Very closed at the beginning, needs serious decanting (1Hour+). Garnet colour. Cedar and black cherry notes in the nose. Well integrated tannins and some earthy, smoky notes on the palate. Fleshy body and a long finish. I would probably wait another one or two years. Seriously good. 90 P. now, can reach 91-92 at its prime.

Marc, I had this six months back and it was seriously closed indeed, so much so that I thought it might be going through a dumb phase. Your note is encouraging for the four bottles that I continue to hold.

By the way, except for Chateau Gloria, all of the '96s I've sampled this year (e.g., Camensac, Cantemerle, Pontet Canet, Cos Labory, Potensac, Poujeaux, etc.) definitely needed at least a few years more. With Bordeaux from decent vintages, patience always seems to be the order of the day.