1989 Vieux Château Saint André

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 90 points

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  11/22/2015 - macaujames wrote: 88 Points

  This was much better than I thought. Made by Jean-Claude Berrouet of Petrus fame. Earthy, leathery and long. Could still be cellared.

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  6/19/2015 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Tasting with Jeff Berrouet (Chateau Samion Lalande de Pomerol): A very solar vintage. 13.5% alcohol. Jeff's father, Jean-Claude, noticed a change in climate from 1989. "We would pick grapes ripe as well as the pips being ripe in the 80s," Jeff explained. "But starting with the beginning of the 90s, we noticed that the sun was getting stronger, and that the grapes were getting more easily grilled, with pips not being as ripe as before - or at least not in coordination with the entire grape." 1989 comes across as rather fresh for a hot vintage. It was bright and delicious, exuding much depth and length on the finish. My favorite wine of the tasting! As for methods today, Jeff said: “I do very little leaf clearing” and when he does it, he does it late, from 15 August. Or perhaps in September. And always on the side of the sun rising. There is a sanitary effect of leaf clearing that permits aeration: "So for example, in 2002, we leaf cleared to get rid of humidity around the grapes and buffer the rainy aspect of the vintage. Also, we did not work the soils either, so that rain did not enter the soil too much and run risk of bloating the grapes."

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