Wein

Optik

Booquet

Geschmack

Global

Gesamt + 50

Beschreibung

1

Angelus St. Emilion

4

13

17

8

92

Brilliantes Rubin, fette Schlieren. Bouquet alkoholisch dunkelbeerig. Im Geschmack intensive Frucht und viel Tannin. Langer Nachgemschack.

What hasn't this estate done right since the 1988 vintage. St.-Emilion's most consistent wine since 1988, and Bordeaux's most concentrated wine since 1990, L'Angelus has turned in a monumental performance in 1994. Is it St.-Emilion's answer to the 1990 Montrose. Proprietor Bouard feels the 1994 L'Angelus is more classic than the 1990, and just a notch below it in quality. It contains more Cabernet Franc (55%) than usual, with the balance Merlot. Unquestionably a great wine, as well as one of the potential "wines of the vintage," it will require considerable cellaring, so those who lack patience are advised to search out the more forward 1992 or 1993 L'Angelus. The color is an inky, opaque black/purple, and the nose offers up intense aromas of cassis, roasted nuts, herbs, vanillin, licorice, and spices. It is magnificently concentrated, with gobs of sweet tannin, unbelievable extraction of flavor, decent acidity, and a knock-out, mind-bogglingly long finish. Do not expect this wine to be ready to drink before the turn of the century. It is potentially a 50+ year wine. If you have not yet discovered how great the wines of L'Angelus have been since 1988, isn't it about time. 93 Punkte

2

Troplong Mondot St. Emilion

4

12

18

8

93

Dunkles Rubin, schöne Schlieren. Bouquet alkoholisch, dunkelbeerig. Im Geschmack sehr viel Tannin, Säure und Alkohol. Im Abgang heißer Wein.

If Troplong-Mondot is not elevated in the new 1995 classification of St.-Emilion wines, along with L'Angelus and Le Tertre-Roteboeuf, possibly Canon-La-Gaffeliere, Grand-Mayne, and La Dominique as well, there is little justice. 90 Punkte

Wein

Optik

Booquet

Geschmack

Global

Gesamt + 50

Beschreibung

3

Pontet Canet Pauillac

5

13

16

7

91

Schwarzes Purpur, fette Schlieren. Massiv dunkelbeeriges Bouquet, Alkohol. Im Geschmack sehr intensiv fruchtig, Tannin. Strukur noch nicht ausgewogen. Im Abgang etwas säuerlich und geil.

I had this wine on three separate occasions with identical tasting notes. When I tasted it at the chateau, I told proprietor, Alfred Tesseron, I thought it was the finest Pontet-Canet made under his administration, and possibly the greatest wine from this estate since 1961. Tesseron agreed, indicating this was the most severe selection he had ever authorized, permitting only 50% of the harvest to be included in Pontet-Canet, and utilizing a whopping 41% Merlot in the final blend, which also includes 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc. In a subsequent tasting of Pauillacs, this wine stood out as one of the densest, richest, sweetest wines of the vintage, with a massive style, high, firm tannin, extraordinary opulence and richness, and more than enough fruit to hold up to the wine's powerful tannic structure. Deeply-colored, full-bodied, and rich, it is destined to become one of the great Pontet-Canets, of which there have been too few, especially in view of the vineyard's potential. The 1994 will need 5-7 years of cellaring and will keep for 25-30 years. A winner! Readers interested in buying Bordeaux futures should take note as Pontet-Canet is often one of the lowest priced Pauillacs. 91 Punkte

4

Pichon Lalande C. Pauillac

4

14

18

8

94

Dunkles Granat/Rubin, sehr klar. Schöne Schlieren. Bouquet dunkelbeerig alkoholisch. Voller Körper, kräftiges Tannin , Säure gut ausgewogen. Sehr langer Nachgeschmack.

Pichon-Lalande has fashioned one of the great successes of the vintage. Only 50% of the harvest was utilized in the final blend, which consists of 35% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Petit-Verdot. On the three occasions I tasted the 1994 it was consistently glorious, exhibiting a saturated purple color, and a stunningly pure, rich nose of black raspberries and cassis intermingled with scents of smoke, licorice, and minerals. Medium to full-bodied, with a wonderful sweet mid-palate, this powerful, authoritatively-flavored, elegant, complex wine possesses sweet tannin, gorgeous delineation to its component parts, and a finish that lasts nearly 45 seconds. It is hard to compare the 1994 to other recent Pichon-Lalande vintages. It does not possess the weight or softness of the 1982 or 1983, but it is more concentrated and rich than the 1985 or 1990, more approachable and flattering than the 1986, and more structured than the 1989. For Pichon-Lalande fans, 1994 will be a must purchase. Proprietor Madame de Lencquesaing informed me there is now a third label being produced so the second wine, Comtesse de Lalande, will not contain every cuvee deemed unacceptable for the grand vin. The 1994 Pichon-Lalande should drink well in 4-5 years and last for 20-25.Very Impressive! 91 Punkte

Wein

Optik

Booquet

Geschmack

Global

Gesamt + 50

Beschreibung

5

Montrose St. Estephe

4

14

16

8

92

Dunkles Rubin, fette Schlieren. Tausend Düfte im Bouqquet, fruchtig, mineralisch, etwas Alkohol. Geschmack voll, etwas säurerlich. Im Abgang sehr rund, hat es aber faustdick hinter den Ohren.

Readers must realize that Montrose, often referred to as the poor person's Latour, has been at the top of the Bordeaux heap since the 1989 vintage. They turned out a profound 1989, an exceptionally classic wine in 1990, one of the finest 1991s, and a pleasant, if soft, 1992 and 1993. The 1994 (65% of the crop was kept for the Montrose label) is a 65% Cabernet Sauvignon/25% Merlot/10% Cabernet Franc blend. More similar to the 1990 than the 1989, the 1994 exhibits an opaque purple color. The nose offers intense, overripe cassis aromas mixed with minerals, vanilla, and floral scents. Extremely powerful and remarkably concentrated, this unctuously-textured, massive wine is crammed with highly-extracted fruit that nearly masks a tannin level equal to that achieved in 1990. One of the most promising wines of the vintage, the 1994 Montrose is a candidate for 30-40 years of cellaring. It will not be drinkable before the age of 10. This is another brilliant effort from the Charmolue family! 91 Punkte

6

Leoville Las Cas. St. Julien

4

14

18

8

94

Dunkles Rubin, klar, fett. Sehr schönes Bouquet: Früchte, Beeren, Mineralien, Leder. Voller Geschmack, intensiv im Abgang.

Michel Delon, the proprietor of this renowned second-growth (first-growth in quality, however) stated that if the rain had not arrived when it did, he was, "convinced 1994 would have been the greatest vintage of the century." Leoville Las-Cases produced a modest 45 hectoliters per hectare, with the older vines producing an average of 20 hectoliters per hectare. Only 40% of the harvest was utilized in the grand vin. The 1994 is a classic Las Cases, with the sweetness, fleshiness, and richness of such great Las Cases as 1990, 1985, and 1982, as well as the structure, power, and tannic definition of the classic, backward, vin de garde 1986. The wine displays a nearly opaque dark ruby/purple color, and the tell-tale Las Cases nose of vividly pure blackcurrants, minerals, and subtle new oak. There is great flavor extraction, superb balance and purity, and moderate to high tannin in the finish. It is a wine of exceptional intensity and texture, which is remarkable given its medium body. Because of the low acidity, it should be approachable by age five and last for 25-30 years. 93 Punkte

7

Leoville Barton St. Julien

4

13

17

7

91

Brilliantes Granat/Rubin, mittlere Schlieren. Im Bouquet feine Frucht. Gute struktur, sehr ausgewogen. Feiner Abgang. Macht trotz seiner Jugend den Eindruck eines ausgereiften Weines.

After tasting this wine on four separate occasions, it is apparent that Leoville-Barton is one of the great successes of the vintage. Given proprietor Anthony Barton's reasonable pricing policy, this should be one of the knock-out values to consider buying as a "wine future." The color is a saturated black/purple to the rim. The wine exhibits an unformed but gloriously sweet nose of black fruits, minerals, lead pencil, licorice, and vanilla. Terrific concentration is immediately evident in this rich, full-bodied, multidimensional wine. Although there are loads of tannin, the overall impression is one of purity, intensity, and stunning richness, all buttressed and defined by adequate acidity and ripe but noticeable tannin. This should turn out to be not only a classic St.-Julien, but one of the great Leoville-Bartons, possibly surpassing what this property achieved in 1990, 1986, 1985, and 1982. It is a must purchase for Bordeaux enthusiasts! 90 Punkte

Wein

Optik

Booquet

Geschmack

Global

Gesamt + 50

Beschreibung

8

Beau-Sejour-Becot, St. Emilion

4

12

16

7

89

Dunkles Granat, schöne Schlieren. Diffus dunkelbeeriges Bouquet. Im Geschmack rund, mittlerer Körper, etwas Tannin. Guter Abgang.

This is clearly an up and coming St.-Emilion estate that could join the top estates of the appellation. The vineyards are superbly situated, and the Becots appear to be willing to invest whatever it takes to build Beau-Sejour into one of the most renowned names of St.-Emilion. Dark ruby, with the Becots' lavishly-oaked, toasty nose, this medium-bodied wine reveals more structure than the 1993, but less charm and precociousness. Although qualitatively the equal of the 1993, as well as potentially longer-lived, I am not sure the 1994 will match the 1993 for pure, enjoyable drinking. Anticipated maturity: 1999-2012. 87 Punkte