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12<br />
Lot # <strong>Wine</strong> Year M D Comment<br />
BORDEAUX 2003 VINTAGE<br />
2904 Château La Prade 2003 8 8<br />
Bordeaux Cotes de Francs<br />
2906 Château Cadet Piola, 2003 8 8<br />
Saint-Émilion Grand Cru<br />
Cellar Offering 168<br />
3590 L’Esprit de Vignelaure Rouge 2003 9 9 Fabulous wine of a great, although very hot, year. Some of the<br />
low acidity was made up for by high tannins and some from<br />
the grapes; the rest from wood cask maturation. Enjoy it now,<br />
it is close to perfection.<br />
3591 Château Vignelaure 2002 9 10 It is slightly sad that this brilliant wine is now past its best,<br />
although it is only in the diminishing fruit that there is any loss.<br />
Enjoy this year.<br />
3605 Château Bellevue Gabelas Rouge 2005 8 9 This fine property produces top class wines year on year.<br />
Concentrated, complex and smoothly fruity.<br />
3608 Le Rouge de l’Azerolles, Minervois 2005 10 10 Rounded and easy. Mature notes, but good fruit remains.<br />
3623 Saint Romain “La Combe Bazin” 2005 9 9 This was lovely a year ago. It is lovely still, but there is little<br />
point in waiting for the next bus – it has arrived now.<br />
3626 Saint Romain “La Perrière” 2005 9 9 Fine Pinot Noir characters. It will never be a blockbuster, but<br />
this is what well made Pinot Noir should be like.<br />
3627 Beaune “Les Bons Feuvres” 2005 9 9 Balanced. Medium bodied. Good aromas of raspberry and<br />
mushrooms. Ready now.<br />
3633 Côteaux du Layon Dom de Pont Livier 2005 9 9 Lovely wine. Will go on forever, but it would be sad not to<br />
enjoy its freshness and flavour now.<br />
3639 Sancerre Rouge “Tradition” 2005 8 9 Very good example. Not big bodied and brassy, but subtle<br />
and flavoursome. Great vintage. Enjoy now.<br />
Cellar Offering 169<br />
See note on page 5.<br />
3643 Cabernet Sauvignon Burgess Cellars 2002 10 10 One of the finest producers of the Napa Valley, Tom Burgess’<br />
wine has great authority and power. It still shows the pungent<br />
spice and pepper so typical of fine Cab and offers great length.<br />
Utterly ready, but there is no need to rush for a corkscrew.<br />
3664 Reserve Syrah Castoro Cellars 2004 9 9 Leather. Soap. Floral notes against a firm bone of acidity and<br />
tannin.<br />
3665 Reserve Pinot Noir Castoro Cellars 2004 9 9 Great. A big, bold wine. Hardly typical of Pinot Noir, but ripe<br />
and comely. Still showing cherries and plum fruit.<br />
3675 Clockspring Vineyard, Zinfandel, 2004 10 10 Carefully and individually selected by Kevin Shannon to show<br />
Amador County, Founders’ Choice the quality of the vineyard and the wines of Amador County. It<br />
is now showing bags of class, good balance, the softness of<br />
ripe tannins and good length.<br />
3689 Vega Lara Crianza 2003 8 9 This great wine from one of the prime producers of the region<br />
has reached a plateau of excellence. It is ready, but will hold<br />
for many years as it matures, softens and becomes riper.<br />
3691 Valdelosfriales Vendimia Seleccionada 2003 8 8 An absolutely stunning wine that has taken time to fully<br />
mature. Dark. Oaky. Notes of vanilla, cedar, black grapes<br />
and dark olives. Now time to enjoy.<br />
<strong>Wine</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2010</strong>