Château Faugères St. Émilion Grand Cru

Thick and heavy, dark fruit, bold, long finish. Delicious.

St.Emilion Grand Cru Classée values tasting : Lots of dark fruit and oak, extracted, freshness is there but the tannins a touch drying. I think Faugeres still needs to dial down from the Parker years.

Deep dark reddish-purple garnet in color. Full, forward & fragrant nose of ripe fruits aromas of dark cherries, boysenberries & cassis with floral & herbal overtones, dusty/earthy notes, cocoa, tea, spices, anise, minerals & a touch of oak/vanilla in the background. Medium bodied with a good concentration of balanced, smooth textured, plush, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & plums with herbs, minerals, spices & a hint oak/vanilla. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & extended airing …

St. Emilion Grand Cru Classés Walkaround tasting, so just short notes (Amsterdam) : 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Very youthful wine with juicy dark berries, good acidity and sticky tannin. 93+

Truffles, cocoa, dark red fruits, licorice and spice create a perfume that wants to get noticed. On the palate, the wine is rich, lush, concentrated, deep and polished. Yet, it is balanced by its freshness, lift and elegance that makes everything work here from start to the vibrant, cocoa, plum and spice-box finish. Drink from 2024-2040.

Dark in color, the black cherry, flower, licorice, plum liqueur and espresso nose jumps out in front. On the palate, the wine is opulent, rich, full-bodied, deep and concentrated. The perfectly ripe fruit is dark, opulent and polished with velvety textures, length and volume on the mid-palate and finish. 93-95

Tasting through some 2020 EP samples with local merchants, so only short impressions. In general the vintage is ripe and plush but not excessive. The right bank examples were sometimes marked by high alcohol. Some of the lesser know Crus from Medoc on the other hand benefited nicely from the sun. TN: Usually not a fan of this Cru but it looks like they dialed back on the over-ripness here. Good balance, lots of dark fruit, vanilla, succulent.

Airoldi - Bordeaux En Primeur 2020 (Quay Restaurant, International Passenger Terminal, Sydney) : Aromas of plums, sweet spice, clay, alcohol is present on the nose and too much on the palate, lending heat to the fleshy and rather extracted fruit. Tannins are rather drying as well. It's a bit out of whack for me. Meh.

Opaque, glossy Dense, ripe nose, some fine vapour, dark character, compact and cool. Feels like this has power, but also considered. Dense attack, lower acid feel, fresh tannins and some spice. Good intensity, chalky grip -which builds. Less expressive than the Cap.