Archive for November, 2017

Scaling a Peugeot vertical

An 11 year vertical of our Peugeot Bordeaux-style blendsWhat an opportunity: twelve years of our Peugeot Bordeaux-style blends, all in one place. So before everyone descended upon them with glad cries, George and I tasted through them in relative silence. Standouts for me: 2006, 2007, and 2013. Our notes:

2004
A little vegetal back in there somewhere, but surprisingly excellent overall. Bricky color, but still lively. There’s something astringent and/or tannic running along the base, but pretty nice for 12! Drink Soon.
GW: Holding up well. Elegant. Engaging. Mellow. Fruits fading with dignity.

2005
Odd and pungent dill, almost American Oak smell dominate nose. The fruit is okay in the mouth, but they give way to old tannins pretty quickly. A LOT of sediment. Past Prime.
GW: A little thin and old but steady, smooth. Fruits linger in the finish.

2006
Oaky nose, but a lovely nose! Full, lively and fun as well. Higher acidity and nice bright cherry throughout – it tastes *less* old than the 2007. Fruity, but excellent backbone. A lot of sediment on this one. Drink soon (but it’s great)
GW: Getting old but still engaging. Good balance and length. Mature and elegant.

2007
It still has a beautiful nose! Violets, and very Franc-driven. Great finish, beautiful and still full of life. This one has aged VERY gracefully. Perfect now.
GW: Good nose, impressive flavors. A little old in the finish, but lingers nicely.

2008
Not much nose but beautiful in the mouth. Lean, and *definitely* showing its age, but good structure/bones. Good, but on its way down.
GW: Minor nose. Bright and lively. Fun fruit, good acidity. Steady presence on the palate.

2009
Nice, reasonably approachable nose. Luscious, some chalky cocoa, a good finish. Decent acidity, tannins could keep it around for a bit. Drink now.
GW: Very good, all rounded, medium finish. Starting to show its age

2010
Mature nose, floral with a good dose of oak. Rich and full in mouth, very approachable. Not a super long finish, but not too bad, either. The character of this P is defined by its oak, for better or worse (mostly better). Drinking great right now.
GW:Very approachable, lovely fruit, low acid, short finish.

2011
Short, short finish, but decent if lean fruit. Astringent for sure. Everything falls away quickly (even faster than the 2012) and worse, sucks the flavor out of your mouth. Downhill from here
GW: balanced but thin fruit, slightly thin and acidic finish

2012
Full rich nose, with deep ripe fruit and beautiful in the mouth but almost instantly, it disappears/drops off. Really odd.
GW: Good but weaker than the 2013. Poor finish.

2013
Maybe a tad unripe in the nose somehow. Real Bordeaux character about it. Full, good balance, length. Not hugely ripe, but that’s balanced by lots of character. Drink now.
GW: Great balance, nice degree of age

2014
Tight, angular, good acid. Much less approachable than the 2015. Needs 2 years?
GW: falls off a little. Slightly overripe

2015
Smells approachable, tho you can also smell the alcohol. A little dead in the mouth right now, but has a decent finish. Maybe a year away.

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