Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

Sorry no picture but tonight thought ITNOS I'd pop one of the case. Another unknown which was well rated and inexpensive Cotes de Castillon that I bought a case of because the write up sounded too good to pass up. Who says critics don't have an influence on sales!!

A little closed on opening showing heat on the nose and palate...14.5%

Very modern,new world with lots of extraction,ripe dark cherries,chocolate and nice length. A little charred oak catches on the finish which I hope will integrate with time. This is California meets Bordeaux and I'd have a tough time in a blind tasting to tell the difference. I would probably tell the difference but... This shows promise and once it sheds its baby fat I'll be very interested and won't revisit for a3-5 years. 89pts with upside potential

Yes, I think you got it about right there Danny. I drank about 6 bottles of this. For the most part I liked it but I grew a little tired of it by the last bottle or two.

its irritating how their bottles don't fit in some racks/boxes

Another big bulky heavy bottle but I did like the deep punt. Nice to get your thumb way up inside when pouring which we liked.

On a whim, Mrs AKR suggested we have this last night. (I wanted a Tuscan sangiovese to go with the mezzi paccheri but was overruled). This 2010 Clos Lunelles [Cotes de Castillon] offers poor value for $30 (Wally's mail order) with chewy/coarse/unresolved tannin at age 12 still. On the nose there is mint, eucalyptus on a dark, full bodied, high 14.5% abv frame. As one might observe from the pictures, the color is still in the purplish zone. My better half liked it more than I did, having a 2nd glass, which is rare. And normally, I would have thought this ilk would be in my wheelhouse - I am not allergic to the Perse stable unlike some of the kommentariat here. It's slightly better on day 2, but more because the nose develops; the structure remains grippy, unyielding despite an 80% merlot majority with equal parts of CF and CS to round it out. I know JimHow and others have suggested that these blackberry fruited beasts are best drunk up young, despite what looks like the external attributes for aging/development, and I acknowledge they are right. I would have liked this more if it had been thrown back when purchased. In my ledger, I'll slot it into the B zone, but it would likely satisfy the New World palate more, especially one who does not really slosh and swish a wine around their mouth, reveling in texture. PS: these heavy deeply punted bottles making pouring tricky, especially when getting to the last bits. Consider decanting given how much these raspy notes need tempering.