WTN: 1995 Château La Grave a Pomerol Trigant de Boisset

We've been hunkered down at home having a bottle a night buy for some reason I haven't been taking notes. Mostly 200, 2001 and such.

Tis time I wanted to look at the hard 95 vintage to see if they were coming around.

Good dark colour, still significant tannin but soft enough to be pleasant drinking, this Pomerol gave out some good sweet plummy fruit in the nose plus some cigar box cedar. In the mouth it is not too astringent, and shows some good well structured fruit up front, and a long smooth finish. This wine exceeds my expectations when I bought it. Good show!

Thanks
La Grave a Pomerol is generally considered a 3rd or 4th tier estate, but I've had a lot of satisfying bottles.

[Jenise]

'Bout time you came out of hiding, Bill!

'Bout time you came out of hiding, Bill!

Just haven't been inclined to be analytical about wine lately, until this one showed above expectation. I bought it (and another dozen cases, mixed) of 95s and maybe 1/3 of that of 96s and haven't touched them except for this one. I've been waiting the tannins out and it seems like it might be time to start tasting not the big players but at least the lesser ones that I have.

Have I mentioned (lately) how useless Cellartracker scores and maturity estimates are? Most tasters haven't got much of a clue when a claret will be mature (they usually vastly underestimate aging potential and windows), and most of them seem to be approaching claret from a history of drinking new world wines so expect soft lush fruit and aren't getting it.

There - that's my wine grouching for the day!

[Jenise]

'Bout time you came out of hiding, Bill!

Just haven't been inclined to be analytical about wine lately, until this one showed above expectation. I bought it (and another dozen cases, mixed) of 95s and maybe 1/3 of that of 96s and haven't touched them except for this one. I've been waiting the tannins out and it seems like it might be time to start tasting not the big players but at least the lesser ones that I have.

Have I mentioned (lately) how useless Cellartracker scores and maturity estimates are? Most tasters haven't got much of a clue when a claret will be mature (they usually vastly underestimate aging potential and windows), and most of them seem to be approaching claret from a history of drinking new world wines so expect soft lush fruit and aren't getting it.

There - that's my wine grouching for the day!

Totally understood, and you're so right. It's a bit troubling that they even bother to fill that part in--it's not a requisite--when they're too inexperienced to have a valid POV about it. I rarely bother unless I have a history with that wine.

The first post I ever made there was to rip an ignorant poster sideways when he stated that 1975 Bordeaux were all way over the hill. Clueless git. He probably still thinks I am crazy in saying that in fact (at that time) many were nowhere near ready, and we were all waiting to see which abated first, fruit or tannin.

I usualy don't bother, but for someone to be stating totally ignorant blather as if it were gospel just rubbed me the wrong way.

[Jenise]

A lot of people just don't have the experience or palate to appreciate mature wine. They should shut up!

Hey, I made a terrine today. Pix tomorrow!