Chateau Villars, Fronsac

Hatte Angst bei dem Wein überreizt zu haben. Aber weit gefehlt, alles bestens. Die tertiären Aromen haben das Ruder übernommen. Leder, Tabak und Eiche dominieren die noch immer intensive, weiche Nase. Dunkle Früchte (Kirsche, Pflaume) und Kräuter (Eukalyptus) behaupten sich aber beharrlich in zweiter Reihe. Am Gaumen hingegen fast nur noch Tabak und Holz. Der Mund wird quasi zur Zigarrenkiste. Ein Hauch Frucht, Erde und Pfeffer schwingen ganz leise mit. Die Tannine sind noch erstaunlich präsent, werden aber von der …

1998 vintage

Drinking beautifully. Nice fruit, subdued nose, loooong finish.

2003 vintage

Une très belle surprise, le vin est excellent. Pas du tout entamé par ses 18 ans de bouteille, il est plein, savoureux, arômes secondaires, robe à peine tuilée. Plein de vigueur et délicieux.

1998 vintage

As you may remember, 2003 was extraordinarily hot and the wines that year tended to have superbly ripe fruit, but was there balance? This Villars is still really inky and purple without bricking but the purple color is decidedly lighter. The aromas show a Merlot dominance with a beautiful depth of plum smoke leather and earth aromas. Seamless and integrated the wine has grip with a certain finesse which played beautifully with bacon wrapped filets. I have always loved this …

2003 vintage

Right in peak drinking I think. Tannins more or less resolved, still plenty of black fruits but with chocolate and some slightly metallic notes. No cedar or tobacco elements. good if not opulent texture. Medium finish. Very good value buy this was at under £9 a bottle a few years ago.

2003 vintage

Really delicious and drinkable now. Beautiful tannins. Nose of dark cherry and just nicely balanced on the palate. Looking forward to drinking my others over the next few years.

2003 vintage

Had higher expectations for this bottle.

2003 vintage

Very good - a fairly big wine that grabs the tongue and squeezes it on your palette then rounds to a chewy spicy bordeaux. Will let the other bottle in our cellar age another year or two but this is a very, very drinkable wine right now, IMO. Lots of spice but still a fair amount of tannin and fruit, it could also cellar another couple of years as well.

2003 vintage

Very nice wine. Another one that age has improved. Had it two+ years ago and it was closed, a bit tannic, dry, bitter and not as balanced. Two years later, it is quite smooth, actually silky. Medium bodied, demonstrates freshness with some acidity and spice balanced with some earthy tones. Mostly dark but some red fruit and licorice shows as well. Easy drinker with or without food. Quite balanced, nice surprise after the first bottle in 2009. 89+

2003 vintage

Opened and decanted for about 45 minutes. Had with Grilled bone-in Ribeyes. color wasn't too dark, nice aroma from the pour into the decanter to the glass. Nose of earthy spices and dark fruit. Got a touch of nutmeg. On the palate the wine is pretty smooth, with just a touch of heat. A short finish but a nice bottle of wine.

2003 vintage

Still youthful in color and wildly aromatic even on opening. Old World earth and spice with some dark purple plum and maybe a bit of nut lurking in the background. Strong, velvety tannins on opening that melted into soft suede after time. This wine is still going strong. Particularly good with a beef brisket that was served.

2003 vintage

Very nice, simple Bordeaux. Definitely needed time to open up after uncorking and was best with food. Look forward to other bottles in a year or two.

2003 vintage

a nice wine that possesses all the ualities of bordeaux except the complexity of the very best ones. good balance and medium tannins, good earthy nose, medium acidity...the anti new world offering in its austerity but needs to be drunk with food to appreciate...

2003 vintage

OK wine. A bit bitter. A hint of blackberry. Short finish. Tried both with and without an aerator. The aerator helped, so it might be better if it breathed more. Wouldn't buy again.

2003 vintage

Consistent with previous bottle. Old world flavor profile with some dark fruit to help balance it out. Tannins and oak seemed a little high this time and there isn't much of a finish but an overall enjoyable effort for the money.

2003 vintage

Some at lunch (pop & poured), the rest in the evening (cork rejammed on a half). Very smooth. Heat is even in the nose, plenty of blackcurrant and blackberry. Evening stuff was more involved than previous bottles - the heat really coming through and some power but none of it overpowering the fruit. Not completely integrated but no real harshness to the tannin. Medium finish. At the about-a-tenner price point this is highly recommended.

2003 vintage

Dark and clear but some bottle variation over the last one. Still the dark black fruit in evidence but much less vibrant and a little closed. Nicely integrated with backbone and some tannins still in evidence. Left recorked for a couple of days 1/2 full and it did improve and open up a little more - but not to the level that the previous bottle had.

2003 vintage

Opened and poured. Dark colour, clear. In the mouth plenty of depth - almost felt like the heat of the vintage coming through. Lots of dark black fruit with mineral notes, extremely smooth & well integrated with a little tannin. Medium bodied, reasonable structure but not a powerhouse. Bit of an unimpressive finish. Eminently drinkable. Resealed with inert gas and the next day was a little more open but generally more the same.

2003 vintage

Popped and poured. Nice dark garnet color. Somewhat closed on the nose with hints of dark fruit and a little herbiness coming through. Moderate tannins keep this wine together. Not much of a finish. Overall solid but not great.

2003 vintage

Came across a bottle that I bought in 2000. Medium body. I was surprised that it seemed not yet past its prime. Red fruit, primarily currant with a hint of raspberry. Not much nose, more finish than I expected, and very nice with a rare, grass-fed steak and mushrooms.

1998 vintage

Some funkiness and lots of dark fruit, cassis, tar, pencil lead. Sort of hefty and rich, a tad disjointed, but nice to drink and good QPR for Bordeaux.

2003 vintage

Old World earth with some New World fruit. Will update when I find my written notes.

2003 vintage

Not very complex, hints of fruit, not sure it wil get much better, but should last a few more years.

2003 vintage

at roughly $20 i think it's a good, but not great, deal. lots of dark fruit. plum in particular. if i tasted it blindfolded, i might not have known it was a bordeaux. it didn't have any of bordeaux's earth on the nose or pallate. smooth but neither complex nor particularly structured.

2003 vintage

Dark in the glass, aromas are blackberries and plums mixed with oak and a subtle mushroom and meatiness. Fruit forward and approachable, but not without structure. A bit tangy, medium-bodied, and overall it resembles a friendly middle-of-the-road California Merlot with a bit more austerity and a bit more earth.

2003 vintage

Kizzorked!

2003 vintage

Superripe and a bit clumsy. Certainly okay for the price--as it's clean and has decent depth, but not in any way identifiable as Bordeaux at this stage (and I'm not especially hostile to the "international style"). Smells a bit like a too-ripe Spanish Garnacha (though tastes a little better). I suppose the vintage is to blame, but this is not a bargain that excites me.

2003 vintage

Soft, low structure, light, "drink-me-now" kind of Bordeaux. Some earthy elements that mark it squarely in the old world camp. Easy drinking, food-friendly wine. Good for the price.

2003 vintage

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Chateau Villars, Fronsac

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