.: FIVE REASONS WINE :. The Wines > By Region > France

Chateau Lafont Menaut, Pessac Leognan, 2006	15.00
Chateau Lafont Menaut has 15 hectares of fine, gravel soils in the village of Martillac. It is under the same ownership of Philibert Perrin as the famous Chateau Carbonnieux - one of the Chateaux that justified the creation of the Pessac Leognan appellation. Expert wine-making therefore goes into this good value Pessac Leognan. Unusually for white Bordeaux this is 100% Sauvignon Blanc (as opposed to being blended with Semillon). This provides zesty pineapple and grapefruit on the nose and palate, intermingling with a spicy complexity from 15-18 months in oak.

Chateau Petit Val, St Emilion Grand Cru Classe, 2003 (half 2004 / full bottle)	8.75/15.50
A classy Grand Cru St Emilion. Mostly made from Merlot with a third new oak, this is a pleasurable well rounded wine, with well integrated tannins and oodles of plums, mint and cherries. One to decant and take your time over.

Chateau Patache D’Aux, Medoc, 1998	15.75

Haut Chaigneau, Lalande de Pomerol, 2003	17.50
Oenologist Andre Chatonnet, the man responsible for discovering the causes behind the choranisol contamination that plagued a bevy of Bordeaux properties in the early nineties, has made a fine Lalande de Pomerol. Deep, concentrated, pure, elegant and possessing abundant amounts of black fruits intermixed with notes of caramel. Succulent and fleshy, it is best drunk over the next 6-7 years.

Chateau Chasse Spleen, Moulis, 2004	23.00
“Another sleeper of the vintage from this top-notch Moulis estate, Chasse Spleen’s dark ruby/purple-tinged 2004 offers ripe black currant and sweet cherry aromas intermixed with subtle herb, underbrush, and oaky notes. Medium-bodied with good flesh as well as an attractive meatiness, it should be consumed over the next decade.” Robert Parker, 88 Points.

Chateau Grand Mayne, St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe, 1996	35.00
Grand Mayne is one of St.-Emilion's best-run properties. Aside from a couple of hiccups in the early nineties, the quality has been consistently excellent, often outstanding. The 1996 Grand Mayne exhibits a dense purple color, and an attractive nose of white flowers, sweet blackberries, cherries, minerals, and pain grille. It is medium to full-bodied, with excellent depth, an elegant personality, and a clean, mineral-like finish with moderate tannin. New oak is noticeable in the flavors. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2014. Robert Parker, 88-90 Points.

Chateau Rouget, Pomerol, 2000	35.00
The finest Rouget since the mid-sixties (i.e., 1964), this dense plum/ruby-colored 2000 offers aromas and flavors of licorice, balsam wood, plums, black cherry liqueur, and raspberries presented in a full-bodied, plump, chewy format. The flamboyant aromatics are followed by an equally impressive, lush attack, but serious tannin appears in the finish of this meaty, full-bodied Pomerol. With wines like this, it is time to rediscover Rouget. Kudos! Robert Parker. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2018. 90 Points.

Lynch Bages, Pauillac, 2004	43.00
“Attractive cassis aromas jump from the glass of this dark ruby/purple-tinged 2004. While elegant, medium-bodied, soft, and broad in the mouth, it is slightly superficial, without the broodingly deep, backward, muscular personality of this estate’s wines prior to 2001. Given its flavor profile and softness, the 2004 will have wide consumer appeal if drunk over the next 10-14 years.” Robert Parker, 89 Points - *Drink 2007 - 2021*

Pontet Canet, 5eme Cru, Pauillac, 1996	43.25
“This wine possesses superb potential, but a decade's worth of patience will be necessary. With coaxing, the wine offers aromas of black currant jam intertwined with minerals, sweet oak, and spice. A full-bodied wine, it possesses layered, concentrated, sweet fruit, with an elevated level of ripe tannin” Drink: 2010-2035. Robert Parker, 92 Points.

Cos D’Estournel, 2eme Cru, St Estephe, 2001	79.95
‘A beautiful effort, the 2001 Cos d’Estournel (65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot) exhibits a poised, noble bouquet of black currants, cedar, spice box, and licorice. A hint of truffles emerges as it sits in the glass. Medium-bodied with sweet fruit (mostly black) and nicely integrated wood, it builds incrementally in the mouth, ending with a 50-second finish. Drink this stylish, restrained yet substantial claret over the next 15+ years’ RP 93 points. Drink 2004 -2019

Chateau Angelus, St Emilion 1er Grand Cru, 2001	85.50
“A brilliant performance by Hubert de Bouard, the 2001 Angelus (6,250 cases) is a more restrained and delineated version of the 2000. It has shed much of its tannin, and seems far more evolved and open-knit than I thought prior to bottling. Rich nose of creosote, charcoal, blackberries, plums, cassis, and espresso roast. Elegant and rich, with a measured ripeness and moderate structure in the pure, nicely proportioned finish …beautifully put together. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2017”. Robert Parker, 93 Points

Haut Brion, 1er Cru, Pessac Leognan, 1999	150.00
“Deep plum, currant, and mineral notes emerge from the concentrated, beautifully balanced, pure 1999 Haut Brion. It seems to be cut from the same mold as years such as 1979 and 1985. There is a hint of graphite in the abundant fruit. The wine is medium to full-bodied, nuanced, subtle, deep, and provocatively elegant. It is made in a style that only Haut Brion appears capable of achieving. The finish is extremely long, the tannins sweet, and the overall impression one of delicacy interwoven with power and ripeness. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025.” Robert Parker, 93 point

Chateau Ausone, St Emilion, 1990	270.00
“The 1990 is not a charming, precocious wine. It is closed, but the color is a dense, dark ruby with no amber or orange at the edge. The fruit is sweeter, and the wine is more muscular, richer, and broader in the mouth, without losing Ausone's tell-tale minerality, spice, and curranty fruit. There is a good inner-core of sweet fruit in this medium to full-bodied wine that needs another 15-20 years of cellaring. Can the 1990 possibly rival the 1983 or 1982? Perhaps ... but don't bet on it. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2030.” Robert Parker, 92-94 points

Chateau Montrose, 2eme Cru, St Estephe, 1961	299.00
“Tasted 4 times with consistent notes, a stunning wine from a superb vintage, the 1961 Montrose is still in need of another 10 years of cellaring (last tasted 1994). The deep, opaque dark ruby color, the huge bouquet of ripe cassis fruit and mineral scents, the full-bodied, dense, compelling richness and length, plus gobs of tannin, all point to a monumental bottle of wine for drinking during the first 20-30 years of the next century. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2030.” Robert Parker, 95 Points

Chateau Montrose, 2eme Cru, St Estephe, 1990	355.00
“The wine is remarkably rich, with a distinctive nose of sweet, jammy fruit, liquefied minerals, new saddle leather, and grilled steak. In the mouth, the enormous concentration, extract, high glycerin, and sweet tannin slide across the palate with considerable ease. It is a huge, corpulent, awesomely-endowed wine that is still relatively approachable, as it has not yet begun to shut down and lose its baby fat. It thoroughly embarrassed the 1989, itself an exceptional wine… The 1990 Montrose is one of this century's monumental efforts… One of the superstars of this superb vintage, Montrose is also one of the most concentrated, forceful, and monumental wines made in Bordeaux over recent decades.” Robert Parker, 100 points. Drink 2007-2037