Haut Medoc Wines

wines

Lots of currants, berries and chocolate on the nose and palate. Full and chewy. Solid tannin structure. Better in 2015.James Suckling | 92 JSLove the nose of currant and mineral, with hints of mint. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a medium finish. Tannic. Maybe too much. But I think it's going to come out excellent.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThis uncompromising property has turned out a backward, forbiddingly tannic wine that, even in this very opulent and flamboyant vintage, will need a minimum of 10-15 years of cellaring yet keep for 40 or more years. Opaque black/purple, with notes of crushed rock, white flowers, graphite, blueberry and cassis, the wine is tight and needs to be coaxed from the glass. It is medium to full-bodied, with an excruciatingly tough-textured finish. Everything is here, and the wine is set for a long life, but it is not the least bit charming and certainly won’t be for at least another decade.Robert Parker | 90 RP

This is a major sleeper of the vintage and the finest Senejac I have tasted. The team from Pontet Canet, who have done such a phenomenal job at that estate, were in charge of making this Senejac, and the result, not surprisingly, is a sensational wine that consumers need to buy by the case. Dense purple, with notes of creme de cassis, incense, licorice and forest floor, this wine is delicious and full-bodied, with sweet tannins, low acidity, copious fruit and exceptional concentration. Everything is in balance, and the wine is capable of lasting 10 or more years.Robert Parker | 93 RPBerry and earthy, spicy character. Toasted oak. Medium-bodied, with fine tannins. A little hollow.Wine Spectator | 87-90 WS

Gorgeous ripe fruit character, with loads of blueberries, blackberries and flowers. Full body, with velvety tannins and a fruity, fresh, grapefruit aftertaste. Really beautiful. Best ever from here. Best after 2018.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2009 Cantemerle finally shows the potential that it displayed out of barrel. It has a delightful, well-defined bouquet with blackberry, cedar and tobacco aromas, vigorous with impressive delineation and class. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, and a taut line of acidity. Fresh and vibrant with a poised and quite tensile finish. This is a wonderfully crafted 2009 Left Bank. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VM(Château Cantemerle) In contrast to the hot and rustic personality of the 2010 Cantemerle, the 2009 is a superb example of this excellent terroir in a ripe and buxom vintage, and this wine is quite strong. The superb nose shows far more purity than its 2010 counterpart, wafting from the glass in a generous mélange of cassis, sweet dark berries, tobacco leaf, lovely, dark soil tones, cigar wrapper and a bit of smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, plush and primary, with a fine core, ripe, chewy tannins and very good focus and grip on the long, youthful and very well-balanced finish. This is a lovely, broad-shouldered Cantemerle in the making, but give it plenty of time in the cellar to blossom. (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 92 JGVery structured wine, with black currant fruit and dense acidity. The tannins are dark, firm, solid. This is a fine wine from Cantemerle, reveling in the richness of the vintage.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEReaders looking for the more ethereal, elegant side of Bordeaux need search no further than Cantemerle, one of the estates in the very southern end of the Medoc. Dense ruby/purple (nearly opaque), this wine offers up notes of lead pencil shavings, spring flowers, raspberries and black cherries. The wine is ethereal, medium-bodied, and by no means a blockbuster, but long and intellectual. However, the tannins are present, and the wine is certainly capable of putting on weight with time in the bottle. Give it 3-4 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 25+ years.Robert Parker | 91+ RPThis broad, fleshy style delivers toasty spice and tobacco notes up front, followed by dark cocoa, crushed plum and mulled blackberry fruit flavors. This really stretches out nicely in the glass, with alluring dark fruit and a velvety feel. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2017. 33,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

This is fairly tight and buttoned down, and the inflexibility of the tannins dampens the expression of the fruit. It's good quality, no question, and the cassis fruit has a ripeness to it once it opens up, but it ends a little abruptly and isn't showing the generosity of the vintage. Recent vintages of this property have seen a big step up in quality and I'm certain that this wine on its own with some food would be a delicious 2009, but it doesn't stand up in the lineup today. Drinking Window 2019 - 2032.Decanter | 90 DECA wine with sliced-plum and lemon character and hints of lemon grass on the nose and palate. Medium to full body with fresh acidity and a clean finish. Try after 2016.James Suckling | 90 JSThe 2009 Belgrave has a ripe red cherry, kirsch scented bouquet with hints of raisin and fig. It is just flirting with over-ripeness...but not over-ripe! The palate is medium-bodied with candied red fruit, a little chewy in texture and perhaps needing more mineralité on the finish. Yet, there is fine density and decent precision on the finish. Maybe give this another couple of years in bottle. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 90 VMA wine with luscious red fruits and bold acidity, The dense texture adds to the firm, solid tannins. This is a wine that offers both short-term attraction and long-term aging. Wine Enthusiast | 90 WEShows the ripeness of the vintage, featuring sleek linzer torte and plum confiture flavors laced with mouthwatering spice and sweet tobacco notes. This has well-integrated toast and a very racy finish. Drink now through 2015. 18,100 cases made. Wine Spectator | 90 WS