by Richard Fadeley OLD » Sat Sep 23, 2006 10:39 pm
Tonight, with a grilled NY strip, I opened, and decanted(for 2 hrs), a 2000 Cht de Francs, "Les Gerisiers" (Bordeaux-Cotes de Francs)($22). Licking my chops in anticipation I expected a winning combination. Instead I was confronted with an tooth-staining, over-extracted fruit bomb monster and after about 30 minutes of unrequited patience, I opted for a backup. All was lost so I gambled on the '99 Les Allees de Cantemerle($14)(their 2nd label) and was treated to a much more Bordeaux-like Bdx. This was much better that you would expect from this vintage, and a 2nd label). You just never know, but Parker has definitely impacted these wines. The Cht de Francs was almost like an Aussie Shiraz. End result, CdF, 80 pts; Les Allees, 87. Night salvaged. It seems like they let the Merlot hang about 2 weeks longer than they should have, my guess.
Richard Fadeley, CWS
aka Webwineman
