Roger Coulon Blanc de Noirs Millésime Brut 2010
“A vintage cuvée produced exclusively from Pinot Meunier (50%) and Pinot Noir (50%) and aged for 5 years prior to disgorgement; much of this blend is based on fruit from the old vines parcel of Pinot Meunier known as Les Linguets in Vrigny that was planted in 1953; the wine is neither filtered nor fined and only a minimal dosage is applied when this vintage Champagne is disgorged.”
RWM
Le Petit Lion 2009
“Dark ruby-garnet with violet highlights. Fairly restrained nose, delicate cherry fruit, subtle herbal notes, hints of sour cherry, and orange zest. Substantial, with an Amarena cherry note; round and racy at the same time. Mineral, well-integrated tannins, with a subtle sweetness in the finish - a delicious dining wine.”
92 Peter Moser, Falstaff Magazin
Château Potensac 2016
“Suave aromas of cedar and fresh red flowers with a thread of ripe red berries and blackcurrants, mulberries, coal smoke and cool stones. The palate delivers a wealth of rich red-fruit flavors, framed in sleek tannins that build with precision and length. A class act. One of the best from here in the modern era.”
94 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com
Château Potensac 2015
“Deep, dark ruby-garnet with an opaque core, violet highlights, and delicate lightening at the rim. Fine blackberry fruit, ripe heart cherries, a touch of nougat, and delicate, candied orange zest. Complex, juicy, blackberry nuances, present, supportive tannins, a fresh structure, and cherry fruit reverberating in the finish; a versatile food companion.”
92-94 Peter Moser, Falstaff Magazin
Château Potensac 2005
“This wine has fine tannins that are relatively soft, with good acidity and dryness. It's not powerful, but with its fine black currant flavor and ripe fruit it shows great style.”
92 Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast
Clos du Marquis 2016
“This has a very suave, fresh and upbeat feel overall, with freshly baked berry pastry and ripe raspberry, boysenberry and red-plum aromas in abundance. The palate has a superb array of rich, fresh and deeply fruited tannins that roll smoothly into the elegant, focused and perfectly balanced finish.”
95 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com
Clos du Marquis 2005
"Deep, dark ruby-garnet with violet highlights, and a violet lightening at the rim. On the nose, ripe, with chocolate notes underlain with some dried fruit, followed by a delicate eucalyptus note. Fresh on the palate - elegant, with firm tannins, delicate cocoa and tea notes, and great length; very good aging potential."
92-94 Peter Moser, Falstaff Magazin
Clos du Marquis 2000
“The nose shows loads of plum, spice and meat aromas, as well as hints of licorice. It's full-bodied, with firm, yet velvety textured tannins. It's big and rounded. If you can't afford Las Cases, try some of this. Some might call this a second wine, but it comes from a plot of vineyards not deemed worthy of Léoville Las Cases. So it's like its own estate. [2003 WS Top 100: #14]”
94 James Suckling, Wine Spectator
Clos du Marquis 1996
“The 1996 Clos du Marquis is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon (lower than recent vintages), 33% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot (that usually goes into Leoville-Las Cases). Much like the 1996 Potensac that I tasted alongside at the Château, the nose is youthful and backward with blackberry, freshly tilled soil, cedar and tobacco scents that gain intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth entry, plenty of crisp and pure black fruit laced with cedar, harmonious and long. This is a great Saint-Julien at 20 years of age, firing on all cylinders and, to be honest, surpassing some of the Grands Vins in this vintage. Probably still available at a decent price, this comes thoroughly recommended.”
91 Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate
Château Léoville-Las Cases 2004
“Like Clos du Marquis, the nose is very backward and broody, though eventually aromas of blackberry leaf and citrus fruits emerge. Then becoming more minerally. Full-bodied, very tannic and robust with precocious ripe black fruits. Quite linear, very tight. Huge grip. It just lacks some joie-de-vivre, some brightness of fruit . . . . undoubtedly impressive. Tasted April 2005.”
94-96 Neal Martin, Wine Journal
Château Léoville-Las Cases 1995
“Tasted at the Las-Cases off-line at The Square. The 1995 and 1996 Las-Cases are both monumental wines and the former does not disappoint here. It has a spellbinding nose of blackberry, cassis, melted tar and sous-bois with so much vibrancy and vivacity. The palate is full-bodied with succulent, rounded tannins, enormous depth and power. The finish is beautifully poised and minerally, much more feminine than the ’96. This is a Las-Cases with guile and grace, but it deserves at least 2 hours decanting to open up. Tasted February 2011.”
96 Neal Martin, Wine Journal
Château Léoville-Las Cases 1989
“Very ripe, with raisin and dried fruits on the nose. You can smell the sun-dried grapes. Full-bodied, delivering firm tannins and a very fresh palate. Long and flavorful, offering currant, berries and all sorts of dark fruits, but turns lightly earthy and floral. This is a thoroughly complex wine. Just starting to really open into the mature 20-year-old wine it is, but such a great life ahead of it. Muscular.”
96 James Suckling, Wine Spectator
Château Léoville-Las Cases 1986
“The late Michel Delon always thought that this was the greatest vintage he had produced. We often tasted it side by side with the 1982, because I always preferred the latter vintage. Of course, the two vintages are quite different in style, with the 1986 a monument to classicism, with great tannin, extraordinary delineation, and a huge, full-bodied nose of sweet, ripe cassis fruit intermixed with vanilla, melon, fruitcake, and a multitude of spices. The wine has always been phenomenally concentrated, yet wonderfully fresh and vigorous. The wine still seems young, yet it is hard to believe it is not close to full maturity. It is a great example of Leoville Las Cases, and another compelling reason to take a serious look at the top Cabernet Sauvignon-based Medocs of 1986.”
100 Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate
Bodegas Tradición Palo Cortado VORS Tradición 30-Year NV
“Tradición has built a strong reputation as caretaker of some of the region’s most unusual old wines. This Palo Cortado, for example, comes from wines an average of 32 years old, in an oxidative process that seems to have removed everything superfluous, leaving only the essentials. It smells and tastes of sea breezes and albariza soil as white as chalk. Intense and slightly spicy, it attacks the palate with its vibrant acidity, the firm texture filled out with notes of nuts and green olives. Open the bottle to drink it over the course of a month, or maybe a year. Keep it in a cool, dark place and see what wonders oxygen will bring.”
96 Wine & Spirits Magazine
