2006 Les Plantiers du Haut-Brion
Second wine of Haut-Brion Blanc apparently (though I thought it was called Bahans or Clarence?), there's a strong Semillon character evident here with bright floral and herbal aromatics leading into a palate full of ripe pear, melon and grapefruit tinged with vanilla and savoury waxy/lanolin notes. The mouthfeel's very rich and oily-textured, but still feels surprisingly light on its feet with goods acids and fantastic length. Lovely.
2007 Château Beychevelle
Classical, understated Bordeaux - fresh dark fruited and cassis flavours over notes of tobacco and gravelly earth, very polished and surprisingly accessible with grainy tannins and refreshing acidity, just finishing a little light on the back end.
2007 Château d'Issan
Not particularly ripe or pleasant with stalky, green aromatics, austere red fruited flavours tinged with green vegetal notes and grippy tannins that make themselves felt on the back end.
2004 Château Lascombes
Awful stuff (unless you're a beaver). Massive oak and charred flavours over heavily extracted, goopy dark fruit, feels heavy and clunky with very little acidity with a bitter, tannic finish showing plenty of wood and heat. Use for furniture.
2006 Les Arômes de Pavie
Full of rich, silky-textured fruit accented by smoky and toasty notes, quite modern in style but nicely balanced. Finishes a little short and tannic though, not bad but hideously overpriced for what it is.
2005 Le Carillon de l'Angélus
Compelling; cigar smoke and exotic spicy notes framing rich plum and blackberry fruit, the oak's quite subtle and nicely woven into the background and there's plenty of tannic structure here. Really primary right now, but gets more approachable and enjoyable with air, and the density, balance and structure suggests this will age very well
2006 Château Léoville Poyferré
Aromatically mute, showing tightly coiled dark fruited flavours and savoury cedary and earthy accents in the mouth, but right now it comes across as very closed and unyielding with the structure dominating. Hands off
2007 Fleur de Clinet
Gorgeous stuff; perfumed sandalwood, herbal and smoky flavours around a powerful core of cassis and dark fruits. The tannins are surprisingly gentle and most of the structure here comes from there acidity, which keeps this very fresh, elegant and precise. Really lovely stuff, with a spicy, smoky finish that just persists
2006 La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion
Really exotic, unusual aromatics combining sandalwood, smoke, gravel and dark fruit. It's not quite as striking and impressive in the mouth, showing slightly reticent dark fruited flavours with subtle touches of spice and earth with the oak nicely integrated but the tannic structure quite punishing.
2001 Les Pagodes de Cos
Drinking beautifully right now with primary cassis, red fruited and cedary flavours combining seamlessly with developing leather, warm earth and tobacco leaf notes. Wonderful polished, expansive mouthfeel with the tannins mostly resolved and a savoury, earthy finish.