Chateau Brillette 2009

Made up of 48% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc with a little Petit Verdot, Brillette’s 2009 has an opaque ruby/purple color and some serious tannin. This is an impressively constituted vin de garde made in a potentially long-aging style. It should drink nicely for 15 or more years, as this is another over-achiever from the Association of Crus Bourgeois. (A member of the Association of Crus Bourgeois du Medoc.)

Very solid, with a nice cocoa-tinged frame to the core of crushed plum, cassis and mulled spice notes. The long, velvety finish shows nicely integrated grip. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2017. 10,000 cases made, 100 cases imported.

Currants and minerals with sweet tobacco. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a firm finish. Savory on the finish. Very typical Bordeaux style. Austere but pretty. Better in 2015.

40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. Aromatic and lively. Not desperately serious or ambitious but a very nice middle-of-the-road drink. (JR)

Dark garnet, fairly dense at the core, ruby rim. Pleasantly fruity bouquet, showing currants and a hint of sweetish grenadine. Nicely laid out on the palate, it feels fresh and shows a floral-fruity interplay over the extract, fine capsule notes on the finish, which brings it down a notch.

Light, herbal, slightly green, floral bouquet with currants and red cherries. Slender, light palate with little structure, light fruit, sandy tannins. Light finish. 15/20 2014 - 2020

Supple, good density, slightly tannic.

90-92 Barrel sample. A bright, shiny wine, spiced with blackcurrants and sweet plums, very fruity, dancing with liveliness.