This bottle is not quite in the same league as ones tasted two or three years ago, but the ’95 remains one of Alexandre’s standout wines of that decade. Here, it has a haunting bouquet whereby the Cabernet Franc component is more conspicuous than before, essentially with more Pomerol character developing. There are touches of blackberry, mint and cassis with a meaty element developing in the glass. The palate has plenty of sweet red cherry and boysenberry on the entry, the oak now completely absorbed and with a slightly unruly, almost Rioja-like finish! Hedonistic VCC! Drink 2017-2035. Tasted October 2012.

Very subtle aromas of dark chocolate, light plum and dried flowers. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a fresh fruit finish. Refined and caressing. Holding back. I prefer the '96. Hasn't evolved as well as I hoped.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. James Suckling

Medium red. Sweet aromas of redcurrant, plum and smoky oak. Lush and sweet in the mouth, with a softer texture than the '96. Round and fairly full. Expressive red fruit and sweet oak flavors. The crop was bigger in '95 than in '96 but I find this wine equally concentrated. Finishes with thoroughly suave tannins and sneaky length.

Frightful bottle variation left me perplexed about just where this wine fits in Bordeaux's qualitative hierarchy. I tasted the wine three times since bottling, all within a 14 day period. Twice the wine was extremely closed and firm, with an evolved plum/garnet color, high levels of tannin, sweet black currant, prune, and olive-tinged fruit, and astringent tannin in the medium-bodied finish. Those two bottles suggested the wine was in need of at least 5-7 years of cellaring, and would keep for two decades. The third bottle was atypically evolved, with a similar color, but it was far more open-knit, displaying Provencal herbs, black cherry, and cassis fruit in a medium-bodied, jammy, lush style. I expect marginal bottle variation, but while the quality was relatively the same in all three bottles, the forward, open-knit example left me puzzled. I will report again on this 1995 after further tastings.