Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

98 Fleur de Jauge [St Emilion] Served cool, over 3 days. First day nose takes little while to open up. Medium bodied, garnet color, some lightening at the edges, but not yet orange. Raspberry and red fruit flavors. Elegant and well balanced, compared to some clunkier California wines over the last week. Later some coffee shows up in the bouquet. There is still a smidge of tannin here, surprisingly. Just a great example of how non trophy Bordeaux that are well made can age well in a good vintage. I was worried initially (before tasting) that it needed to be drunk up; I'm thinking my smaller 00's have priority over estates like this.

We had another bottle of this at a family friends' dinner party.

Popped and poured.

Really delicious.

Smooth, balanced, resolved.

Doesn't betray any of its 18 years of age at all.

Holding its fruit very well.

I was wondering why I don't see it more often...a few minutes on the internet reveals that they only make 1500 cases.

We've been enjoying a bottle of this the last 2 nights.

It still shows medium body, red fruit, pale red robe, mature bricking on the edges On this example the fruit is not as rich, lustrous as I remember.

Maybe there is some bottle variation, or travel shock. This poor thing got schlepped in my suitcase and bounced around a bit the last few days

I'd tilt toward having this with food.

The last 3 BDX I've opened, generally cellared myself for 15+ years, have all, in their own ways, been a touch disappointing. It's a strange streak. And all have actually been sound both heat/TCA wise. The SO is usually pretty quick/accurate to make that call, when its tainted, but none of the last 3 had that issue.

I think I'm starting to bump up against normal/natural variation that comes from time. Perhaps the implication is not to overreact to outlier tasting notes on older bottles?

This wine is something that typically ranges between B and A- for me, but most consistently in the middle at the very reliable, delightful B+. Todays was a notch lower, at a B

Another bottle tonite, with Thai food (not a good combo!).

This one is still solid, but again not as good as prior bottles.

If I was handing out points, maybe 86 or 87.

It needs to be drunk up.

Another bottle over the last two nights, shows well, B+ and well rounded.

Thanks for sharing. I've seen this wine, but never tried it.

Will try to do so.

Alex R.

We drank up another bottle of this - perhaps the last ? - after a very hot bike ride that included a deflating front tire. When its 99F and oppressively hot, even if its not the most appropriate wine, its still very tasty after hopping in/out of the pool.

Still fruity, but all things considered, was best in the years from age 5 to 10 I think.