Wine Advisor
La Conseillante 1999
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the La Conseillante vertical at Chez Bruce. This was the real surprise of this blind vertical tasting-the '99 trumping the '98! It actually reflects my original assessment of this wine back at primeur. Here there is superb ripeness on the ebullient nose with ravishing scents of blackberry, cedar, cigar box and a touch of smoke. Good definition, the plum and blackberry fruit emerging with time (rather reluctantly I might add.) The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannins, not as complex as more recent vintage but very well balanced with the Cabernet Franc lending an attractive savoury/meaty edge towards the finish. Considering the growing season, this is a magnificent La Conseillante. Tasted December 2010.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
If it were not lacking a bit of concentration, this 1999 would merit an outstanding rating. A dark ruby/purple color is followed by La Conseillante's tell-tale charm and opulence, presented in an elegant, sweet, jammy black cherry-scented and flavored format with toasty oak in the background. The wine's plush, lush, nicely-textured style are captivating. Already drinking well, it will be a treat to consume when released. However, the finish is a bit short, and there is no doubting that the heavy late September rains have caused a certain dilution. Drink it over the next decade.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted twice in 2001: melted butter and burnt match on the nose. Spicy black fruits. Lowish acidity. Well-balanced and good characterful wine. Complex but not mind-blowing. Very fine. A wonderful bottle in November 2003: a very subtle, meaty nose with a touch of volatility and portiness. The palate is well-balanced, good acidity with spicy red raspberry and cranberry with a touch of black coffee. Classy and sophisticated. Another great wine from a great great chateau.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The La Conseillante ’99 has stepped off the gas a little since its marvelous showing three years ago. Here it offers a fragrant rather than ebullient bouquet with wild strawberry, cedar, cigar box and just a hint of vanilla. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Whilst not a complex wine it has plenty of tart red cherry fruit and dried orange peel curled around the slightly brutish tannins, then it cruises rather than fans out on the finish. Tasted March 2013.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Having put on weight since last year, the 1999 is a candidate for an outstanding score. The acidity is low, and the ruby garnet color is relatively evolved, revealing a touch of pink at the edge. Knock-out aromatics of licorice, tobacco, spice box, black raspberries, cherries, and dried herbs are exceptional. The wine possesses good weight, but it is fleshy and fat because of low acidity. Drink this lush, compelling Pomerol during its first 12-15 years of life.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the 1999 horizontal at Bordeaux Index. The Conseillante ’99 has developed an exotic, almost “beefy” nose with dried blood, rusty nails and a touch of garrigues. Perhaps there is just a hint of brettanomyces here? The palate is medium-bodied, smooth in texture, good acidity, still a little closed but there is a nice crescendo towards the finish with black cherry, soy, a little spice and a hint of tobacco. Not as complex as say, the 2001, but drinking very well now. Drink now-2016. Tasted June 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The dark ruby-colored 1999 is a beautifully complex, evolved, seductive style of La Conseillante. The wine exhibits sweet black raspberry and cherry liqueur notes intermixed with cedar, toasty oak, licorice, new saddle leather, and dried herbs. It is medium-bodied with no hard edges, extremely pure, and almost sweet (from ripe fruit, not sugar). This is a lush, delicious La Conseillante that merits its reputation as "a Burgundy from Bordeaux." Anticipated maturity: now-2012.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1999 La Conseillante is probably unfairly over-shadowed by the superb 1998. It has a less expressive bouquet than the previous vintage, yet it remains fresh and vital with red fruit, iron piping, truffle and wilted rose petal aromas that discretely unfold in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied and very harmonious. The acidity is just right, allowing the lightly spiced, truffle-tinged fruit to express themselves. It does not possess the depth and length of the 1998 and yet there is an effortless quality to this La Conseillante that means it gives so much pleasure. Very fine. Tasted at La Conseillante vertical at the property.
About the Producer
Chateau La Conseillante is located in the Pomerol appellation on the right bank of Bordeaux, France, next to Vieux Chateau Certan and Chateau L'Evangile, and is one of the best châteaux in Pomerol. The vineyard covers an area of 11.8 hectares with a topsoil of 60% grey clay and 40% gravel and a subsoil of red clay rich in iron. The vineyard is planted with 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The Merlot is planted mainly on clay plots, while the Cabernet Franc is planted mainly on gravel. The average age of the vines is 35 years and the planting density is 7,000 vines per hectare. The winery uses traditional vineyard management practices, eliminating the use of herbicides. During the growing season, the land is usually plowed four times to suppress weed growth and thus obtain more water for the vines. In the winter, the vines are pruned in a strict Simple Guyot and Double Guyot style. In addition, the vineyards are de-leafed and de-budded to keep yields at around 4,000 liters per hectare. At harvest time, the grapes are hand-picked to their optimum ripeness and a preliminary selection is carried out. Once the selection is complete, the grapes are transported in small batches to the winery to prevent crushing of the fruit. The winery is located in the heart of the vineyard, which shortens the transportation time and ensures that the grapes are fresh and ready for fermentation. In 2012, the winery added a new fermentation room with enough temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to ferment the grapes from each of the 18 plots separately, combining traditional winemaking techniques with modern technology. In addition, the winery now has four sorting tables and a de-stemmer. After being transferred to barrels, the grapes undergo a cold maceration of 48 to 96 hours. After maceration, the must is fermented in barrels with the skins for 1 week, followed by a further 1 to 2 weeks of maceration. At the end of fermentation, some of the artesian wine is released first and the remaining lees are pressed through a vertical press. The pressed wines are aged separately, and only some of the best pressed wines are blended with the artesian wines. Before bottling, the wines are matured in oak barrels for approximately 18 months, 50% to 80% of which are new. During maturation, the wines are decanted by the winemakers every three months and finally clarified with egg whites.
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