2009 Bordeaux Union des Grands Crus Tasting
The Doral Resort & Spa, Miami, FL
Tasted Monday, January 23, 2012 by vinole with 1,264 views
Introduction
This turned out to be a more pleasant event than I expected as the wines (~100) outnumbered the tasters (under 90). There were no lines to taste anything with ample water pitchers, cheese, crackers, and bread, on a lovely evening in South Florida very near the 18th green of the Blue Monster. My general impression of the vintage is that the wines are fairly ripe, lush, and concentrated, but also high in acidity. There are plenty of tannins too, but less so than 05 and they are much smoother and less chewy making the wines much more approachable at release. The wines are also higher in alcohol than normal given the warm vintage. All in all it’s a great vintage for Bordeaux that will age well and some will drink well relatively early. The downside is that prices continue to climb to new highs with the most sought after wines seeing the biggest increases.
Flight 1 - Red Bordeaux (27 Notes)
Flight 2 - Sauternes (6 Notes)
I was quite impressed with the 09 Sauternes which come across as rich and concentrated, yet have plenty of acidity to provide balance and keep it nimble on the palate with the best examples.
2009 Château Clinet 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
A very dense and concentrated wine with higher acidity and dark red fruit in a modern style that wasn't as pleasuarble to drink now as some other Right Banks, but likely has a very bright future in store as its frame is built for aging.
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2009 Château Gazin Pomerol 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Earthy, barnyard nose, but less so on the palate but still distinctive. Reserved fruit that makes for a more traditional style in a fairly fruit forward vintage.
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2009 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Not as well knit as many of the other wines lacking the depth and structure, but enjoyable forward dark fruit, and got a slight sourness on the finish.
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2009 Château Canon 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
More reserved and less forward than many of the Right Banks and came across as more classic and elegant. Not as concentrated, but still well structured and balanced with nice depth and finish. Simply a lovely wine.
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2009 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Less merlot (45%) and more cab franc make for a more structured wine that is less forward and a brighter, somewhat more tannic and acidic profile. This will age well and be a great food pairing wine.
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2009 Château Figeac 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Lovely plum and currant fruit that has a wonderful balance of tannin, acidity, and concentration that is quite pleasurable to drink now and will be exquisite in the future.
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2009 Château Larcis Ducasse 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Fruit forward, lower acidity (low to medium) and less tannic so it lacks the structure of many of the other wines but is pleasurable for nearer term drinking.
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2009 Château Pavie Macquin 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Higher in tannin and acidity, so well structured for aging. Bright red fruit with a long finish.
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2009 Château Troplong Mondot 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
I found the tannins very assertive in this wine, and it came across as rather concentrated and extracted. There is enough ripe fruit to support it though, so I expect this to become a very nice wine with time though it was less pleasurable for me than most right now.
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2009 Château La Tour Carnet 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Doesn't have the structure or finish of the better wines, but still has a healthy dose of fruit that makes for a nice wine that should round out in a few years.
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2009 Château Giscours 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Herbal notes on the entry, the finish was a bit hard and tannic, as this wine is built for the long haul and will require time.
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2009 Château Lascombes 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Fragrant nose, mostly dark red fruit with good depth. Surprisingly approachable right now.
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2009 Château Prieuré-Lichine 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Soft, reserved wine with a classy, elegant profile (like the 00 I have been enjoying recently), but has a youthful exuberance right now from the lively acidity and young tannins.
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2009 Château Haut-Bailly 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
This came across to me as a bit more classic styled, from its higher level of acidity and well structured, but not overtly ripe fruit. Fairly tightly wound right now but clearly has plenty of density and stuffing to age well.
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2009 Château Malartic-Lagravière 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Juicy dark fruit with good concentration and somewhat higher levels of acidity and (smooth) tannin, making for good overall balance, but less depth than some others.
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2009 Château Pape Clément 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Wonderful concentration and structure that just oozes class and elegance. Dark fruit with lots of depth and plenty of balancing acidity and tannin that should meld into a classic wine in the future.
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2009 Château Smith Haut Lafitte 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Lush for this chateau, and got less of the graphite than usual, but a lovely, more modern and foward style that is bigger framed and riper than typical SHL's. Quite approachable and enjoyable.
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2009 Château Branaire-Ducru 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Slight vegetal note on the entry, with high toned red fruit, and less tannic than others.
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2009 Château Gloria 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Some earthiness on the nose and entry, followed by high toned dark red fruit that has a nice balance that makes for an excellent wine, but not an exceptional one.
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2009 Château Gruaud Larose 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Mostly red fruit, higher acidity (medium to high), and quite smooth and approachable. Quite lovely and won't require as much aging as others.
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2009 Château Langoa Barton 89 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Dark fruit with good acidity and concentration, but a bit of bell pepper and a little sourness on the finish hurt the score.
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2009 Château Léoville Barton 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Surprisingly elegant for a young L-B, with a terrific sense of balance, yet still with concentration and power and lifting acidity. Very smooth tannins gave this a nice approachability. Fabulous wine and one of my favorites of the tasting.
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2009 Château Léoville Poyferré 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Graphite and cassis along with some grippy tannins on a very structured frame that will require quite some time to enter its prime drinking window. Dark and powerful, this wine is about the future, when it could score 2-3 points higher.
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2009 Château Clerc Milon 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Fairly soft, dark fruit that is more accessible and approachable and less lean than most young Clerc's. Great balance, just lacking the depth and structure to score higher.
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2009 Château Lynch-Bages 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
High toned bright red fruit with considerable tannins that give it lots of structure and agability with further upside potential.
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2009 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Surpringly smooth and approachable, yet still well structured with good concentration of dark fruit and classic Pauillac elements.
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2009 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 96 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Powerful for Lalande, yet still smooth and elegant and structured with great density and depth. A phenominal wine that was my favorite Left Bank of the tasting as it was very pleasurable to drink now and will only get better.
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