Château d´Issan: UPGRADE von 90-93 Punkte --> 94 Punkte
Robert Parker [WineAdvocate #181/Feb. 2009]:
Now consistently one of the great wines of the appellation, d’Issan has produced a dense purple-colored wine with a beautiful set of aromatics offering a smorgasbord of aromas such as perfumed flowers, incense, graphite, licorice, blueberry, and black currant. The wine is seamlessly constructed, like a fine dress from a haute couture house. With fabulous concentration of fruit, the ethereal elegance and sublime character of this wine make it seem to almost float across the palate with substantial flavor penetration and laser-like focus. This is a gorgeous example of 2006 that can be drunk in 3-4 years or cellared for over two decades. Good value.
94/100 Punkte - Trinken: 2007-2022
2006er Château d´Issan - 3. Cru Classé Margaux 0,75 l. 37,95 Euro
Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte Rouge: UPGRADE von 91-93 Punkte --> 93 Punkte
Robert Parker [WineAdvocate #181/Feb. 2009]:
A top-notch success, the dense ruby/purple-colored 2006 Smith-Haut-Lafitte offers aromas of smoky, juicy black currants, graphite, earth, truffles, and forest floor. Full-bodied with superb purity, noticeable but sweet tannins, this round, generous, long wine should drink nicely for 15-20+ years.
One can’t say enough about the work proprietors Daniel and Florence Cathiard have done at Smith-Haut-Lafitte since 1990
93/100 Punkte - Trinken: 2009-2029
2006er Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte Rouge - Cru Classé Graves 0,75 l. 44,80 Euro
Chateau Pontet Canet: UPGRADE von 93-95 Punkte --> 95+ Punkte
Robert Parker [WineAdvocate #181/Feb. 2009]:
The 2006 is a wine to stockpile, especially for those in their thirties and forties as it needs another decade to reach maturity, after which it should keep for 30+ years. This vineyard, just south of Mouton Rothschild, has produced an opaque bluish/purple-colored 2006 with an extraordinarily pure nose of graphite, charcoal, sweet creme de cassis, and a hint of scorched earth. Incredible concentration, stunning richness, and a 60-second finish result in a wine that transcends the vintage as well as this estate’s 1855 classification. This enormously endowed, modern day classic is a legend in the making. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2050+.
Enormous credit is due proprietor Alfred Tesseron for turning things around at this estate in 1994, and continuing to produce first-growth level wines. Pontet-Canet is one of the few bio-dynamically farmed vineyards in the Medoc, and Tesseron is such a perfectionist in both the vineyard and wine cellars that his nickname among other bordelais is “Monsieur Bonsai.”
95+/100 Punkte - Trinken: 2015-2050
2006er Chateau Pontet Canet - 5. Cru classé Pauillac 0,75 l. 65,00 Euro
Chateau Montrose: von 92-95 Punkte --> 94+ Punkte
Robert Parker [WineAdvocate #181/Feb. 2009]:
The first vintage under new owner Martin Bouygues,who convinced Jean-Bernard Delmas to come out of retirement to produce this wine, the 2006 Montrose is an undeniable success. A blend of approximately two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon, one-third Merlot, and a tiny dollop of Petit Verdot, the most dramatic difference between the 2006, and wines made by the previous administration is that Jean Delmas produces wines with sweeter, silkier tannins, although analytically, they are as high as those found in the great Montrose vintages of the past. The 2006 is extraordinarily elegant and finesse-styled, but it exhibits stunningly concentrated, sweet blackberry and cassis fruit with hints of flowers and minerals. Full-bodied with a savory, expansive mid-palate as well as sweet, noble tannins, this beauty will benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age, and should drink well for 20-25+ years.
94+/100 Punkte - Trinken: 2012-2037
2006er Château Montrose - 2. Cru classé St. Estephe 0,75 l. 69,90 Euro
Chateau Pape Clement: UPGRADE von 92-94+ Punkte --> 95 Punkte
Robert Parker [WineAdvocate #181/Feb. 2009]:
The dense purple-colored 2006 boasts an extraordinary perfume of lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, burning embers, and a sensation that can only be described as like walking through a damp forest on a hot, humid day. Full-bodied, extraordinarily textured, and multidimensional with an amazingly long finish of nearly 60 seconds, this blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot from a 75-acre vineyard is a compelling wine that is one of the stars of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030.
I can’t say enough about the extraordinary work proprietor Bernard Magrez, assisted by the internationally renowned Michel Rolland, is doing at Pape-Clement. From this outstanding terroir, he comes close to rivaling what both Haut-Brion and La Mission-Haut-Brion are accomplishing a few miles away. Following the prodigious 2005 Pape-Clement, it would be hard to believe the next vintage could nearly match its predecessor. However, that is what has happened at this estate with both white and red, by the way.
95/100 Punkte - Trinken: 2012-2030
2006er Chateau Pape Clement - Cru classé Graves 0,75 l. 119,95 Euro