This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous
Château Haut-Bailly
Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2006
The 2006 Haut-Bailly is a very capable Pessac-Léognan from an oft-overlooked vintage. This repeats its showing from a few months earlier with lovely blue and black fruits and violet aromas. Perhaps a mote of chimney soot here? The palate is medium-bodied with that slightly ferrous note and tobacco. This bottle is a touch creamier in texture than previous examples. This is drinking perfectly now, but there's a lot left in the tank. Tasted at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, January 2023) — a year ago
Château Duhart Milon
Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot Blend 2005
The 2005 Duhart-Milon is a bit of a beast. Displays quite a dense, unforgiving pencil lead and tobacco-scented nose, and the fruit seems to take a back seat at the moment. The palate is well-balanced but undeniably brawny and rough-hewn, the kind of Pauillac you wouldn't want to meet down a dark alley at midnight. This is a bit hard going at the moment. This was an ex-château bottle served at Maison François in London. (Neal Martin, Vinous, January 2023) — a year ago
Château Ausone
Saint Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2008
The 2008 Ausone has a dark hue with just slight aging on the rim. It has an introspective nose: black fruit, melted tar, cracked black pepper and a background of dried blood/meaty scents. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins; it's a little austere for Ausone and is strict and drier than more benevolent vintages. Saline towards the finish that exerts a gentle grip. I would afford this another couple of years in bottle. Tasted at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, January 2023) — a year ago
Château Lafite Rothschild
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1996
The 1996 Lafite-Rothschild is the strongest wine from the First Growth in that decade. This bottle, served blind and ex-château in Bordeaux, is so precociously backward that I estimate it to be half its age. Blackberry, cedar and graphite are here as usual, though this bottle has even more intensity than the one served at the estate in 2018. The palate is brilliantly balanced with fine tannins and very intense graphite-infused fruit; there's just a touch more fruité on the finish. Superb. (Neal Martin, Vinous, January 2023) — a year ago
Château La Cabanne
Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend 2016
The 2016 La Cabanne is deep in color with barely any sign of aging. The bouquet is splendid with precocious black cherry and raspberry fruit, black truffle and leather touches. This blossoms in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Plenty of black, slightly tarry fruit gives weight and depth to this La Cabanne. It's well delineated with a good grip on the finish that is just beginning to develop a touch of gaminess. Excellent. (Neal Martin, Vinous, January 2023) — a year ago
Château Gruaud Larose
Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1982
This bottle of 1982 Gruaud-Larose came direct from the château cellars. It is just pure joy on the nose with fabulous scents of black fruit, hung game (less so than previous bottles), clove and a faint aroma of a stately home. It manages to offer both ample fruit and life-affirming complexity. The palate has aged little since I last tasted it; there's more red fruit here, with freshly rolled tobacco, cedar and a touch more spiciness on the finish than previous tastings, with a sweet yet structured finish. This may well represent the finest bottle that I have encountered. (Neal Martin, Vinous, January 2023) — a year ago
Lacoste-Borie
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2009
The 2009 Lacoste-Borie is drinking beautifully. Open for business on the nose, it offers earthy, red berry fruit laced with cedar and subtle earthy tones. The palate is well balanced with fine-grained tannins, classic in style, yet the precocity of the growing season lends it a sense of rondeur towards the finish. Nothing amazingly complex - just a delicious Pauillac. Tasted at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, January 2023) — a year ago
Château La Conseillante
Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend 2017
The 2017 La Conseillante has firmed up in recent months. This bottle was decanted for a couple of hours, and to be frank, I had reckoned on it being more open. More fool me! This is tight and intense on the nose, beautifully defined yet clearly shutting down. The firmness that I alluded to in my previous note is more accentuated, and as such, I would give this several years before broaching. (Neal Martin, Vinous, January 2023) — a year ago
Château Haut-Bailly
Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2009
The 2009 Haut-Bailly remains a glorious example from this Pessac-Léognan estate and confirms my recent encounters. Blueberries and cassis scents soon join black cherries, blood orange and iris flower notes on the nose. It skillfully translates the precocity of the growing season, though there is just a touch of alcohol that blurs the edges compared to more recent vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with a sensual, creamy, velvety texture. It is laden with black fruit and just a hint of liquorice, more primal than the bottle opened at the vertical the previous year. Drinking perfectly now if you like a bit of hedonism, otherwise, leave it four to five more years. Tasted at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, January 2023) — a year ago
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The 1995 Lafleur was bought and served blind by Baptiste Guinaudeau at a dinner in Saint-Émilion. It's not dissimilar to the bottle drunk in 2018. On the nose, there is black fruit with graphite and game hints. Given that it is now 27 years old, the 1995 is maturing at a glacial pace. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins that loosen up with aeration. With blackberry, black truffle and a touch of smoke, this Lafleur exudes Cabernet Franc on the finish. I thought that it might be ready to drink now, but this suggests it would be better to wait. Tasted in Bordeaux. (Neal Martin, Vinous, January 2023) — a year ago