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.