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VINTAGES 2003
A very irregular vintage. Some outstanding wines but also
many disappointments. An extremely hot year produced wines with
deep color, lots of ripe tannins, great depth, concentration and
outstanding aging potential. The producers who picked too early
produced wines with bitter and astringent tannins. (93) 2002
A classic Bordeaux vintage. Well balanced and charming wines
that are medium bodied with average aging potential. The wines
from the Libournais (St-Emilion and Pomerol) seem lighter and
should be enjoyed fairly young. (86) 2001
The first report was not very promising. A mainly cool and
often wet summer did not provide great promise, but a sunny and
warm fall changed everything. Difficult to generalize but the
overall quality looks very good. Medium to full bodied wines
that offer very good aging potential. Dessert wines such as
Sauternes and Barsac will offer great concentration and
potential. Rating: (89) Dessert wines: (95) 2000
This is without a doubt the best vintage since 1990 ! An
outstanding year that will supply us with many great wines built
for the long run. The Médoc wines have great structure and
depth assuring a very lengthy future. The wines of the
Libournais (St-Émilion and Pomerol) might not be as grand as
1998 but are still very impressive with ripe tannins and great
concentration. The drawback is price ! This is the first vintage
of the new millennium. The three zeros following the 2 is an
automatic price hiker. For this speculative reason most 2000
Bordeaux will demand higher prices than their counterparts from
the 99, 98 and 2001 vintages. Rating: 96.
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Château
Troplong Mondot in St-Émilion |
1999
A good vintage but not a great on. The key word here is elegance
! Soft, ripe supple wines offering limited aging potential. In
the Médoc the best wines come from the commune of Margaux, but
some fine efforts are also available from St-Julien and
Pauillac. The districts of St-Émilion and Pomerol have their
regular share of very good to outstanding wines. There is no
rush here, these wines will reach our markets shortly and since
the 2000 vintage has had so many great reviews, the 1999 wines
should not fly off the shelves. Prices should remain at futures
level and not increase or very little. Rating: (88). 1998
In 1998 the Libournais has been blessed ! Amazing wines have
been produced from Pomerol especially and great ones from
St-Émilion and other surrounding satellite appellations. The
communal appellation of Pessac-Léognan will also provide us
with stunning efforts. This was a year for the Merlot grape. It
being an early ripening grape it reached full maturity beating
out the late season rains which Cabernet Sauvignon could not
escape. The Médoc wines are bit leaner with slightly aggressive
tannins. These wines lack some ripe rich fruit extract which
makes them a tad austere. Rating: 98 (Libournais) 87
(Médoc). 1997
Here is one vintage that we must stay away from. Aside from a
few exceptions such as Barde Haut, Sociando-Mallet and a few
others there are no justifiable reasons to invest in this below
average harvest. Most wines are light and offer very little
aging potential. Some wines are downright awful, lacking fruit
and structure. Many wines display vegetal noses which confirm
the lack of ripeness of the grapes at harvest. But what is most
disappointing not to say frustrating are the extremely high
prices that these wines carry. Some liquor boards are starting
to lower prices on many wines but that doesn't make them better
wines. The 97 vintage did produce the best dessert wines since
1990. Keep your money for the better bargain 99s. Rating:
85. 1996
This vintage is the reverse of 1998. The wines of the Libournais
are of average quality while in the Médoc especially the
northern part that includes the communes of St-Estèphe,
Pauillac and St-Julien, has produced remarkable wines that have
depth and concentration with lots of firm tannins to ensure
great longevity. Some wines are still available but prices are a
tad high. It would be wiser t wait for the 99 and 2000 vintages.
Rating: 86 (Libournais) 93 (Médoc). 1995
This vintage is excellent on both sides of the Gironde. The
Northern Médoc and the Libournais continue to produce the best
wines of Bordeaux. This was the year that the Asian market
influenced the Bordeaux trade. The second shipment of 1995
Clarets doubled in price. The wines have good structure, firm
yet ripe tannins and great persistency. Their potential is
obvious, 10 years is a must to reach their plateau of maturity.
Few wines are still available and prices for the top chateaux
are high. The best strategy would be to keep your money for the
99 and 2000 upcoming wines. Rating: 93.
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