2005 Dona Paula Malbec Seleccion de Bodega

Rating : 94 (Robert Parker), Drink 2015-2035

The 2005 Malbec Seleccion de Bodega received 24 months in new French oak. It has a splendid nose of pain grille, pencil lead, plum, black cherry, and earth notes. This is followed by an opulent, rich wine with gobs of flavor, incipient complexity and a 45-second finish. This wine will develop for another 6-8 years with prime drinking from 2015 to 2035.

Dona Paula was founded in 1997 and the first vintage was 1999. Forty percent of their production goes to the USA market. During my visit to the winery, I was impressed by the spirit of experimentation and willingness to try new and different approaches.

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Bordeaux St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Class A. Great stuff!

Strangely, Robert Parker did not give it a high rating.

1994 Cheval Blanc : rating 88, Drink: 2002 - 2017

Dark ruby/purple-colored, with a complex, spicy, tobacco, vanilla,
blackcurrant, mineral, and floral-scented nose, the 1994 is a bigger,
more structured wine than the 1993, its older sibling, but is it
better? The wine finishes with mouthsearing tannin, which detracts
from the otherwise impressive aromatics and sweet, medium-bodied, lush
attack. As I have written many times in the past, Cheval Blanc has a
tendency to fatten up, put on weight, and expand both aromatically and
texturally with age, so perhaps this wine will move in that direction.
If it does, my rating will appear unduly conservative. But if the
tannin continues to taste astringent and the fruit begins to fade,
then I will have overrated the 1994. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2017

From the right bank.

Great stuff, but SGD588?

2003 Ch Lynch Bages : rating 89, drink 2008 - 2020

One of the most popular wines of Bordeaux seems to be going through a
period where the style seems lighter, and there is less muscle and
mass, but perhaps it’s just a temporary transition. Certainly there
has been no truly profound Lynch Bages since the 2000, preceded by the
1996, 1990, and 1989. Showing better than it did from cask with some
toasty oak, moderate quantities of creme de cassis fruit, lower
acidity, and a hint of cedar in an evolved style, the medium to
full-bodied 2003 Lynch Bages does not lack for tannin and structure
but finishes surprisingly short for a top vintage in the northern
Medoc. It is very good, but falls short of outstanding. Anticipated
maturity: 2008-2020.

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2003 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande : rating 95, drink 2006 - 2026

The brilliant, opulent, fleshy 2003 Pichon Lalande (65% Cabernet
Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot) possesses a high pH of 3.8
as well as 13% alcohol. Reminiscent of the 1982 Pichon Lalande (which
never shut down and continues to go from strength to strength), the
dense plum/purple-colored 2003 offers gorgeous aromas of blackberries,
plum liqueur, sweet cherries, smoke, and melted licorice. Fleshy,
full-bodied, and intense, displaying a seamless integration of wood,
acidity, tannin, and alcohol, this beauty can be drunk now or cellared
for 20 years or more.

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