Wine Club Jr (Bordeaux)

Sommerfeld's Place, SF
Tasted Friday, July 24, 2015 by JWSOMMERFELD with 259 views

Introduction

A (mini) Wine Club Jr with some friends. Focus on Bordeaux, compared a 1st wine vs 2nd wine, Right Bank vs Left, and young (2009s) with something beginning to display some development (2003).

Flight 1 (4 Notes)

  • 2009 Tronquoy de Sainte-Anne 75 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    Way overrated. Pop & poured. Medium ruby in the glass. Nose of raspberries and currant and sweaty leather, some rubbery nail-polish remover, medium intensity but faded quickly in the glass. Medium(-) body palate consistent with nose, with unpleasant medium length (too long!) finish of bandaids and antiseptic (4-ethylphenol). Fruit muted. Very drying. I realize this was only $17, but you could do much better. I would not buy this wine again.

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  • 2009 Château Tronquoy-Lalande 87 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    Medium-deep ruby. Nose of blackberry, currant, brown baking spices, leather, cedar, pine needles, and mocha. A bit too much brett at this young stage for my taste and I'm concerned it will become overwhelming as the wine ages. Medium bodied palate was a bit muted, not much ripeness of fruit came through the medium(+) tannins. Medium acid and length of finish. I don't think this wine is showing well and hope it shows a bit more life in 2-3 years. Has that classic St. Estephe firmness that could unwind nicely with a little extra time, and I expect it will be slower to mature than other 2009s I've tasted recently.

    Compared with Chateau's 2nd wine, Tronquoy de Sainte Anne, the difference in quality was quite dramatic (though for 2.5x the cost, it ought to be). Much more concentrated across the board (color, aroma, weight on palate), though not one of my favorite Bordeaux's in the $40 price point and I kind of regret buying 4 bottles. I remember being more impressed at Bordeaux Confidential tasting. 87+

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  • 2003 Château Lagrange (St. Julien) 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Medium garnet. Nose was a bit more primary than I expected (compared to 2000 vintage consumed a few weeks back). Crushed raspberries, black cherry, ripe plum, eucalyptus, cedar, and mint. Elegant and a bit light on the palate. Body, acid, alcohol, tannins were well balanced and all medium. Medium+ length finish.

    A classy beauty, just beginning to shine. Not super extracted, a more delicate style. I expect it will be in it's prime over the next ten years.

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  • 2009 Château de Fonbel 87 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Medium ruby. Very perfumed nose, had a strong lavender and herbal, forest air quality (which I couldn't decide if I liked, or found to be a bit too much like an old lady wearing excessive perfume in a small room). Blackberry, raspberries, lavender, juniper, sage, and a lot of chocolate early on in the decanter, some leather too. Palate was the fruitiest of the tasting, medium acid, body, alcohol, medium+ tannin. Medium (10s) finish drying.

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Closing

A good time, but I don't think the crew has much of a taste for Bordeaux... lots of California palates in the room.

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