronsac, Bordeaux
Variety: Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Aroma: 有點混雜不清, 果實味夾帶著earthy, 不是特別strong
Palate: 明顯的earthy merlot, 加上cabernet franc 那種herbal, tobacco的感覺, 明顯的minieral, 讓這支酒在味覺上蠻厚, 蠻雜的感覺, medium+ to full body, 果實甜味有但不是特別集中, 帶有一點苦味(黑巧克力?) 這支酒要讓我暫時跟fronsac說掰掰了嗎？

Chateau Fombrauge, 2010

AOC: Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux

Variety: Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Aroma: intense Merlot 香水味! 香氣非常有深度跟穿透力, 光聞就知道是強力年份, 聞得出一些smoke 和 licorice

Palate: 剛打開時跟 Corbin 一樣, silky and very elegant, 味道內斂, 一喝就是高級酒的感覺, 醒完後red fruit, 和明顯的smoky and herbal出現, medium to full body, complexity高但中等 thickness, 蠻特別的, 非常好的 ripeness, 蠻甜的果實味, 算是一隻蠻強力的 saint-emilion, 有時喝多會有一種負擔感, 但又sweet又savory的感覺讓人忍不住想去喝, 不算the best, 但無疑問是一隻好喝的酒!

    

Chateau Potensac, 1997

AOC: Cru Bourgeois Exceptionel, Medoc, Bordeaux

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

喝完後一段時間才寫, 已經不太記得了, 純粹留個紀念, 要喝到20年的Bordeaux對現階段而言是不容易的, 這支酒 Sherry-Lehmann 保存得非常好, 印象中是介於 ruby 到 琥珀色之間, 單寧已經完全融合, 柔順, 一打開就有綻放開的香氣, body 醇厚, 帶有跟 96年 Calon Segur 一樣成熟 Cab 的特色, 老的 Cab 就跟 Merlot 一樣, 帶有一種自己獨特的香水味, 總是有一股魅力存在, 對於想不花大錢就了解成熟 Cab是什麼感覺的人, 是很不錯的選擇