2005 Château Chasse-Spleen
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Tasting notes
The nose is dominated by dark fruit, with notes of cassis, ripe black cherry, kirsch and hints of tertiary aromas of leather and dried tobacco leaves. On the palate the wine is very lively, dense, richer than expected with delicate and perfectly integrated tannins. The wine gains in complexity with aeration to offer more concentration and textural layers. This is just entering its drinking window and, while it would benefit from a few more years’ cellaring to show its full potential, it is already very approachable and pleasurable now.
Critic scores
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Dark crimson. Lively mineral note. Very juicy and flirtatious. Fruit and tannin in good balance. Savoury end. (JR)
A blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, this is a relatively big 2005 and somewhat larger than usual for Chasse-Spleen. The wine offers fairly high tannin but ripe, concentrated fruit. Dense, youthful ruby/garnet in color, with notes of cassis, saddle leather and spice, this wine could use another several years of cellaring and should keep 15+ years.
The nose is closed at the moment with touches of wet tobacco, autumn leave, black fruits, wild hedgerow and tar. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, very precise and refined with a brooding intensity on the finish. The palate is far more promising that the nose at the moment, but this is a stylish Chasse Spleen that has stepped up the plate since a couple of years ago. Tasted July 2011.
About the producer
If there’s one Moulis estate you know, it is likely Chasse-Spleen, today owned by the Foubet family. Vines have been planted here since the 16th century, and today it has an impressive 100 hectares to its name.