2006 Montrose, Cos d'Estournel, Rieussec, Brane-Cantenac...

[RichM]

Just want to share tasting notes on 5 of the dozen or so 06's we have. A very good year available at great prices!
here are some notes on 2006 Brane-Cantenac, Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Cos d'Estournel, Montrose & Rieussec, that was the order of the tasting. A little tour of the apellations. Visit or contact us and check our pricing.
Cheers,
Rich Mora, Mora's Fine Wines, 280 rt25A E Setauket NY 11733, USA
call 631-941-4458 email rich@moraswines.com
visit http://www.moraswines.com


2006 Château Brane-Cantenac (Margaux) 2nd Growth
Tasting notes: Most loosely knit of the group, the nose opened very quickly with airing and showed lots of charming black fruit, esp cassis and a whiff of minerality. The tannins will thaw relatively soon, still needs a few years but should be a great drinking margaux before the end of the decade.
On the palate Tannins are fine and well integrated, the finish is medium length and the flavors open up with an hour or so of airing, the palate also needs time to develop.

History: Château Brane-Cantenac was classified 2nd growth in 1855 and is located near the village of Cantenac in the commune of Margaux, part of the Medoc appellation. Originally part of the huge "Le Gorce" estate, the property was bought by the Baron de Brane in 1833 who sold what is now Mouton-Rothschild to finance the purchase which he renamed Brane-Cantenac. I wonder if he regretted that move. Mouton was also a second until 1972 when it was elevated to 1st growth status. After several exchanges of ownership it now belongs to Henri Lurton's big happy wine family. A trained oenologist and family man, Lurton gave each of his ten children their own château! Under his direction the quality of the wine has gone from strength to strength and is worthy of its lofty status in the Bordeaux hierarchy.
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2006 Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte (Pessac Leognan) Grand Cru Classé
Tasting notes: Needs hours of decanting or at least 5 years in bottle to really enjoy. With airing it had the broadest spectrum of nose with everything from ripe black fruit to distinct stone or gravel, to coffee, to herbs. On the palate the black fruit and tannins dominated this too is a keeper good to cellar at least5 to 10 years

History: Classified in the top tier (Grand Cru classé) of the wines of Graves, Smith-Haut-Lafitte is located on the gravelly plateau known as "Lafitte." The estate has produced vines since the 1300's under various names and received its current name from George Smith, a Scot adventurer that bought the property in the 1720's. The current owners, the Cathiards, have been in charge since the 1990's.
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2006 Château Cos d'Estournel (St.-Estèphe) 2nd Growth
Tasting notes: Also very tight, needs a lot of air but the star of the bunch. The nose opened up with soaring sweetness and delicious pure cassis flavors and aromas with hints of anise and tar underneath. Definitely needs a good number of years but if you want one of these to die young this would deeply satisfy.

History: Cos d'Estournel is considered a "super second.” It was classified in 1855 as a 2nd growth yet now considered by many to be on par with the five 1st growths. Situated in the commune of Saint-Estèphe in the appellation of Medoc, Cos (pronounced Coss) d'Estournel is separated by only a small tributary from Lafite-Rothschild and is one of the finest wines of Saint-Estèphe along with its rival Montrose. Back in the day Cos was sought after by the likes of Queen Victoria, Napoleon III and the Tsar of Russia, Cos vintage 1887 was the wine served in first class aboard the Titanic on its one and only voyage. This is a great wine from a wonderful property.
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2006 Château Montrose (St.-Estèphe) 2nd Growth
Tasting notes: This one earns the reputation of "the LaTour of St. Estephe" A monolithic block of brooding black fruit with hints of tar and tobacco, very reticent with a solid wall of tannin blocking most sensory perception. With a lot of airing it slowly gave it up and hinted at what it will become. A star for the cellar


History: Like its rival Cos d'Estournel, Montrose is one of the "super seconds" of the left bank. It is also located in the commune of Saint-Estèphe under the appellation of Medoc. Montrose is just hitting its stride in this century. It had very humble beginnings as the northernmost property in Saint-Estèphe, won in a ruling by the Parliament of Bordeaux in 1778. At the time it was moorland, nothing but heather and gorse which was painstakingly cleared and planted to vines little by little in the early 1800's. The work paid off when this Château built from scratch achieved 2nd growth status in the famous classification of 1855. The rest, as they say, is history. Today it is nicknamed the Latour of Saint-Estèphe for its power and longevity.
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2006 Château Rieussec (Sauternes) 1st Growth
Tasting notes: This is a glorious Rieussec at this point so fresh and vibrant with delightful ripe pear and peach qualities and hints of melted sugar and honey. It has a very long finish, very giving now it will only mature and deepen with some age.

History: Rieussec is rated just behind the famous Château d’Yquem and is ranked a 1st growth under the classification of Sauternes. It is also second only to d’Yquem in the property’s physical elevation, an important feature for grape quality. Its origins date to the Ancien Regime when the land belonged to an order of monks until the revolution swept it out of their hands. It came under the ownership of a succession of private parties over the next several hundred years and did quite well until money troubles led to the courtship by Domaines Rothschild in 1971. The infusion of Rothschild cash and impeccable winemaking practices led to a string of the most stunning vintages that Château Rieussec has ever produced.

[Claudius]

Rich
Waht's your overall take on 2006?