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Wines with Age

Wines with Age

Wines with Age

If you spend even a single day talking to an experienced wine enthusiast, the topic of vintages will come up. Every producer will create a slightly different mixture each year because the conditions change. Completely unpredictable weather scenarios can affect the yearly grape harvest and alter the taste and texture of the wine. As a result, every brand comes with recommended years or best vintages. In a way, it takes a miracle to create the best possible wine because many factors have to align. Sampling a vintage gives you an insight into the weather patterns and other natural conditions of that given year – it’s like receiving visions of the past, and can hold great sentimental value if the year is otherwise important to you.

Not every wine is made to last a century, which means you have to search very carefully. A truly great wine stands out instantly, as it’s complex and subtle enough to rival the most intricate paintings and classical compositions. The flavors develop and evolve over time, creating a colorful collage of scents that perfume your mouth and spirit, leaving an emotional, rich aftertaste. It becomes incredibly hard to stop at one glass, believe us.

Being able to pick out wines is a skill that requires years to fully develop, much like the wines themselves. Acidic wines, ones with residual sugar, and precisely tuned alcohol levels tend to mature much better than their ordinary counterparts. Good things come to those who wait, and there is no better example than finely-aged wine. Let us guide you through some choice picks, wines that will give your collection more longevity, so that you may one day tell stories to your children about life-defining moments that sprouted from these fertile elixirs.
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2009 haut batailley Bordeaux Red

Individual judge’s scores: SB 19 AG 19 SS 18.5 Owned by the Borie family, this is the sister château of the better known, more highly regarded Grand-Puy-Lacoste (see left). It generally has less structure than the latter, and is aged in a lesser proportion of new oak. The wine was often undistinguished in the past, but the last decade has seen a big step up in quality and consistency. The 2009 has always been splendid so it’s not a huge shock to find it equal to its sister estate here, but perhaps in 15 years their differences in quality and style will be more marked.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2009 Haut-Batailley is statesmanlike and beautifully defined on the nose with mineral-rich black fruit, Cuban cigar and mint aromas that gain intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, clean and precise yet unequivocally backward and almost surly towards the grippy, saline, mineral-driven finish. This is an outstanding Pauillac in 2009 and undoubtedly this is the best bottle that I have encountered. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 94 VMCurrants and blackberries, with hints of sliced Shitake mushrooms on the nose. Full body, with a solid core of ripe fruit and velvety tannins. Balanced and juicy. Try in 2018.James Suckling | 93 JSTasted at a vertical tasting at the château. The 2009 Haut Batailley has a much tighter and less expressive bouquet than many 2009s at the moment (in fact, you might think this was a 2010 if served blind!). Fortunately it only takes a few swirls to reveal some gorgeous minerally blackberry, bilberry and crushed limestone aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, a more structured 2009 Pauillac than others, yet beautifully balanced and with plenty of fruit towards the precise finish. This feels like a very polished Haut-Batailleynot in the winery, rather by nature. Tasted July 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NMA taut, sinewy style, with lots of roasted cedar, espresso and steeped black currant notes. Stays tangy through the finish, with an iron edge hanging on. There’s enough purity and length to wait this out for a bit. Best from 2014 through 2024.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

95
DEC
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