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2004 tasting notes of disappointing red wines

French best red wines? Unfortunately no. The reputations or the prices of the wines reviewed below had me expect much tasting pleasure, which I did not get. The wines appeared pretentious or boring. In other words, I am more interested in the multitude of characterful wines you can get for half the price. Featured crus include Mouton Cadet.

The below wines were tasted in France, in 2004 (between April and December). The tasting notes are listed by increasing prices, with the following format:

Appellation – producer – plot or brand – variety

Approximate price — vintage — general impression – on nose – on palate – after swallowing

Bordeaux — Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA — Mouton-Cadet

8 € — 2001 — There probably were some damaged grapes [this wine is made from assembling bought wines] - On opening: a nose with green pepper, lead pencil, blackberry and then blackcurrant, musty, unclean - on the palate: green pepper, lacks density, greenness attacks the taste buds, a flavour of cardboard, moderate tanins, a classic balance, velvety without fruit: the wine runs out - an aftertaste of green pepper, with a flavour of immature grapes, the taste buds are assaulted again -
- I come back to it eight hours later : on the nose fruit dominates uncleanness - on the palate greenness overwhelms fruit - (on the contrary the Mouton Cadet 2004 is correctly made)

Bandol — Domaine Ott — Château Romassan — Longue Garde

24 € — 1997 — On the first day: a nose pleasing after pouring and then with dust, varietal flavour (Mourvedre, blackcurrant, pepper), roasted beef - the palate simply is not very pleasant, with blackcurrant or blackberry jelly, the flavour of a fruit saved for too long: spoilt, a plant note, a classic balance - ends on a rough point, with too much alcohol
- On the second day: no interest - blackcurrant jelly - blackcurrant jelly (on the whole much less satisfying than Domaine Tempier Bandol 1996, at the same price, which -- tasted in October 2004 -- proves frank and balanced)

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