Wine Words & Video Tape

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Château Grand-Mayne

Address: BP 64, 33330 St Emilion

Telephone: +33 (0)5 57 74 42 50

E-mail: grand-mayne@grand-mayne.com

Website: www.grand-mayne.com

Vineyard/Terroir: 17 hectares on clay limestone and on the lower slopes clay and sand on clay subsoil. Vineyards planted with 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Château Grand-Mayne is classified a Grand Cru Classé. Some inconsistency in 2011 between primeurs tastings and the wine in bottle which points to [perhaps] a rather heavy hand in the cellar. 

Winemaking/Elévage: Aged for 14-18 months in barrel, 75% new oak.

Tasting notes:

  • 2015 Deep and dark looking; ripe, lifted black cherry and plum fruits; some spice and liquorice; very lifted style; sweet vanilla from the oak, gives a liquorice edge to the black fruits; the palate currently dry on the finish with some wood tannins but there is plenty of extract and matter. This will work in a lifted, extracted style of St Emilion. [75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 60% new oak, 14.5% alc]. Drink 2020-2030 90-91+
  • 2014 Deep and saturated colour; dark core; forward, ripe red fruits; some black cherry components; very glossy and ripe; not too jammy though a little; nice palate; extract but nicely handled; grip on the finish. Good effort here. [80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc]. Drink 2019-2028. 5. Tasted UGC 1st April ’15. 88-90
  • 2013 Deep and saturated; purple at edge; liquorice, sweetness; lifted aromatics; glossy; some spice; reasonably attractive; quite tight and compact on the palate with oak poking through the fruit but there is extract that will cover it. A little compact. Tasted April 2, 2014 UGC. 85-87
  • 2012 Mid depth; cream and attractive aromatics with nice purity; plum and plush; attractive ripe fruit on the palate; soft and forward; really showing well; tannin soft and good-ish length. Ready to drink almost. Drink now – 2022. 91 UGC Oct ’14 [Earlier note] Deep and saturated look; ripe and lifted Merlot; some red fruits, oak and spices; attractive; real plummy tones to the nose; creamy palate; very ripe and plus; some oak tannin here but this should be good. Chewy finish. 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon 88-90 UGC Wednesday April 10, 2013
  • 2011 Deep and saturated; colour tight to the rim; more caramel on the nose; feels a little overdone; verging on the figgy and stewed; too thick and stewed on the palate for me. Finishes tannic and dry. Drink 2015-2021 85 UGc Oct ’13 [Earlier note] Thick and black looking in glass; legs; saturated to the rim; lifted red fruits and oak too; lots of jam; not unattractive; lots of ripeness; sweet and sexy full palate. Lots of fruit and jam but good effort and this really works for me. Tasted UGC 4/4/12. 89-91+
  • 2010 Thick and arterial in the glass; jammy, heady, lifted nose; feels a tad tired; ripe palate; inky and tannic. Feels extremely extracted and big on the palate. Overdone to me. 86?/100 [Earlier] Deep and dense looking; super ripe feel, jam and cherry; dense and chalky on the palate; some extraction and feels a bit raw. Finishes with grip and chew. Raw. Needs to settle. 85-87?/100 6th April 2011 UGC
  • 2009 Deep and dense; ripe and rich with liquorice tones; deep; thick and rich palate with lots of fat and chew; lots of extract, fruit, ripe tannin and alcohol. Big saturated styled St Emilion 90+/100 Oct ’11 [Earlier] Very deep and intense colour; black; ripeness – some figs, touch or marzipan; very ripe fruit; extracted style, big and tannic; Blimey! These are tricky to judge with all this tannin floating about. Warm alcohol on the finish. [Later] Jammy, quite ripe; bold extracted style. Struggling here to judge these wines as they are so tannic. 88-90?/100
  • 2008 Very dark looking and dense; quite resinous on the nose with a very ripe, rasiny note – very late late picked feel at any rate; some strawberry; palate soft and easy with some tannin. Very ripe, late picked extremely ripe style. Not sure this is me. 86-88/100 UGC Oct ‘11
  • 2007 Deep and fat looking in the glass; rasin and fig – on the superripe end of things; lifted and some VA notes; thick palate with black fruits and molasses and tar notes; OK in its way but not much fun for me. 85/100 [Earlier] Mid red; quite dark; tar and figs here; gutsy with some cream; palate dense and chewy; not flattering or especially seductive but with soft tannins and good concentration. 88/100 UGC tasting Oct ‘09

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