VINO FINO TASTERS
1996 ST. EMILIONS
Tasted April 18, 2001
The 1996 vintage is regarded by the producers in St.
Emilion as a "Tres Bonne" vintage with 15+ years of cellaring
potential. The wines, though made predominantly of Merlot, were hardly the
fruity, roly-poly wines we see from many West Coast Merlot estates. These
were big-structured wines, for the most part and the did have sufficient tannins
to warrant serious cellaring.
The terroir in St. Emilion is a sandy alluvial soil, except in the areas
bordering Pomerol where it's more gravelly. The wines, based on Merlot,
also have Cabernet Franc, known locally as "Bouchet," as well as minor
percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon.
The estates in St. Emilion were first "classified" in 1955, 100 years
after those in the Medoc. A few different twists are in place here:
1. The classification is not based on "terroir," but on a
tasting of a recent vintage of wine. "What have you done for me
lately?"
2. The classification is updated on a regular basis, the most recent
revision occurring in 1996.
The wines are then classified as "basic" Saint-milion and
Saint-milion Grand Cru. Within the "Grand Crus" there is Premier
Grand Cru Class grade "A" (Ausone & Cheval Blanc) and grade
"B" (currently eleven estates). There are currently 55
Saint-milion Grand Crus Classs.
My tasting notes and rankings reflect my preference for wines which have a more
precocious character, I suppose.
Here are the results:
| The Wines |
Gerald's Rank |
GROUP RANK |
Total Points |
1sts/2nds/
Lasts |
Chteau
ANGELUS
1996
Classe B |
5 |
1 |
43 |
6/0/0 |
Chteau
BEAU-SJOUR BCOT
1996
Classe B |
7 |
8 |
82 |
0/0/2 |
Chteau
CANON-la-
GAFFELIRE
1996 |
8 |
6 |
66 |
1/1/3 |
CLOS FOURTET
1996
Classe B |
2 |
5 |
56 |
2/3/2 |
Chteau
LA DOMINIQUE
1996 |
1 |
7 |
72 |
1/1/4 |
Chteau
LA GAFFELIRE
1996
Classe B |
3 |
4 |
55 |
0/3/1 |
Chteau
GRAND MAYNE
1996 |
5 |
2 |
46 |
3/2/0 |
Chteau
GRAND-PONTET
1996 |
4 |
3 |
48 |
0/3/1 |
8th Place: BEAU-SJOUR BCOT
A dusty and somewhat closed or shy nose to this reserved and tannic
red. This estate had lost its ranking as a Premier Grand Cru Class, but
regained it with this vintage. I did not find enough charm or substance to
pay much attention here. Only one taster had it ranked in the "first
division" (places one through four), and even then, it was a fourth place
wine on their score sheet.
7th Place: LA DOMINIQUE
This estate is owned by Clment Fayat, owner of Chateau Clment-Pichon
in the Medoc, a lovely estate whose wine we like quite a bit. I liked the
more supple texture of this wine, as well as its herbal, spicy, olive-like
aromas. The oak contributes a mocha character to the wine. I was the
lone first place voter, a significant number of tasters finding less to like
here than did I.
6th Place: CANON-la-GAFFELIRE
This winery has a significantly higher percent of Cabernets than the
rest of the field, making for a somewhat differently-styled wine. I am not
a fan of the jammy or really ripe fruit character in these wines, something I
think is a note this estate's winemaking team strives for.
5th Place: CLOS FOURTET
I think the Lurton brothers are "dialed in" with this
estate. It is often one of the more showy wines of Saint-milion, having
a beautifully cedary bouquet and ripe, plummy Merlot fruit. The balance of
fruit and tannin (capable of 8-15 years of cellaring in my view) is
excellent.
4th Place: LA GAFFELIRE
Located between chateaux Ausone and Pavie, La Gaffelire has been run
by the same family for something like four centuries! Only one Vino Fino
taster found something less-than-stellar here. I liked the mildly dusty
Merlot fragrances and the brightness of fruit and silky texture on the
palate. Even so, this shows 8-15 years' worth of tannin.
3rd Place: GRAND-PONTET
I recall tasting some vintages of this back in the early 1980s and
finding it to be a nice, showy bottle of wine. Its style seems similar to
what I recall tasting years ago. It's got a cocoa note to the fragrance
and flavor, with a fairly substantial tannin level, suggesting a decade or so of
cellaring.
2nd Place: GRAND MAYNE
I liked the mildly woodsy notes of this cedary, nicely fruity
Saint-milion. I marked it down for being a shade out of balance with
bitter, aggressive tannins. Perhaps these will round out with time.
To me the nose was more impressive than the coarse palate.
1st Place: ANGELUS
This was well-liked by the group, having nearly half of the first place
votes. It is a very nice bottle of wine, having some herbal and olive
notes and a touch of wood. There's a spice note here, too. Either
this is richer than the rest, less tannic or more intensely-"stuffed,"
giving it an approachability which many favored.
VINO FINO TASTING ARCHIVE
2007 RUSSIAN RIVER PINOT NOIRS February 2010
A
RANGE OF FRENCH CHABLIS WINES January 2010
HOLIDAY DINNER
& WINE MARATHON December 2009
ROSÉ
SPARKLING WINES November 2009
ARGENTINEAN
MALBECS October 2009
WEST
COAST CHARDONNAYS September 2009
GREEK
RED WINES August 2009
2005
BUDGET BORDEAUX July 2009
CAMPANIAN
WHITE WINES June 2009
MIXED
BAG OF CALIFORNIA PINOT NOIRS April 2009
RIOJA
WINES, MOSTLY FROM THE 2004 VINTAGE March 2009
NORTH
COAST PETITE SIRAHS February 2009
SYRAH
& PETITE SIRAH COMPARISON January 2009
A
VINO FINO CHRISTMAS December 2008
MOSTLY
2005s: NAPA CABERNETS November 2008
SONOMA
COUNTY PINOT NOIRS October 2008
SANTA
RITA HILLS -2006 VINTAGE- PINOT NOIRS SEPTEMBER 2008
NEWLY
RELEASED ZINFANDELS August 2008
WHITE
RHÔNE VALLEY WINES JULY 2008
LOIRE
VALLEY SAUVIGNONS JUNE 2008
FRENCH
CHABLIS 2005-2006 MAY 2008
NORTHERN
RHÔNE SYRAHS APRIL 2008
SANTA
CRUZ MOUNTAINS PINOT NOIRS January 2008
ANNUAL
HOLIDAY CHRISTMAS DINNER December 2007
WEST
COAST CHARDONNAYS November 2007
AUSTRALIAN
SHIRAZ October 2007
SPANISH
TEMPRANILLO WINES September 2007
SONOMA'S
2005 VINTAGE ZINFANDELS August 2007
CURRENT
RELEASE (2004-2005) ZINFANDELS July 2007
ROS
WINES FROM ALL OVER June 2007
ITALIAN
LAGREIN WINES May 2007
ARGENTINEAN
MALBECS April 2007
SOUTHERN
HEMISPHERE PINOT NOIRS March 2007
MOSTLY
2004 CABERNETS February 2007
CRU
BEAUJOLAIS January 2007
A VINO
FINO CHRISTMAS December 2006
CALIFORNIA
ZINFANDELS November 2006
PINOT
NOIRS of VALUE-PRICING October 2006
WORLD
OF SYRAHS TASTING September 2006
AUSSIE
CABERNET-SHIRAZ BLENDS August 2006
ALEXANDER
VALLEY (California) and MARGARET RIVER (Australia) CABERNETS July
2006
CALIFORNIA
PETITE SIRAHS June 2006
2004
NORTH COAST PINOTS and a FRENCH INTRUDER May 2006
AGLIANICO
: BASILICATA & CAMPANIA'S MAJOR RED WINE April 2006
NERO
D'AVOLA - A TASTE OF SICILIA March 2006
UNDER THE
VINO FINO RADAR ZINFANDELS January 2006
HOLIDAY WINE
TASTING & DINNER December 2005
BUBBLIES FROM AROUND
THE WORLD November 2005
NORTH
COAST PINOT NOIRS October 2005
STATE
OF CONFUSION CABERNETS September 2005
TIM
ZAINER'S SIDEWAYS LOOK AT MERLOTS August 2005
LOIRE VALLEY CABERNET
FRANCS June 2005
CALIFORNIA
SYRAHS March 2005
2002
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS February 2005
VINO
FINO HOLIDAY WINE MARATHON December 2004
CHARDONNAYS
OF MODEST PRICE November 2004
SPANISH
TEMPRANILLO October 2004
2002
CENTRAL COAST PINOT NOIRS September 2004
AUSSIE
SHIRAZ-CABERNET BLENDS August 2004
GEWRZTRAMINERS
FROM ALSACE July 2004
2001
SOUTHERN RHNES (7 Chteauneufs & a Vacqueyras) June 2004
AGLIANICO
WINES FROM CAMPANIA & BASILICATA May 2004
MONTEPULCIANO
WINES FROM THE ABRUZZO & MARCHE REGIONS April 2004
SONOMA
ZINFANDELS February 2004
1997
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO January 2004
VINO
FINO HOLIDAY BACCHANALIA 2003
2001
CTES du RHNES September 17, 2003
2000
OREGON PINOT NOIRS August 20, 2003
WEST
COAST SYRAHS July 16, 2003
2000
Bordeaux June 18, 2003
2000
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS May 21, 2003
OFF
THE BEATEN PATH SYRAHS APRIL 16, 2003
2002 NEW ZEALAND
SAUVIGNON BLANCS March 19, 2003
1999
California CABERNETS February 19, 2003
VINO
FINO HOLIDAY BACCHANALIA December 4, 2002
AUSTRALIAN
SHIRAZ August 21, 2002
CHAMPAGNES
& SPARKLERS July 17, 2002
Interesting
Paired CHARDONNAYS
May 15, 2002
2001
Southern Hemisphere SAUVIGNON BLANCS Feb. 20, 2002
1999 ZINFANDELS January 16, 2002
HOLIDAY
SEASON BACCHANALIA
December 5, 2001
1999-2000
New PINOT NOIRS November 14, 2001
1999
CALIFORNIA ZINFANDELS October 17, 2001
1998
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS September 19, 2001
1999
LANGUEDOC REDS August 15, 2001
1997
SAUTERNES July 18, 2001
Mostly
1998 NEBBIOLO June 20, 2001
1999 PINOT NOIRS May
16, 2001
1996
SAINT-MILION Tasting April 18, 2001
CARNEROS
CHARDONNAYS March 21, 2001
1984-1985
NAPA CABERNETS/John Vignau Memorial Tasting October 20, 2000
1997
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS September 20, 2000
1998 CALIFORNIA
CHARDONNAYS August 16, 2000
WINES
FROM THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE: CLARETS June 21, 2000
WINES
FROM UNDER THE TUSCAN (and Umbrian) SUN Aprile 19, 2000
1997 BORDEAUX: MEDOC May 17,
2000
