2016 Château Fonbadet, France, Bordeaux, Pauillac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$28.00USD

This is a go to house for value in Bordeaux while still getting quality and terroir.  This vintage is a 70/30 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  Purple in color with a ruby rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, dust, cigar box, black cherries, and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, cassis, tobacco, black cherries, slight dark chocolate and char.  Long finish.  This is still youthful but drinking well.  Some complexity now and more as it ages.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  Nice on its own but evenbetter with food.  Slow cooke

2015 Château Fonbadet, France, Bordeaux, Pauillac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$35.00USD

This estate provides some real value  in Bordeaux especially in the good (expensive) vintages.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, cassis, cigar box and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is showing a nice complexity.  It should still develop more but is getting closer to peak.  Cassis with spice and char.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own but better with food.  It would work well with Lamb Stew.  Drink over the next eight to ten years.

1966 Château Duhart-Milon, France, Bordeaux, Pauillac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1966
Score: 
60
Grade: 
D-
Current Price: 
$229.00USD

Taken from a less than ideal cellar.  Ullage was in the low shoulder.  Mostly brown (iced tea) in color but some ruby hues.  The nose was mushrooms along with a touch of dried cherries and slight cherry fruit.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, mostly dried fruit and mushrooms with a touch of sour cherries.  Something left but not enough to really bother.  Oh well.  

2008 Château Pontet-Canet, France, Bordeaux, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$120.00USD

Great showing for this wine.  Still, not close to maturity, but certainly no harm drinking now.  Purple in color with very slight dark brown hues, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, blueberries, cigar, graphite, and a slight herbal/minty note.  Medium tannins.  Full bodied.  On the palate, cassis with underlying char and minerality.  Good acidity.  Complex.  Long finish.  This is delicious and kept improving all night long.  It will improve but was fantastic now.  Great on its own, this needs big/fatty food now such as Prime Rib.  Drink over the next twenty years.  

1974 Château Mouton Rothschild, France, Bordeaux, Pauillac, Wine Revieew

Vintage: 
1974
Score: 
87
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$488.00USD

Not a particularly good vintage, but when someone opens a bottle of Mouton, it gets one's attention.  Purple/brown in color, mostly opaque and slightly flat.  There is some fruit on on the nose, cherries along with dried cherries and caramel/brown sugar notes.  Thin.  Moderate acidity.  Some cherries on the palate.  At age 50, it really was better than expected.  More of a cool factor than a wine I would want to drink but not bad.  Maybe with some cheeses at the end of a meal would be cool.  Drink up.  

2000 Château Haut-Bages Libéral, France, Bordeaux, Pauillac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2000
Grade: 
Current Price: 
$145.00USD

Deep garnet in color, mostly clear and showing just a bit of bricking on the edges.  The nose is a bit musty but I didn't think TCA  (although some did), with cigar and some cassis.  The mustiness did not blow off completely but did not get stringer so I am going with a bit of bottle age.  There is some depth to the wine.  The palate has some cassis and some tertiary notes of leather and dust.  Good acidity.  Most 2000's are slow to mature, but this bottle, at least, seems past prime.  Drink up.  No rating as not sure how representative this bottle is.  

1997 Carruades de Lafite, France, Bordeaux, Pauillac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1997
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$175.00USD

Very nice showing for this second label of a First Growth Chateau Lafite.  It has about 40% Merlot in it (according to an early Robert Parker review).  The nose is earthy, with tobacco, cigar box, dust but also vibrant dark cherries and some cassis.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, black cherries, earthiness and some spice.  Good finish.  Well stored bottles should have a few more years out of this.  Nice on its own, but better with food.  Roasted duck or chicken would work well.  

1990 Château Mouton Rothschild, France, Bordeaux, Pauillac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1990
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$525.00USD

This is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Merlot.  On release, this seemed to be a bit of a disappointment for a First Growth form a great vintage.  At this stage, 33 years later, it has closed the gap somewhat and while perhaps not as good as a 1989 tasted side by side, it was till good.  Ruby/brown in color.  A very earthy nose but also some cassis and dried cherries.  Also some cigar box/tobacco.  Medium to full bodied.  Tannins all resolved.  Nice texture.  On the palate, much livelier.  Cassis, cherries, dried cherries and spice.  Moderate finish.  These nee

1989 Château Mouton Rothschild, France, Bordeaux, Pauillac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1989
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$550.00USD

What a treat to drink.  Ruby/brown in color, mostly opaque and bright.  This is apparently a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc.  Georg Baselitz is the artist who did the label.  Perfectly mature if even slightly past, this bottle was singing.  The nose has cassis, dried fruits, cigar box, dust and spice.  Full bodied.  Tannins pretty much resolved.  Good balance.  On the palate, there is cassis, coffee, spice and some cherries.  A bit of anise on the finish.  These probably should be consumed as they take the slow ride down.  Very nice on its own, but a bit of

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