2006 La Vieille Cure
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Tasting notes
74% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet with slight brick edge. Very ripe plum and damson Merlot fruit, verging on dried fruit but just the right side of the freshness scale. Much drier than I expected on the palate, tannins still with some resistance but ready for drinking with food. Chewy, fresh but not intensely marked by the Cab Franc. Honest and flavourful. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Saturated, bright ruby-red. Black fruits, menthol and dark chocolate on the ripe nose. Rich, dense and chocolatey-sweet; quite full but with very good vinosity. Finishes with substantial palate-coating tannins and very good length. Big and rich for Fronsac wine, and a very ripe 2006.
This American-owned estate produces one of the most impressive wines made in Fronsac. Fashioned primarily from Merlot, the saturated ruby/purple-colored 2006 reveals superb sweet kirsch, black currant, licorice, forest floor, and earth characteristics, a textured, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, sweet tannin, and a long finish. Another super-star Fronsac, it, like virtually every wine from this appellation, sells at a realistic price. It is the perfect wine in these troubled economic times. Drink it over the next 10-12 years. Excellent value.