1999 Bordeaux wine review, horizontal tasting, tastings comments


1999 GISCOURS Margaux - Bordeaux France Nice purple colour not quite as deep as expected from such a young wine. The nose is quite complex dominated by blackcurrant and mocha. Concentrated with smooth tannins. An elegant and modern wine with plenty of fruit. 87 / 100		1999 BRANAIRE Saint-Julien - Bordeaux France Surprising light ruby hue. Berry and currant nose, oak, vanilla. Powerful but little complexity. A compact wine with a long straightforward finish. Anticipated maturity: 2008 - 2012. 85 / 100

1999 DUHART-MILON Pauillac - Bordeaux, France Light purple colour. Weird nose dominated by an impression of wet old barrel (?). In mouth, the wine isn't appealing, showing dry tannins and vegetal flavours. Little fruit and moderately thin. 82 / 100		1999 BEYCHEVELLE Saint-Julien - Bordeaux France Again, the colour is rather pale for a two years old wine. The nose is fruity and delicate with blackberries and blackcurrant but also wood and oak. In mouth, the wine is soft and elegant. A pleasant wine to drink in 3 - 5 years from now. 85 / 100

1999 CANON LA GAFFELIERE Saint Emilion - Bordeaux France 40% Cabernet Franc harvested shortly before the hail poured down on the St Emilion region. Berry nose with hints of wood and alcohol. Closed and austere structure with roasted tannins. A bit difficult to judge at this stage. Will possibly turn out to be a great wine in a few years. 86/100		1999 TERTRE ROTEBOEUF Saint Emilion - Bordeaux France This wine is all based on texture. Opulent, generous, one easily identifies the very ripe Merlot berries (85%). Crystallized fruit, vanilla and oak. The wine ends on a long and ample, but slightly dissociated finish. 85/100

1999 EGLISE CLINET Pomerol - Bordeaux France Eglise-Clinet has become the perfect example of what Bordeaux can produce at its best. This year just confirms again this tendency. 90% Merlot harvested before the rains. Blackberry aromas with hints of floral fragrances. Perfect balance with a straight mineral undertone and a very long finish. Highly recommended but unfortunately very expensive. 90/100		1999 CHEVAL BLANC Saint Emilion - Bordeaux France Purple hue. Nose dominated by toasted oak but balanced by red fruits. On the palate it is lush, thick, and very sweet. Deep and long with integrated tannins. I wonder if this Cheval Blanc 99 really has the necessary structure to age for decades? 89/100

1999 PAVIE Saint Emilion - Bordeaux France Deep, dark colour. Closed nose with hints of jam and petrol. Huge tannins and a very tight structure. The wine literally explodes in mouth and goes on with a long mineral finish. Very extracted. At this point one wonders what will win out - the tannin or the fruit? Hard to judge now. 86 / 100 for now but this Pavie could possibly deserve a much better score if the wine turns right within a few years from now.		1999 PAVIE-MACQUIN Saint Emilion - Bordeaux France This wine was made following S. Derenoncourt's precepts (see article) and contains a high proportion (70%) of Cabernet Franc. Complex aromas of huckleberry and red fruits. Chewy mouth with great volume and length. An opulent and powerful wine. 90/100 Other article: Derenoncourt's revolution, a meeting with..
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1999 RAUZAN SEGLA Margaux - Bordeaux France Mix of green grass and red fruits aromas. Well balanced with a nice tight structure. The finish is a little abrupt but the final impression remains positive. 87/100		1999 SOCIANDO-MALLET Haut-Medoc - Bordeaux France Dark colour. Spicy, oaky and mint aromas. Long and expressive in mouth with tones of sweet pepper. Smooth and balanced. The Merlots are warm and generous. Mineral tones at the finish. A typical and straightforward "terroir" wine. 89/100

1999 GRUAUD LAROSE Saint-Julien - Bordeaux France Blackish colour. Lots of blackberry fruit and harsh tannins. Very ripe and extracted. Globally lacks of harmony. 86/100		1999 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU Saint-Julien - Bordeaux France Curious wine. Acid and oak on the nose but completely different on the palate. Integrated and rounded tannins nicely balanced by currant. An elegant and discrete wine with a structure that reminds me a bit Cheval Blanc. 88/100

1999 LEOVILLE BARTON Saint-Julien - Bordeaux France This wine exudes dark bittersweet chocolate aromas, dense dark fruit and cedar. Ripe integrated spicy tannins and a sturdy structure and power. Smoother than Gruaud Larose. Definitely a very fascinating wine. Still a bit closed at this stage. 91/100		1999 LEOVILLE LAS CASES Saint-Julien - Bordeaux France Rich and complex wine. Blackcurrant, dark cherry fruit, spice and liquorice. Very expressive on the palate as middle fruit and ripe tannins finish the wine off. An amazing precision between power and finesse. 91/100 Other article: "THE DUEL" ! Léoville las Cases 2000 / Léoville Barton 2000

1999 MISSION HAUT BRION Pessac-Leognan-Graves - Bordeaux France Blackcurrant and oak on the nose. On the palate it is expressively round, big and tannic. Together granular and silky. A mind-blowing wine massive yet forward and charming. This wine should age magnificently well. 92/100		1999 HAUT BRION Pessac-Leognan-Graves - Bordeaux France 45% Cabernet Sauvignon - 33% Merlot (harvested before the heavy rains) - 22% Cabernet Franc. This wine is a little bit closed on the nose, but you can sense the power. On the palate it is big and tannic. Great balance, great midpalate fruit with a very long finish. A tremendous wine - in my opinion the most impressive bottle of the evening! 95/100

1999 MARGAUX Margaux - Bordeaux France Spices, grass and black raspberry aromas. Some liquorice and blackberry fruit on the palate. Very elegant and feminine. Straightforward and easy to evaluate. Will age another 20 years without any problem but it's already so beautiful to drink now! 94+/100		1999 LAFITE ROTHSCHILD Pauillac - Bordeaux, France Only 40% of the total production were selected for the First wine. Racy, spicy, vanilla oak aromas with toasty nuances. Austere but accented with delicate nuances of violets and blueberries. Athletic wine with a lot of potential. Wait another 10 - 15 years before having any ideas of uncorking the next one! 93/100

1999 LATOUR Pauillac - Bordeaux, France Little yields this year for Latour. The Merlots harvested before the rain have totally saved this wine. Oaky, ripe, full, black-fruits on the nose and palate. Beautiful balance and concentration. Extremely pure wine with lush mouth feel, and a generous structure. Not very "Latour-style" for the moment but has a huge potential (2020+?). 94/100		1999 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD Pauillac - Bordeaux, France 60% of the total production was selected to produce Mouton this year. Toasted - roasted oak nose. Very ripe tannins, solar and generous with creamy - almost sugary flavours. An animal touch on the finish. Slightly sub-par with Lafite and Latour tasted at the same time. 90/100

EPILOGUE A number of enticing and attractive wines ultimately make the 1999 vintage worth buying. Certainly the wines will be ready to drink before the more lauded 1998s. Very ripe Merlot (with astonishing levels, for Bordeaux, of 13.5 to 14 percent alcohol) seems to be a major component of the better wines. Overall it's a vintage to buy to drink for the next 10 - 15 years. Only few of them will age much longer. We are sure many wines should offer considerable pleasure.

Cheers, For ccvo-bg.org: Evelyne and Alain Bringolf

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