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1996 BORDEAUX: MEDOC
Tasting Notes by : Gerald Weisl The 96 Bordeaux are highly regarded in France. It is a vintage which will be
long-lived (some of the wines having 20-30 years of life (well-stored). Monsieurs
Bettane and Desseauve put it on a level with 1961, 1982, 1989 and 1990. The 7th place wine was the Branaire-Ducru. Some said it had
"not much aroma." One taster found a "grassy" character, while
another felt it had hints of "roasted vegetables." Some found it
"very dry," while others felt it was "very tannic."
One taster said it had "not too much aroma." Yet I found lots of
sweet fruit, ripe plums and an ample amount of sweet oak! This, for me, was a
terrific wine. Lafite-Rothschild placed sixth. One taster felt it had a slight
"chemical" note, while another described it as having a fragrance reminiscent of
"pineapple...exotic...star anise." Another taster felt the aromas recalled
lavendar and blue fruits rather than red fruit aromas. It was described as lower in
acidity and having a short finish. I felt it was a 2-star wine (on a scale of
three), showing deep red fruit, lovely oak and being nicely framed. My notes
indicate "big, rich, built-to-last with lovely fruit and balanced tannins."
Chateau Beychevelle finished in 5th place. It was desrcibed as
being of an "international style," having lots of sweet oak. Descriptors
such as "open-knit," "coffee," "band-aid,"
"tobacco" and "pencil shavings" were employed by some tasters.
One asked "Where's the beef?", while another found it to have a long and
lingering finish. I found cedary, creamy, woodsy, sweet notes to its nose and a
vanillin and mildly leathery character in the mouth. Lynch-Bages finished in fourth place. The panel found
"vegetal," "sweet oak," "velevety", "chocolate
and caramel," notes along with "hints of coffee," "roasted
plums," "milk chocolate" and cedar. While I found some red fruit
notes along with a mildly herbal character, it seemed a bit shallow compared to the
competition. Cos d'Estournel was the third place wine. "Exploding,
extremely aromatic..." was how one taster described the wine. Another felt it
had "...the most expansive palate." "Sweet oak."
"Tobacco." Others felt the wine had "brittle tannins" and was
"light on fruit." I found lots of cedar, pencil shavings, violets and
layers of complexity. This will probably develop over the next 15-25 years! Pichon-Lalande was the second place wine. It was "different...Rhone-like" to some, while others felt it had the "strongest oak." Some found herbal or vegetal notes, as this was described as having hints of "olives and ripe green peppers." Pichon was further described as "harmonious...complete...intense and concentrated..." I felt the wine was, at this stage, deeper on the palate than on the nose.
1998 CHTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE September 12, 2001 1999 "High Roller" CHARDONNAYS September 5, 2001 1997 VOSNE-ROMANE Tasting August 1, 2001 1999 CALIFORNIA ZINS July 25, 2001 1998 CABERNET SAUVIGNONS July 11, 2001 OLD CALIFORNIA CHARDONNAYS June 6, 2001 1999 NORTH COAST ZINFANDELS May 23, 2001 1999 West Coast Merlots May 9, 2001 1999 WEST COAST PINOT NOIRS May 2, 2001 1997 BARBARESCO April 25, 2001 Mostly RUSSIAN RIVER PINOT NOIRS April 11, 2001 1997
NAPA CABERNETS April 4, 2001 1997 CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY &
MOREY SAINT DENIS 1997 GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN March 7, 2001 1978-1979 California Cabernets January 10, 2001 1997 California Cabernets November 8, 2000 1997 TUSCAN SANGIOVESES November 1, 2000 1997-1998 Chteauneuf-du-Papes & CALIFORNIA WANNABEEs October 25, 2000 Mostly 1998 PINOT NOIRS October 11, 2000 1996 CALIFORNIA CABERNETS October 4, 2000 MATURE CLARETS September 27, 2000 1997 RED BORDEAUX September 13, 2000 1997 NAPA CABERNETS September 6, 2000 1998 CALIFORNIA CHARDONNAYS
August 30, 2000 SYRAH & PETITE SIRAH August 9, 2000 FANCY CALIFORNIA MERLOTS August 2, 2000 1996 FAMOUS CALIFORNIA CABERNETS June 14, 2000 WEST COAST SYRAHS June 7, 2000 VIOGNIERS of RECENT VINTAGE May 24, 2000 1997-1998 ZINFANDELS May 10, 2000 SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE CLARETS May 3, 2000 1996 California CABERNETS April 12, 2000 1996 FRENCH RED BURGUNDIES March 29, 2000 CALIFORNIA vs ITALIAN (Tuscan) SANGIOVESE March 22, 2000 WEST COAST PINOT NOIRS March 8, 2000 AUSSIE SHIRAZ TASTING March 1, 2000 FRENCH CHAMPAGNES (NV BRUTS) January 5, 2000 1996 BORDEAUX (MEDOC) TASTING November 10, 1999 THE VINO-FINO TASTERS (A private tasting group) THE VINO-FINO TASTERS (A private tasting group) VINO FINO: 1999 PINOT NOIRS May 16, 2001 VINO FINO: 1996 SAINT-MILION Tasting April 18, 2001 VINO FINO: CARNEROS CHARDONNAYS March 21, 2001 VINO FINO: 1984/1985 Napa CABERNETS (John Vignau Memorial Tasting) October 18, 2000 VINO FINO: 1997 CALIFORNIA CABERNETS Sept. 2000 VINO FINO: 1997 BORDEAUX - MEDOC VINO FINO: 1997-1998 SANGIOVESES VINO FINO: SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE CLARETS |
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