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Clos Puy Arnaud |
The clean racy Sauvignon Blanc finesse of the sole white of the tasting, the 2005 Ch. Le Rose Sarron was, if anything, too popular. We took all the importer had and only have a little over a case left here.
We opened and double-decanted (poured the wine into a decanter and then back into the bottle to aerate it) all the reds. Nonetheless, nearly all the wines were still rather tight and tannic at the beginning of the tasting which betokens good aging but made them a little difficult to taste.
The one exception was the one older wine, the 2001 Clos Puy Arnaud , which showed an almost warm flesh that made it engaging and appreciable right from the bottle. It was perhaps the favorite, certainly for drinking now.
The two most opulent wines were from the duo of Stefan von Niepperg, owner, and Stephane Derenencourt, winemaker. The 2005 Ch’ d’Aiguilhe, a Cotes de Castillon, was the slightly favored of the two, probably due to its greater Merlot content. The Clos Marsalette, a Pessac-Leognan with more Cabernet was also more reserved and did not begin to blossom until the end of the tasting, when it developed more exotic, pipe- tobacco overtones.
The Les Hauts Conseillants , a Lalande de Pomerol, and Lugagnac, the Wall St. Journal favored 2005 under $20 were both more traditional in style, with more structure. The Lugagnac was the more direct, and very popular for drinking over the next five years. We have about five cases left.
The Hauts Conseillants stayed the most reserved, but the bottle I took home was wonderful after three days. Translate that to three years and you have a barggain.
White
| 2005 Le Rose Sarron:
Aroma: fresh clean mineral, light slightly lemony; Mouth: fleshy firm, clean light tight firm, rather rich, mineral;
Very Good |
$14.95 |
$13.46 |
$12.71 |
Red
| 2005 Château de Lugagnac (Bordeaux Supérieur):
Wall Street Journal Best of Tasting The nose immediately says, "Fine stuff," with earth, tobacco and juicy fruit. Well balanced and nicely complex. Even better after an hour. Remarkably complete for such a young, inexpensive wine.
Very Good/ Delicious |
$16.95 |
$15.25 |
$14.40 |
| 2005 Ch. Les Hauts Conseillants (Lalande de Pomerol)
Aroma: Very oaky sweet rich light clean & racy; Mouth: Sweet oak rich & smooth pretty round firm;
Very Good |
$29.95 |
$26.96 |
$25.46 |
| 2001 Clos Puy Arnaud (Cotes de Castillon):
Aroma: earthy, heady , cedar; Mouth: fleshy, the edge of maturity, firm, rather structured, a touch of oak, smooth, clean;
Very Good Plus |
$26.95 |
$24.26 |
$22.91 |
| 2005 Ch. d’Aiguilhe (Cotes de Castillon):
Robert Parker “this sensational Cotes de Castillon exhibits a dense purple color as well as a gorgeously sweet bouquet of melted chocolate, blackberries, cassis, and cherries. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, it is an opulent, rich effort to enjoy during its first 10-12 years of life.”
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$39.95 |
$35.96 |
$33.96 |
| 2005 Clos Marsalette (Pessac Leognan) :
Mr. Parker liked this wine - “owned by Stephan von Neipperg, who has accomplished brilliant things at his St.-Emilion and Cotes de Castillon properties, this is the finest wine Clos Marsalette has yet produced. A provocative, fragrant blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, it offers a dense ruby/purple color, a smoky, earthy, black cherry and currant-scented bouquet, a lovely texture, sweet tannin, fine freshness, and admirable definition, size, and balance. It should drink well for a decade or more. Price good to March 31 or end of stock.
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$35.95 |
$32.36 |
$30.56 |
The 3/19 Bordeaux Case: Two of each of the above wines at a special price of $280
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