Académie des Cinquante Bordeaux visit

Tasted Wednesday, September 26, 2012 - Saturday, September 29, 2012 by Xavier Auerbach with 996 views

Flight 1 - Drinks and Dinner at Café Opera in Bordeaux (3 Notes)

Flight 2 - Visit of Château Pontet-Canet (1 Note)

  • 2011 Château Pontet-Canet 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    (9/27/2012)

    Echantillon prélevé le 25 Septembre 2012. Final assemblage not determined yet. Charming, seductive, floral; wonderful fruit, great purity and balance, silky, elegant tannins.

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Flight 3 - Visit of Château Pichon-Longueville Baron (4 Notes)

Flight 4 - Lunch at Le Lion d'Or in Arcins (2 Notes)

Flight 5 - Visit of Château Léoville-Poyferré (3 Notes)

  • 2011 Château Léoville Poyferré 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    (9/27/2012)

    Seems toastier than both the Pontet-Canet and the Pichon-Baron, seductive, balanced, grainy and velvety tannins, classic Saint-Julien structure, elegant, fleshy, hint of cedar, good length.

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  • 2007 Château Moulin Riche 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    (9/27/2012)

    Merlot dominated, relatively fleshy but elegant and without greenness, well-balanced, nice length. Showing well.

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  • 2006 Château Léoville Poyferré 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    (9/27/2012)

    Wonderful nose, an essence of blackcurrants, liquoreux, medium weight, velvety, lovely tannins, excellent balance and length.

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Flight 6 - Tasting and Dinner at Château du Tertre (8 Notes)

  • 2011 Château du Tertre 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    (9/27/2012)

    Echantillon prélevé 27 September 2012. 65% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot. Assemblage almost final. Violets, tobacco, generous, lovely ripe tannins, pure, precise, seductive, nice balance and length, a lovely and cheerful wine.

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  • 2011 Château Giscours 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    (9/27/2012)

    Blackcurrant, very good typicity, more masculine than Du Tertre as it should be, marries good depth and tannic structure to Margaux charm.

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  • 2010 Château du Tertre 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    (9/27/2012)

    Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Merlot 25%, 15% Cabernet Franc. Silky, precise, tannins present but wonderfully integrated, excellent acidity, great finesse and elegance. Very charming.

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  • 2010 Château Giscours 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    (9/27/2012)

    Precise, excellent energy and tannic presence, a great Giscours reminiscent of the 1970 and the 1961.

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  • 2007 Caiarossa Caiarossa Toscana IGT 91 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    (9/27/2012)

    Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc (30%), Merlot, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache. Biodynamic. Ripe fruit, velvety, hint of tar, excellent balance, quite modern, young but drinking very well.

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  • 2005 Château du Tertre 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    (9/27/2012)

    Complete and classic Du Tertre, good depth and weight, hasn't closed down at all, opens up very fragrantly, rapsberry fruit and pepperiness, lovely sweetness, well-integrated tannins, charming, generous.

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  • 2000 Château Giscours 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    (9/27/2012)

    Wonderful wine, elegance, finesse, excellent Giscours-typicity, ripe fruit, velvety tannins, depth and precision, excellent length.

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  • 1983 Château Giscours 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    (9/27/2012)

    Double-Magnum from the cellars of the Château. Very fragrant, perfumed, raspberry, elegant, fresh menthol, balanced, lovely tannic presence, tobacco. Showing very well but even from this grand format with impeccable provenance now a fragile wine.

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Flight 7 - Visit of Château La Mission Haut-Brion (2 Notes)

  • 2007 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    (9/28/2012)

    Paired with Haut-Brion 2007. Black fruit and earth, some toasty oak but this disappears with air, perfume, darker notes than Haut-Brion; just a bit light on the palate, better than the bottle tasted in December 2011; good length, touch of vanilla. Does not justify its price tag this vintage.

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  • 2007 Château Haut-Brion 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    (9/28/2012)

    Paired with La Mission Haut-Brion 2007. Wonderful nose, excellent Haut-Brion typicity, fragrant, pure, warm, complex, earthy, bricky, floral, red fruit, layered, hardly any oak noticeable; more finesse than its sibling and more flesh and fruit on the palate too, excellent phenolic ripeness; very good length, lovely red fruit, an altogether delicious wine.

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Flight 8 - Guided Tour of the Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin and lunch, both with Denis Dubourdieu and Serge Delrot (4 Notes)

  • 2007 Château Doisy-Daëne 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

    (9/28/2012)

    Excellent ripe sweet fruit both fresh and preserved, apricot, grapefruit and pineapple, good rôti, hardly any VA; elegant rather than big and rich, purity and precision, medium-sweet, fresh but I would have liked a bit more cut; drinking very well on its primary fruit.

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  • 2009 Clos Floridene Blanc 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves

    (9/28/2012)

    Hard to taste directly after Doisy-Daène 2007. Solid Graves to drink now.

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  • 2007 Château Haura 87 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves

    (9/28/2012)

    Good depth of colour; good red fruit, slightly smoky, hint of burnt toast; attractive sweetness on the palate, nice stuffing but slightly drying tannins; decent length.

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  • 2007 Château Haut-Bailly 89 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    (9/28/2012)

    Good colour; relatively dark notes, black fruit, slight vegetal note; attractive sweetness on the palate, slight edge to the acidity and drying tannins. Seems to lack the typical delicacy and harmony of Haut-Bailly in this vintage, comes across as slightly overworked.

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Flight 9 - Visit of Château Cheval Blanc (1 Note)

  • 2006 Château Cheval Blanc 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    (9/28/2012)

    Good colour, slightly maturing rim; initially still a bit closed on the nose, quite oaky (low toast), opens up to a fresh, Cabernet Franc dominated nose, peppery and with sweet raspberry fruit, lovely depth and minerality; richly tannic, medium weight, still very hard but the balance seems to be allright even if it does not have a lot of flesh, typical 2006-freshness; good but not exceptional length. A difficult wine. It is clearly very closed but I wonder.

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Flight 10 - Dinner with the Académie du Vin de Bordeaux at Château Gazin (5 Notes)

  • NV Louis Roederer Champagne Brut Premier 91 Points

    France, Champagne

    (9/28/2012)

    A lovely marriage of richness and freshness, fruit and style and very characteristic for the house.

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  • 2008 Château Malartic-Lagravière Blanc 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    (9/28/2012)

    Elegance, finesse, balance, relatively light weight, a very stylish wine with very elegant use of oak, lovely ripe fruit and some vegetal notes.

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  • 1989 Château Gazin Pomerol 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    (9/28/2012)

    Magnum. The heat of the vintage provides lovely meaty (beef stew) and spicy notes, good fruit and complexity, fully mature but energetic and lively, stylish, beautifully melting tannins, good length. Drink now but with time in hand.

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  • 1985 Château Larcis Ducasse 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    (9/28/2012)

    Fully mature, sticky cherries, touch of caramel, nice depth, some spice, lovely aroma; slightly drying on the palate but still well-balanced, nice mature flavours; decent length. Drink up.

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  • 2008 Château Nairac 89 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

    (9/28/2012)

    Only 450 cases made. Relatively light, elegant, lemon, vanilla, spice, little botrytis, medium-sweet, nice length.

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Flight 11 - Visit of Clos Fourtet (1 Note)

  • 2006 Clos Fourtet 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    (9/29/2012)

    Merlot 90%, Cabernet-Sauvignon 10%, 80% new oak, 34 hl/ha. Medium colour, charming and lively; open, fragrant, beguiling nose, very elegant complex sweet red and black fruit, floral, perfumed; fresh, excellent limestone minerality, seamless, pure, slender, tannins present but not overpowering. Needs two more years. A very impressive Clos Fourtet. Drink 2014 - 2020.

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Flight 12 - Tour and lunch at Château Figeac (4 Notes)

  • 1999 Laurent-Perrier Champagne Brut Millésimé 91 Points

    France, Champagne

    (9/29/2012)

    Lovely fresh style, citrus and apple, tilleul, just a hint of nuttiness, characteristic Laurent-Perrier, excellent aperitif.

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  • 2003 Château la Fleur Pourret 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    (9/29/2012)

    Fleshy and ripe but with a lovely freshness, red fruit (no confiture), ripe tannins, creamy, good length. A successful and balanced 2003.

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  • 1996 La Grange Neuve de Figeac 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    (9/29/2012)

    Light style, lovely minerality, completely mature but lively, opens up well with some air, bay leaf, raspberry, elegant and stylish, bien fondu tannins, good length with a hint of coffee.

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  • 1993 Château Figeac 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    (9/29/2012)

    Good colour; surprising depth on the nose, black fruit and raspberries, cedar, excellent minerality, opens up very well in the glass; very lively and balanced palate, still completely integrated and harmonious, perhaps slightly dry and cool (it is a 1993) but with very good length. A remarkable 1993, a great surprise and a wonderful finale for our trip.

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