La Dame de Montrose, Saint-Estephe

The bouquet is creamy and lactic and in fact still locked with dark and red berries as well as some cherries. Same on the palate, firm acidity and drying tannin. Green bell pepper and a bit harsh. But I think that with enough time in the bottle it will become more friendly. For now 87, for the potential 89, so 88 as an average.

Lunch at Tung Lok Signatures (Tung Lok Signatures, Orchard Parade Hotel) : A tad disappointing. Nothing wrong with the wine; it just felt rather boring and characterless. The nose was not a great start - it seemed a bit spoofy at first, all sweet, candied cherries and vanilla oak. Thankfully some time in the glass helped to tone down that overt sweetness somewhat, and more subtle tones of violets, and then savoury bits of earth and tobacco came out as …

Couleur grenat, assez claire, ocelle aqueuse. Mobile, larmes rapides et moyennes. Nez légèrement laqué, sur la fraise et la cerise griotte. Fond de tabac. Attaque sur la cerise et le tabac blond. Enorme creux en milieu de bouche. Finale courte sur le tabac (3-4 caudalies). Un vin de presse, sans intérêt, de très faible qualité. Rapport qualité-prix horrible ! 84+

Popped and poured, a drank quickly with 6 others. Definitely needs a decant, but clearly a well made wine. Good value for money, and always a pleasure, but certainly pales in comparison to its big brother.

Fairly elegant but dense nose of baked almond, red plums and potpourri, toasted cumin and clove. The palate showed a smooth texture, not much depth and concentration. Just a nice flow of flavors from the nose to palate, no new discovery. Medium bodied with a clean but one dimensional chalky finish. This is for immediate drinking with roast beef, grilled chicken and simple pasta. Should consume this within the next 5 years as it is unlikely will improve with aging.

Litt tynn, parfymert. God.

Spearmint, leaf and cherry on the nose, this lighter, forward styled St. Estephe will drink well on release. 86-88 Pts

90-92

intense ripe fruity flavours, firm tannins, lacks complexity 87-89