Oct. 8, 2016 – 2009 Bordeaux, Horatio’s, San Leandro

94 points James Suckling

Aromas of black tea, blackberries, blueberries and coffee bean, follow through to a full body, with velvety tannins and a juicy finish. Lovely mouth feel. Very well done. (2/2012)

94 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

The 2009, which is inky blue/purple to the rim, is a final blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot at 14% natural alcohol. The wine has a beautiful blueberry-scented nose with hints of acacia flowers, licorice, graphite and some subtle charcoal and background oak. Clearly a modern style of Margaux, it is pure, seamless, full-bodied and opulent, and the high glycerin and silky texture of 2009 are brilliantly displayed in this wine. Drink it over the next 15+ years, although it is certainly capable of lasting well past two decades. One of the more difficult estates to manage in southern Margaux is the 300 acres of Lascombes, subdivided into at least 40 to 50 separate plots, making harvest decisions, ripening, and related issues a strategic nightmare. Nevertheless, they seem to have hit pay dirt frequently over the last decade plus. (RP) (2/2012)

1

Points

35

94 points Wine Enthusiast

A dense wine, the wood just showing at this stage through its dark tannins and superb rich fruit. The wine is ripe, with a density of tannins that go right down deep. Big and powerful. (RV) (4/2012)

93 points James Suckling

Aromas of blueberries, with hints of earth and grilled meat, follow through to a full body, with velvety tannins and a tangy, fresh finish. Lovely citrus rind undertones. From Leoville Las Cases. Try after 2016. (2/2012)

2

Points

52

93 points James Suckling

Wonderful aromas of crushed raspberries, flowers, and hints of vanilla bean. Full body, with silky tannins and a juicy finish. Fresh and minerally. (2/2012)

93 points Wine Enthusiast

Firmly structured, dark-fruited wine, very solid and dense. It has weight along with black currant fruits and acidity. It’s a wine that is rich but seriously structured for aging. (RV) (2/2012)

92 points Wine Spectator

This is perfumy and very pure, with lovely lilac and blackberry aromas followed by plum, cassis and black cherry fruit. The supple finish is caressed with toast that leaves a lingering, perfumy feel. (JM) (3/2012)

3

Points

52

93 points Decanter

Sumptuous cassis and blackberry nose, with some stylish new oak. Sleek and broad, with flesh and weight, a hedonistic style for St Estephe, with bold but fine-grained tannins, ample acidity, and considerable energy and lift on the finish. Excellent balance and length. (SB) (3/2014)

90-92 points Wine Enthusiast

Tough tannins over juicy fruit. The wine has great ripeness as well as freshness. The intensity of the blackcurrant is considerable. (RV) (8/2010)

90 points Wine Spectator

This is nicely rendered, with mulled plum and smoldering tobacco flavors that show a lacing of pastis, all wrapped with notes of baker’s chocolate and singed iron. There’s a smoky rusticity on the finish, but with enough flesh and length for balance. (JM) (3/2012)

4

Points

56

97 points James Suckling

Aromas of blueberries and lemon rind. Full body, with soft and velvety tannins and bright fruity finish. Refined and beautiful. Layered wine. Pure fruit. Gravelley. Stoney. So classy and complex. Try in 2020. (2/2012)

95 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

In late 2011, I had the last bottle in my cellar of the 1970 Domaine de Chevalier. Much to my surprise, it was still holding on to life and remained gorgeously complex in that ethereal Graves style. The 2009, one of the finest Domaine de Chevaliers yet produced, reveals a striking bouquet of burning embers, sweet cherry, black and red currant fruit, spice box, cedar and lead pencil shavings. The tannins are sweet in this fleshy, full-bodied offering. It is built on the notion of extraordinary harmony, elegance and complexity. While not the most concentrated or flamboyant 2009, its intense aromas are already reasonably evolved and its lusciousness and balance are terrific. Made from an interesting blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot, its yields of 45 hectoliters per hectare were slightly higher than many of its neighbors achieved. Drink it over the next 25 years. (RP) (2/2012)

5

Points

59

93 points James Suckling

Wonderful aromas of blueberries, blackberries and dark chocolate, follow through to a full body, with super well-integrated tannins and bright gorgeous dark fruits. Wonderful length too. One of the best wines from here in a number of years. Best in 2016. (JS) (2/2012)

90 points Vinous

Good full ruby. Inviting nose shows pinot-like aromas of fresh raspberry, strawberry, violet and underbrush, plus a whiff of leather. Easygoing and sweet, with pliant flavors of black cherry, dark berries and smoky underbrush given adequate lift and precision by sound acids. Finishes with round, chocolatey tannins and good length. Not particularly gripping, but offers the charm of Pomerol merlot. (ID) (5/2010)

6

Points

73

94 points James Suckling

Gorgeous nose of warm stones and dark fruits. Full body with a solid core of fruit and chewy tannins, and a long and intense finish. Best ever. (7/2012)

93 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

The best ever wine from this estate (even better than their sensational 2005), this full-bodied wine offers notes of blueberry, black currant, asphalt and burning charcoal embers in a deep, layered and multi-dimensional style. It is impressively pure and well-built, with far greater concentration and length than I ever remember this wine having in the past. Forget it for 5 years and drink it over the following three decades. (RP) (2/2012)

7

Points

82

93 points James Suckling

Intense aromas of orange peel, blackberries and hints of mushrooms. Full body, with a solid core of soft and velvety tannins and a fruity finish. Well structured. One of the best wines from here in years. Try after 2017. (2/2012)

92 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

The final blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot was cropped very low at 35 hectoliters per hectare. Deep purple, with a nose of subtle smoke, graphite, blueberry and black raspberry fruit as well as some spring flowers, in the mouth a touch of oak makes an appearance, but the wine is full-bodied, rich, inky and unctuously textured due to the high glycerin and alcohol that hits 14% plus. This beauty should drink well for up to two decades. (RP) (2/2012)

8

92