2006 Haut Condissas
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Tasting notes
The 2006 Haut-Condissas has a perfumed, floral bouquet with violet and iris-scented black plum fruit, later just a touch of liquorish. I admire the delineation here, although it might need a couple more years to just fully absorb the 100% new oak. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, quite strict and linear. It comes across a little lean on the mid-palate, needing more flesh and body to match up to the superior 2005. And as such, the new oak juts out on the finish and leaves a slight bitterness. This is a decent 2006 overall, but I would monitor how the finish evolves with continued bottle age. Tasted at the Haut-Condissas vertical at the property.
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Robert Parker
Robert Parker
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From one of the top over-achievers in the Medoc, the superb 2006 Haut-Condissas is a full-bodied effort that behaves like a classified growth. This deep, ruby/purple-tinged wine displays plenty of smoked herb, creme de cassis, graphite, licorice, and burning ember-like characteristics. A sexy, opulent mouthfeel, superb density, and a layered, plush finish result in a sensational claret that can be drunk now or cellared for 12-15 years. Good value.
The Cuvee Prestige, the 2006 Haut-Condissas (60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot from the vineyard’s finest parcels), possesses a more saturated color as well as additional structure, body, and intense fruit. The finish is heady and long. This offering should drink nicely for 12-15 years. Readers should be seeking out these two sleepers of the vintage. Proprietor Jean Guyon marches to the beat of different drummer. He has brought in the renowned winemaking consultant, Dr. Alain Raynaud, to oversee the production of these two cuvees, which are always among the finest wines of the Medoc. They compete favorably with their classified growth brethren, even though they sell at a fraction of the price.