Deep ruby with a purplish rim. Very ripe, almost cooked, sun-drenched red and black fruits, soft spices, liquorice. Thick on the palate, warm and intense. Chewy tannins wrapped in generous fruity extract. Slightly drying finish. Ready to drink.
The second wine of Château Calon Ségur, from a good year. Deep purple-red. The outgoing nose is mostly cassis, with vanilla, tobacco and pencil lead. In the mouth it is medium-bodied with cherries and dark fruits like plums and prunes. The tannins are smoothing but still erect, giving a drying effect which will disappear with more time.
At this early stage, the wine shows delicious black fruits on the seductive nose. Velvety, rich fruity taste, this is hard to resist. Impressive and great potential. Not released yet; price is for the 2009.
Deep plum red. Rich nose of plums, cranberry and oak. The tannins are still overpowering — this needs a couple more years, but there are underlying flavours of cassis and cherries that will mellow and develop. Classy Bordeaux.
Roussette and Altesse are two names for the same grape, mostly found in Savoie, which resembles Hungary’s Furmint. Pale yellow. Pear and quince on the nose with a strong mineral component (heavy oil). A tad of residual sugar hits the tongue first, followed by bitterness. Fat texture; the finish has extra roundness from the residual sugar.
Bright, pale yellow. Fresh nose of citrus, white flowers and a hint of asparagus. Sharp acidity, light to medium body, dry and a tad bitter. Generous flavour, but it seems a little unripe for the region.
A bottle-fermented sparkler from the Pyrenees foothills region presenting rich biscuit and lemon citrus notes with a hint of berry fruit on the nose. Citrus theme comes through in the mouth together with background red berry, crisp acidity, a lick of mineral and creamy vanilla.