Bordeaux Confidential SF
SF
Tasted Saturday, May 16, 2015 by RajivAyyangar with 993 views
Introduction
Full notes: https://www.evernote.com/l/ABar9tII0J1FNr6h9gQILIRFZ0JV2VkmjDA
Video of the event: http://tinyurl.com/sf2015bdx
A generally well-organized tasting of James Suckling's favorite Bdx. My only complaint was the inaccessibility of the spit buckets (I had to do some polite nudging to get to the buckets).
Overall Observations:
The quality of the wines was highly variable, especially considering the prices these wines command (most in the $100-300 range). I wonder if I didn’t give some of these wines their due (like the ’09 Pontet-Canet). Like any large tasting, a mediocre score could be due to bottle variation, palate fatigue, poor preparation (e.g. lack of decanting - though they seemed on top of it - the Montrose was decanted a full 3 hrs in advance).
In general, the good wines were very good, with balance, polish, elegance, and complexity. These are definitely luxury products. You can find wines for 1/5 the cost that are more interesting, and possibly better, but they won’t be quite the same type of balance, fruit-brett-oak integration, and savory-ripe complexity that you find on these wines. That said, the prices are just so, so high, for me. The wines I liked the best were the Hosanna’s, clocking in at $230 and $270 (gotta pay the Moueix premium). Why would I buy and store these new releases, when I could find a stellar Chinon for $50, or a beautifully-aged, ready-to-drink classified growth Bdx bottle for ~$150?
Unfortunately for the USA, Bdx is an international market, and the pricing reflects this. I respect what the Bordelaise have accomplished with marketing and PR, but it does mean I’m less and less interested in this region.
Wines that rocked me (between 9 and 9.5):
2010 Hosanna (Pomerol)
2000 Hosanna (Pomerol)
2010 Rauzan-Segla (Margaux)
2011 Dom. de Chevalier Blanc (Pessac-Leognan)
Wines I found extremely good (around 9):
NV Billecart-Salmon BdB Brut Reserve
2008 Calon-Segur (St. Estephe)
2005 Montrose (St. Estephe)
My observations on characteristics of Bordeaux - how would I call Bdx blind?
Visual: medium-to-elevated concentration ruby, ruby-red, ruby-red-garnet with age.
French Oak: I didn’t pick it up on a lot of wines.
Acidity: Moderate to elevated. Finishes tend to be clean in acidity (less malic), and have balanced fruit. Not tart and puckering like a top-tier cab franc.
Alcohol: moderate to elevated, esp. in ripe vintages.
Aromas: Pyrazines, brettanomyces, Oak, Chocolatey plummy fruit (Merlot), vs. Leaner cassis and even dried cherry fruit (Cabernet).
Tannins: Ranging from soft to satisfyingly grippy. No real high-tannin wines, or wines with chewy tannins like Nebbiolo. There’s lots of tannin-management going on - generally speaking, the tannins had a soft, plush texture, even when grippy.
The Appellations - LEFT BANK
Pauillac: Powerful, with vivid, almost pastiche concentration.
St-Estephe: Austere, with deep color and extract. Long-lived. Think ’08 Calon-Segur - wrapped up in a tight ball of fruit. Dense. Taut. Jancis said about that “classic St. Estephe."
Margaux: Charming, even in youth.
St. Julien: Reliable, underrated.
Graves/Pessac: Mineral, gravelly, like dried bricks. Also, great white wines.
The Appellations - RIGHT BANK
St-Emilion: the main area of the Right bank - varied in style.
Pomerol: Opulent and glamorous.
Flight 1 - Intro wines (2 Notes)
Flight 2 - St. Estephe (3 Notes)
The '08 Calon was the one that most made sense to me as a textbook St. Estephe - tightly wound, dense, taut, built to age.
Flight 3 - Pauillac (5 Notes)
I didn't really see the "power" in any of these. I'm not sure I got a good appellation picture of Pauillac.
Flight 4 - St. Julien (6 Notes)
Nothing stood out to me as a defining characteristic here. I liked the vibrance of Ducru, though there were some off-aromas (diacetyl, for one).
Flight 5 - Margaux (4 Notes)
I've always liked the idea of Margaux. I liked the first Margaux I tasted - a '98 Kirwan. The 2010 Rauzan-Segla really exemplified that style for me.
Flight 6 - Haut-Medoc (3 Notes)
I'm not impressed. These were basic, crude, primary, with oak that stuck out awkwardly.
Flight 7 - Pessac-Leognan (1 Note)
Gorgeous and correct. Textbook and beautiful.
Flight 8 - St. Emilion (2 Notes)
No conclusions on St. Emilion as a whole.
Flight 9 - Pomerol (2 Notes)
Stunners! Apparently Moueix knows his stuff. I tend towards more cab than merlot, both in structure and in fruit character, but these were simply undeniable. The top wines of the tasting for me.
Flight 10 - Sauternes (3 Notes)
Needed more acid.
NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Réserve 90 Points
France, Champagne
Pale straw in the glass with reflections of green - moderately concentrated color. The nose is addictively good, with a fresh brioche (autolytic) character, ripe pear, ripe green apple. In the mouth there is a slight pillow of RS, showing the dosage (the rep said 8-10g/L, a bit higher than the extra brut level: 6-8g). Beautiful elevated to high acidity, mostly tart malic. Fine bubbles with elegant balance. Speaks quietly, but this is super good.
Score: Around 9.
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2011 Château Carignan 80 Points
France, Bordeaux, Entre-Deux-Mers, Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux
70 merlot, 20 cab, 10 cab franc.
This was a nice middle-of-the-road Bordeaux that was a good “tare” wine.
Just bright, moderate concentration, medium ruby.
Nose - stinky and slightly reductive with a bit of animal character (brett).
Palate - Dry. Medium all around. Alcohol is moderate. Nothing really sticks out, structurally. A bit of dark fruit, a bit of brett. Light tannins. Nothing super distinguished.
Score: around 8
$20
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