New Bordeaux wines in the Flickinger Fine Wines inventory http://www.flickingerwines.com/wineregions/bordeaux.asp WS 82 (8/2000): A pleasant red but slightly papery, with mineral, berry and cardboard aromas. Medium-bodied, with silky tannins and a medium, papery finish.--1990 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now. 17,000 cases made.MB ***[*]: First noted in October 1994 at a British Airways tasting for Concorde: opaque; unknit, slightly woody; full but severe- a long haul wine in both senses. Two months later, at the MW tasting, slight woodiness noted again but easier on the palate. At a pre-sale tasting in January 1999, still' 'unknit', good body, tannic. Four months later, still deep and intense, but its cedary nose a bit raw, 'not on top form'. Nevertheless, on the palate quite shapely, 'well-mannered', but something missing. A rather disappointing Ducru. WA [nr] (11/1996): Many bottles of 1990 Ducru-Beaucaillou have exhibited a damp, musty, cardboard component in the nose that obliterated the wine's fruit. The color was a healthy deep ruby/purple, and the wine possessed moderate weight and length, but, as I have written in the past, too many bottles seem musty, giving the impression of being corked. Interestingly, a bottle served at a friend's house on New Year's Day was unquestionably a 90-point wine, exhibiting no off aromas. Last tasted 11/96. Fortunately, this was the last year for the musty problem in Ducru's wines.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChDucru-Beaucaillou.aspWS 93 (12/2009): Subtle, yet rich and decadent, offering meat, sweet berry and fresh leather on the nose. Full and very soft, with velvety tannins and a long, fruity finish. This has so much ripe fruit. Reserved and firm, this is turning to a very fine and shy Lafite. This is fresh and structured, but still holding back. I wouldn't wait, though.—'89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Drink now.WA 90 (2/1997): As I suspected, the 1989 and 1990 vintages of Lafite-Rothschild have gone dormant. Both wines were among the more closed, backward examples in my blind tasting. The 1989 Lafite is also outstanding, but closed, with the tannin more elevated, and the wine so stubbornly reticent as to make evaluation almost impossible. Lafite's 1989 was far more easy to taste and understand several years ago. It appears to have gone completely to sleep. This medium ruby-colored, medium-bodied wine reveals new oak in the nose, and a spicy finish. It is a quintessentially elegant, restrained, understated style of Lafite. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2025.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChLafiteRothschild.aspWS 92 (8/2000): Better than I anticipated. A sleek and racy wine.Ruby-amber color. Aromas of cedar, cigar box,tobacco, mint and mushrooms, with hints of redfruits, follow though to a medium body with finetannins and a long, silky finish. Excellent now,but a little more bottle age would only improveit.--Latour vertical. Best after 2005. –JSWA 90 (6/2000): Medium garnet-colored with moderate amber at the edge, the 1978 Latour offers a spicy, saddle leather, tobacco, dried herb, earthy nose with sweet fruit trying to poke through. Interestingly, new oak also makes an appearance in the flavors. Medium-bodied, elegant, and fragrant, but possibly beginning to dry out, this fully mature wine requires consumption over the next decade. Anticipated maturity: now-2010.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChLatour.aspWA 91 (6/2000): This is a beautiful wine with an evolved personality and low acidity. The wine exhibits abundant quantities of earthy, smoke and tobacco-tinged, black currant fruit, rich, concentrated, medium to full-bodied flavors, and moderate tannin in the long finish. It is successful, but nowhere near full maturity. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020.IWC 89 (6/1998): Very good red-ruby color. Floral, nutty aromas of black cherry and iodine; as with the '96, one can smell the char of the barrels. Sweet and smooth on entry, then a bit tougher and less obviously ripe than the silkier, more voluminous '96, with a slight green streak and an impression of stronger acidity. The tannins here are a bit more spiky. Finishes with a note of pepper. In a typical, drier Pauillac style, a bit like the '88.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChLynchBages.aspMB ***[**] (2/1992): A serious combination, Montrose and the 1982 vintage. And so it proved to be. Although not tasted recently, harmonious, excellent flavour but its ripe sweetness hardly denting its tannic astringency. A long haul wine.WS 96 (12/2006): Intense aromas of kirsch, currant and spice follow through to a full-bodied palate, with round, velvety tannins and a long, long finish. This is complex, changing on the nose and palate. Layered and structured. Will improve for many years to come.--Non-blind Château Montrose vertical. Drink now.WA 92 (6/2009): The 1982 is nowhere near the quality of some of the Montroses made afterwards (1989, 1990, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008), but it has aged better than expected having developed more complexity and richness than barrel samples suggested. Sweet kirsch, black currant, crushed rock, and floral notes are followed by a full-bodied, opulent, fleshy wine displaying no hard edges. It still possesses beautifully pure fruit as well as good body, but it should be consumed over the next 5-8 years. Release price: ($120.00/case)http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChMontrose.aspMB ***[**] (2/1992): A serious combination, Montrose and the 1982 vintage. And so it proved to be. Although not tasted recently, harmonious, excellent flavour but its ripe sweetness hardly denting its tannic astringency. A long haul wine.WS 96 (12/2006): Intense aromas of kirsch, currant and spice follow through to a full-bodied palate, with round, velvety tannins and a long, long finish. This is complex, changing on the nose and palate. Layered and structured. Will improve for many years to come.--Non-blind Château Montrose vertical. Drink now.WA 92 (6/2009): The 1982 is nowhere near the quality of some of the Montroses made afterwards (1989, 1990, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008), but it has aged better than expected having developed more complexity and richness than barrel samples suggested. Sweet kirsch, black currant, crushed rock, and floral notes are followed by a full-bodied, opulent, fleshy wine displaying no hard edges. It still possesses beautifully pure fruit as well as good body, but it should be consumed over the next 5-8 years. Release price: ($120.00/case)http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChMontrose.aspWA 93 (2/1998): An explosively rich, exotic, fruity Montrose, the 1995 displays even more fat and extract than the 1996. There is less Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1995 blend, resulting in a fuller-bodied, more accessible and friendlier style. The wine exhibits an opaque black/ruby/purple color, as well as a ripe nose of black fruits, vanillin, and licorice. Powerful yet surprisingly accessible (the tannin is velvety and the acidity low), this terrific example of Montrose should be drinkable at a young age. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2028.IWC 91+ (6/1998): Excellent red-ruby color. Plum, currant, animal fur, smoked game, roasted nuts and graphite on the nose, plus a note of toffee. Lush and smooth in the mouth, with notes of minerals, leather and game. Still rather tightly wrapped following the mise, but very nicely balanced from the outset. Firm acidity gives the wine superb delineation and grip. Tannins are dusty and firm-and more obvious today than in the '97, despite the fact that the later year featured higher polyphenol levels.WS 88 (12/2007): Aromas of Indian spice, blackberry and currant. Subtle. Full-bodied, with slightly angular tannins, but soft and caressing in the finish. A little hollow but pretty.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now. 17,600 cases made. –JShttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChMontrose.aspMB ***[**] (3/2000): Also exciting in its youth, with Mouton's inimitable, spicy, cassis aroma, flesh and fruit. Twelve months after the harvest, peppery, vigorous, its tannins on the bitter side. The following spring (1991), I found it so much more exotic than the '90. Sweet. Fabulous. Rodenstock produced an imperiale, prematurely, in September 1995: very dry. But a couple of months later, bottles (I think we had two) with wonderful mouthfilling fruit at a tasting I conducted for Goldman Sachs at Christie's in Frankfurt. No longer opaque, a deep black cherry colour. Superbly fragrant, minty, peppery fragrance and lovely crisp Cabernet Sauvignon flavour. Most recently, this time in Hamburg at a comparative tasting of '89s and '82s, I noted its 'legs', fantastic bouquet and flavour. A touch of iodine, lovely mid-palate fruit, its high Cabernet Sauvignon content (abuot 76%) having provided the exclusive Mouton flavour and character. Leaner than expected and still very tannic. Drink 2010-2030.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChMouton-Rothschild.aspMB ***[**] (3/2000): Also exciting in its youth, with Mouton's inimitable, spicy, cassis aroma, flesh and fruit. Twelve months after the harvest, peppery, vigorous, its tannins on the bitter side. The following spring (1991), I found it so much more exotic than the '90. Sweet. Fabulous. Rodenstock produced an imperiale, prematurely, in September 1995: very dry. But a couple of months later, bottles (I think we had two) with wonderful mouthfilling fruit at a tasting I conducted for Goldman Sachs at Christie's in Frankfurt. No longer opaque, a deep black cherry colour. Superbly fragrant, minty, peppery fragrance and lovely crisp Cabernet Sauvignon flavour. Most recently, this time in Hamburg at a comparative tasting of '89s and '82s, I noted its 'legs', fantastic bouquet and flavour. A touch of iodine, lovely mid-palate fruit, its high Cabernet Sauvignon content (abuot 76%) having provided the exclusive Mouton flavour and character. Leaner than expected and still very tannic. Drink 2010-2030.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChMouton-Rothschild.aspMB ***[**] (3/2000): Also exciting in its youth, with Mouton's inimitable, spicy, cassis aroma, flesh and fruit. Twelve months after the harvest, peppery, vigorous, its tannins on the bitter side. The following spring (1991), I found it so much more exotic than the '90. Sweet. Fabulous. Rodenstock produced an imperiale, prematurely, in September 1995: very dry. But a couple of months later, bottles (I think we had two) with wonderful mouthfilling fruit at a tasting I conducted for Goldman Sachs at Christie's in Frankfurt. No longer opaque, a deep black cherry colour. Superbly fragrant, minty, peppery fragrance and lovely crisp Cabernet Sauvignon flavour. Most recently, this time in Hamburg at a comparative tasting of '89s and '82s, I noted its 'legs', fantastic bouquet and flavour. A touch of iodine, lovely mid-palate fruit, its high Cabernet Sauvignon content (abuot 76%) having provided the exclusive Mouton flavour and character. Leaner than expected and still very tannic. Drink 2010-2030.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChMouton-Rothschild.aspMB ***[**] (3/2000): Also exciting in its youth, with Mouton's inimitable, spicy, cassis aroma, flesh and fruit. Twelve months after the harvest, peppery, vigorous, its tannins on the bitter side. The following spring (1991), I found it so much more exotic than the '90. Sweet. Fabulous. Rodenstock produced an imperiale, prematurely, in September 1995: very dry. But a couple of months later, bottles (I think we had two) with wonderful mouthfilling fruit at a tasting I conducted for Goldman Sachs at Christie's in Frankfurt. No longer opaque, a deep black cherry colour. Superbly fragrant, minty, peppery fragrance and lovely crisp Cabernet Sauvignon flavour. Most recently, this time in Hamburg at a comparative tasting of '89s and '82s, I noted its 'legs', fantastic bouquet and flavour. A touch of iodine, lovely mid-palate fruit, its high Cabernet Sauvignon content (abuot 76%) having provided the exclusive Mouton flavour and character. Leaner than expected and still very tannic. Drink 2010-2030.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChMouton-Rothschild.aspMB ***[**] (3/2000): Also exciting in its youth, with Mouton's inimitable, spicy, cassis aroma, flesh and fruit. Twelve months after the harvest, peppery, vigorous, its tannins on the bitter side. The following spring (1991), I found it so much more exotic than the '90. Sweet. Fabulous. Rodenstock produced an imperiale, prematurely, in September 1995: very dry. But a couple of months later, bottles (I think we had two) with wonderful mouthfilling fruit at a tasting I conducted for Goldman Sachs at Christie's in Frankfurt. No longer opaque, a deep black cherry colour. Superbly fragrant, minty, peppery fragrance and lovely crisp Cabernet Sauvignon flavour. Most recently, this time in Hamburg at a comparative tasting of '89s and '82s, I noted its 'legs', fantastic bouquet and flavour. A touch of iodine, lovely mid-palate fruit, its high Cabernet Sauvignon content (abuot 76%) having provided the exclusive Mouton flavour and character. Leaner than expected and still very tannic. Drink 2010-2030.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChMouton-Rothschild.aspWA 95 (2/1998): Bottled in June, 1997, this profound Mouton is more accessible than the more muscular 1996. A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 19% Merlot, it reveals an opaque purple color, and reluctant aromas of cassis, truffles, coffee, licorice, and spice. In the mouth, the wine is "great stuff," with superb density, a full-bodied personality, rich mid-palate, and a layered, profound finish that lasts for 40+ seconds. There is outstanding purity and high tannin, but my instincts suggest this wine is lower in acidity and slightly fleshier than the brawnier, bigger 1996. Both are great efforts from Mouton-Rothschild. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2030.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChMouton-Rothschild.aspWA 90 (4/2008): The second wine, the 2005 Les Pagodes de Cos, is already delicious. Offering plenty of cedar, cappuccino, and black cherry notes in a medium-bodied, seamless style with no hard edges, it will provide plenty of pleasure over the next decade.IWC 87-89 (6/2006): (a 50/50 blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot) Ruby-red. Coolish aromas of black cherry and licorice. Supple, fresh and fruit-driven, with enticing floral lift to the sweet, pliant flavors. Finishes with ripe tannins. Excellent for this second wine.JR 16.5 (7/2009): Slightly simple rim. Sweet oak on the nose. Very glossy and polished – yet it is recognisably St-Estèphe. Spicy. Attractive drink.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/LesPagodesdesCos.aspIWC 93 (8/2002): Full, deep red. Spicy aromas of cassis and rose petal, with a whiff of meat. Then wonderfully penetrating and classy, with bright acidity giving the wine superb clarity and thrust. This has terrific structure. Finishes very long and fine, with excellent grip. By far the finest bottle I've tasted to date of this wine, and one of the real surprises of the tasting. (My second bottle showed roasted redcurrant, leather, meat and smoky oak on the nose; and a sweet, suave, broad palate without quite the structure and grip of the first sample. But this wine, too, offered compelling sweetness and rated 91 points.) Drink now through 2015.WS 90 (11/1998): A well-crafted red with beautiful structure. Dark ruby-garnet in color, with a lot of violet and earth aromas. Full-bodied, with loads of silky tannins and a long, sweet fruit finish. Has always been outstanding.--1982 Bordeaux horizontal. Drink now.WA 89 (6/2000): This wine has turned out far better than predicted. The 1982 has become more delineated and put on weight. The 1982 is a juicy, complex, Pomerol-inspired effort with abundant black cherry and black currant fruit presented in a medium to full-bodied, plump, straightforward style. Fleshy, fresh, and lively, it should be consumed over the next 7-10 years.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChPalmer.aspIWC 93 (8/2002): Full, deep red. Spicy aromas of cassis and rose petal, with a whiff of meat. Then wonderfully penetrating and classy, with bright acidity giving the wine superb clarity and thrust. This has terrific structure. Finishes very long and fine, with excellent grip. By far the finest bottle I've tasted to date of this wine, and one of the real surprises of the tasting. (My second bottle showed roasted redcurrant, leather, meat and smoky oak on the nose; and a sweet, suave, broad palate without quite the structure and grip of the first sample. But this wine, too, offered compelling sweetness and rated 91 points.) Drink now through 2015.WS 90 (11/1998): A well-crafted red with beautiful structure. Dark ruby-garnet in color, with a lot of violet and earth aromas. Full-bodied, with loads of silky tannins and a long, sweet fruit finish. Has always been outstanding.--1982 Bordeaux horizontal. Drink now.WA 89 (6/2000): This wine has turned out far better than predicted. The 1982 has become more delineated and put on weight. The 1982 is a juicy, complex, Pomerol-inspired effort with abundant black cherry and black currant fruit presented in a medium to full-bodied, plump, straightforward style. Fleshy, fresh, and lively, it should be consumed over the next 7-10 years.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChPalmer.aspIWC 93 (8/2002): Full, deep red. Spicy aromas of cassis and rose petal, with a whiff of meat. Then wonderfully penetrating and classy, with bright acidity giving the wine superb clarity and thrust. This has terrific structure. Finishes very long and fine, with excellent grip. By far the finest bottle I've tasted to date of this wine, and one of the real surprises of the tasting. (My second bottle showed roasted redcurrant, leather, meat and smoky oak on the nose; and a sweet, suave, broad palate without quite the structure and grip of the first sample. But this wine, too, offered compelling sweetness and rated 91 points.) Drink now through 2015.WS 90 (11/1998): A well-crafted red with beautiful structure. Dark ruby-garnet in color, with a lot of violet and earth aromas. Full-bodied, with loads of silky tannins and a long, sweet fruit finish. Has always been outstanding.--1982 Bordeaux horizontal. Drink now.WA 89 (6/2000): This wine has turned out far better than predicted. The 1982 has become more delineated and put on weight. The 1982 is a juicy, complex, Pomerol-inspired effort with abundant black cherry and black currant fruit presented in a medium to full-bodied, plump, straightforward style. Fleshy, fresh, and lively, it should be consumed over the next 7-10 years.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChPalmer.aspIWC 93 (8/2002): Full, deep red. Spicy aromas of cassis and rose petal, with a whiff of meat. Then wonderfully penetrating and classy, with bright acidity giving the wine superb clarity and thrust. This has terrific structure. Finishes very long and fine, with excellent grip. By far the finest bottle I've tasted to date of this wine, and one of the real surprises of the tasting. (My second bottle showed roasted redcurrant, leather, meat and smoky oak on the nose; and a sweet, suave, broad palate without quite the structure and grip of the first sample. But this wine, too, offered compelling sweetness and rated 91 points.) Drink now through 2015.WS 90 (11/1998): A well-crafted red with beautiful structure. Dark ruby-garnet in color, with a lot of violet and earth aromas. Full-bodied, with loads of silky tannins and a long, sweet fruit finish. Has always been outstanding.--1982 Bordeaux horizontal. Drink now.WA 89 (6/2000): This wine has turned out far better than predicted. The 1982 has become more delineated and put on weight. The 1982 is a juicy, complex, Pomerol-inspired effort with abundant black cherry and black currant fruit presented in a medium to full-bodied, plump, straightforward style. Fleshy, fresh, and lively, it should be consumed over the next 7-10 years.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChPalmer.aspWA 95 (2/2009): The dense purple-colored 2006 boasts an extraordinary perfume of lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, burning embers, and a sensation that can only be described as like walking through a damp forest on a hot, humid day. Full-bodied, extraordinarily textured, and multidimensional with an amazingly long finish of nearly 60 seconds, this blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot from a 75-acre vineyard is a compelling wine that is one of the stars of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030.IWC 93 (6/2009): Full ruby-red. Superripe, highly complex aromas of plum, cocoa powder, tobacco and warm stones. Big, plush and chewy, with compelling sweetness and generosity of texture to the flavors of plum, minerals, tobacco and woodsmoke. Has the sheer stuffing to support the serious, building but noble tannins. Finishes with superb palate-staining persistence. This may well shut down in bottle, and should age well for the next two decades, but it's a knockout right now.WS 91 (3/2009): Dark in color. Blackberry, coffee and milk chocolate aromas follow through to a full body, with lots of chewy tannins, ripe fruit and polished wood. This needs time to come together, but it's very powerful. Best after 2014.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChPape-Clement.aspWA 93 (4/2003): A breathtakingly beautiful Sociando-Mallet with a dense ruby/purple color and a bouquet of ink, mineral, graphite, vanilla, and creme de cassis, the 2000 boasts superb concentration, great definition and intensity, ripe tannin, and a long finish of more than 40 seconds. This is top-flight, classified growth-quality stuff. So what's new? This continues to be an over-achieving estate! It will be long-lived. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2028.IWC 93 (6/2003): Bright ruby-red. Rich, perfumed aromas of black raspberry, blackberry, minerals and cocoa powder. Big, dense, lush and deep, but with lovely sappy vinosity; this expands impressively to fill the mouth. Finishes very long, with suave, broad tannins and a note of black olive. A gloriously successful vintage for Sociando-Mallet, offering a full range of cabernet aromatics.WS 91 (3/2003): Very smoky, with charcoal, almost lamblike aromas. Full-bodied, chewy and very rich, with a thick and velvety finish. Stylish and decadent young wine. Best after 2007. 26,040 cases made.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChSociandoMallet.aspWA 93 (4/2003): A breathtakingly beautiful Sociando-Mallet with a dense ruby/purple color and a bouquet of ink, mineral, graphite, vanilla, and creme de cassis, the 2000 boasts superb concentration, great definition and intensity, ripe tannin, and a long finish of more than 40 seconds. This is top-flight, classified growth-quality stuff. So what's new? This continues to be an over-achieving estate! It will be long-lived. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2028.IWC 93 (6/2003): Bright ruby-red. Rich, perfumed aromas of black raspberry, blackberry, minerals and cocoa powder. Big, dense, lush and deep, but with lovely sappy vinosity; this expands impressively to fill the mouth. Finishes very long, with suave, broad tannins and a note of black olive. A gloriously successful vintage for Sociando-Mallet, offering a full range of cabernet aromatics.WS 91 (3/2003): Very smoky, with charcoal, almost lamblike aromas. Full-bodied, chewy and very rich, with a thick and velvety finish. Stylish and decadent young wine. Best after 2007. 26,040 cases made.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChSociandoMallet.aspWA 93 (6/2004): This Haut-Medoc performed spectacularly on the two occasions I tasted it from bottle, even eclipsing its impressive showing from cask. It looks to be every bit as powerful as the 2000 ... not an easy achievement. A fabulous sleeper of the vintage, it tastes more like a first-growth than an unclassified offering. Its inky/blue/purple color is accompanied by a spectacular bouquet of lead pencil shavings, ink, blackberries, cedar, and earth. Full-bodied, with terrific texture, fabulous concentration, and moderately high tannin, this massive, atypical 2001 must be tasted to be believed. A brilliant achievement! Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020+.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChSociandoMallet.aspWA 93 (6/2004): This Haut-Medoc performed spectacularly on the two occasions I tasted it from bottle, even eclipsing its impressive showing from cask. It looks to be every bit as powerful as the 2000 ... not an easy achievement. A fabulous sleeper of the vintage, it tastes more like a first-growth than an unclassified offering. Its inky/blue/purple color is accompanied by a spectacular bouquet of lead pencil shavings, ink, blackberries, cedar, and earth. Full-bodied, with terrific texture, fabulous concentration, and moderately high tannin, this massive, atypical 2001 must be tasted to be believed. A brilliant achievement! Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020+.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/ChSociandoMallet.asp