1998 La Grave a Pomerol

This must be the most powerful La Grave I have tasted. The wine displays huge, gritty tannin, surprising body, and a robust constitution. Normally an elegant, savory wine, La Grave's 1998 will probably take on a more stylish, feminine character with aging, but presently it exhibits an inky dark ruby color, sweet black fruit, earth, and dried herb aromas, admirable richness, full body, and the potential for an outstanding rating. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2012.

Concentrated on the nose, but subtle and complex, with crushed dark berries, flowers and fresh mushrooms. Full-bodied, with a lovely soft texture of ripe tannins and loads of juicy ripe fruit. Balanced and very refined. Why wait, even though it will improve with age?¿'88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Drink now. James Suckling, Wine Spectator 2009

Is this a "petit Petrus?" This estate is owned by Christian Moueix, and there is no question he has been upgrading the quality. While it does not have the weight, power, or volume of Petrus, the 1998 displays character similar to that of its more majestic sibling. The finest La Grave a Pomerol I have ever tasted, it boasts a deep ruby color as well as a gorgeously elegant, sweet, graceful perfume of jammy blackberries and cherries intermixed with toasty oak and mocha. Refined, with a savory mid-palate, medium body, ripe fruit, and admirable succulence as well as gracefulness, its tannin is beautifully integrated, and the wine is hedonistic and complex. Drink it over the next 12-15 years. A sleeper of the vintage! Apr 2001, www.robertparker.com