WTN: Château Poujeaux AOC Moulis 1988 (12.5% alc.) ending with a question.

C: Remarkably young looking deep red with no signs of bricking at the rim.
N: Well developed and fruity with authentic claret tang.
P: Well balanced and classically shaped (i.e. quiet entry, amplifying towards finish and dying away gently) showing good fresh red fruit, marked acidity, body,” gras “ and firm structure.

This is a fine robust claret, very enjoyable in a slightly austere style with food but, typically of the vintage, seeming a touch too acid in the last glass after the steak was finished. I have had several bottles over the last few years and have noticed very little evolution. Blind, I would have guessed it to be 5-10 years younger; 16/20 but lacking a touch of charm to deserve more.

Poujeaux is well represented in my cellar. 1982 in magnums (all gone) was particularly good and 1993 (all gone) and 1997 were remarkable efforts for “little” vintages; the last bottle opened of 1989 was quite rich but still somewhat woody and that of 1990 curiously thin (subliminal TCA?).

I have bottles of all vintages from 1994 through 2001, all untouched except 1997. Can anyone advise on which are beginning to drink well?

We've had the '98 a couple of times...it has generally been very expressive and with a lovely nose. I have the '03 and '04 but have opened neither... I wish Poujeaux was easier to find.. lots of retailers don't carry it... it has always been a very very good Bdx for the price... which remains sensible.[/b]

Thanks for that, James.

Poujeaux is not quite so ubiquitous here as it used to be at prices often as reasonable as EUR 17-18.

This may be because it has been slammed for its vintages since 1998 - alleged loss stuffing and depth- by some influential French critics. I did not notice this in the barrel samples which I tried up to 2003 vintage, I think, but the importer in question has stopped showing them, so I am now in the dark.

I have bottles of all vintages from 1994 through 2001, all untouched except 1997. Can anyone advise on which are beginning to drink well?

I am a fan of the property as well. I have recently had the '96, '00 and '01. I have seen some notes suggesting that the '96 is ready - our bottle certainly wasn't. It is a very good wine, but one I would leave for a few more years. The '00 was a bit weird IMO, showing much more ripeness than I like (both times I've had it, I've thought it smelled like blueberry liqueur). The '01 was a very charming wine, very classically styled and aromatically open (though very young, of course). Sorry that I can't answer your question directly, but I hope that you will leave these three vintages for some time still.

-O