Bordeaux First Growth Trip

Bordeaux
Tasted Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - Friday, March 9, 2012 by RayOB with 1,128 views

Introduction

A wonderful trip around the leading chateaux on both the left and right bank, organised by Fine & Rare

Flight 1 - Château Cheval Blanc (4 Notes)

Lovely start to the trip with a tour and lunch at Cheval Blanc. Their new Chai is a homage to modern winemaking with everything looking beautiful in concrete and steel. Even the cellar has been engineered for the perfect wind flow and humidity.

  • 2002 Dom Pérignon Champagne 95 Points

    France, Champagne

    (3/7/2012)

    Drank at Cheval Blanc

    Nose of toast and brioche. Tastes very smooth and rich with fruit coming trough the brioche. A wonderful complex champagne

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  • 2001 Château Cheval Blanc Le Petit Cheval 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

    (3/7/2012)

    Drank at lunch at Cheval Blanc

    Lots of spice, plumbs and vanilla on the nose, medium length.

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  • 2000 Château Cheval Blanc 98 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

    (3/7/2012)

    Drank at lunch at Cheval Blanc

    Deep rich red ruby colour. Wondeful nose of red plumbs, spice and tobacco. Amazing complexity in the palate with a very long length.

    This is incredible stuff.

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  • 1986 Château d'Yquem 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    (3/7/2012)

    Drank at Lunch at Cheval Blanc

    Dark golden hue. A nose of toffee and honey. Wonderfully deep and complex.
    Incredible length

    Wonderful stuff

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Flight 2 - Vieux Château Certan (2 Notes)

Alexandre Thienpont took us around the vines and his Chai. This was a real pleasure not only due to the amount of knowledge and passion he has but also he allowed us to taste the unblended wines from the barrel. What a difference there is between old and young vine Merlot (old being deep richer and complex taste while younger having a richer nose).

  • 2010 Vieux Château Certan

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    (3/7/2012)

    Drank at Vieux Château Certan

    Wondeful dark deep red colour. Nose of plumbs, spice and coffee. Surprisingly smooth in the mouth with a complex taste. Very long length

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  • 2009 Vieux Château Certan

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    (3/7/2012)

    Drank at Vieux Château Certan

    Nose of cassis, chocolate and dark plumbs. Still quite harsh tannins but a very long length.

    Interestingly Alexandre Thienpont told us he prefers the 2010 to the 2009.

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Flight 3 - Château Troplong Mondot (6 Notes)

Dinner at Troplong Mondot with Xavier Pariente and his wife Christine Valette. She really is incredible in terms of what she has done with the winemaking at this property. The risks she took in 1990 when she green harvested the cop by 50% were unheard of.

  • NV Ruinart Champagne Brut 91 Points

    France, Champagne

    (3/7/2012)

    Drank at Château Troplong Mondot

    Very nice start to the evening. Small bubbles with a light straw hue. Refreshing nose of apples and citrus with some brioche. Very balanced palate.

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  • 2007 Château Troplong Mondot 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

    (3/7/2012)

    Drank at Château Troplong Mondot

    Quite a closed nose with hints of blackberries and tar. Quite a short length with some angular tastes.

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  • 2004 Château Troplong Mondot 89 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

    (3/7/2012)

    Drank at Château Troplong Mondot

    Nose of earth, tar and plumbs. Quite a short length. A little bit smoother than the 2007.

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  • 1998 Château Troplong Mondot 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

    (3/7/2012)

    Drank at Château Troplong Mondot

    Nose of vanilla, plums and earth. Medium length with a more rounder mouth feel to the 2007 and 2004 but still quite sharp.

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  • 1990 Château Troplong Mondot 98 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

    (3/7/2012)

    Drank at Château Troplong Mondot

    Fair play to Christine Valette for what she created here, her green harvesting really worked.

    Huge complex nose of earth, tar, plums, vanilla and blackberries. Amazing smooth round mouth with a very very long length.

    This is an incredible wine

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  • 2001 Château Sigalas Rabaud 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    (3/7/2012)

    Drank at Château Troplong Mondot

    Straw to golden hue in the glass. Nose of grapefruit citrus and honey. Very smooth long length. The grapefruit perfectly balances the sweetness.

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Flight 4 - Château Margaux (2 Notes)

This really is a beautiful well kept property. We were joined by the charming Paul Pontalllier who is as eloquent as ever. I asked about his closure experiments and how they were going and he said so far that there was not much difference between them at the 10yr mark.

  • 2008 Château Margaux Pavillon Rouge 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Margaux

    Nose of blackberries, earth and vanilla. More approachable than its older brother now but still very young and therefore has some harsh tannins.

    Medium length

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  • 2008 Château Margaux 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Margaux

    Nose of cassis, forest floor, mushrooms and spice. Very nice balanced taste but the tannins are still very young. Great complexity and length.

    Will come back to this wine in about 5 years.

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Flight 5 - Château Clerc Milon (2 Notes)

Mouton Rothschild is undergoing renovation so we went to its sister property Clerc Milon instead. The property has had a newly build Chai including optical sorter. We were lucky enough to taste the 2010 from barrel.

  • 2010 Château Clerc Milon 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Clerc Milon - Barrel Sample

    Notes of blackcurrant, vanilla and earth. Quite approachable with tannins even now quite smooth.

    Will look this up again in 5 years time

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  • 2010 Château Mouton Rothschild

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Clerc Milon - Barrel Sample
    They are building a new Chai at Mouton so we drank this at Clerc Milon.

    Dark inky colour. The nose is of sweet black currants with a big mouth feel, lots of complexity there for later. The length is incredibly long. I think this will be a star.

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Flight 6 - Château Cos d'Estournel (4 Notes)

Lunch at Cos d'Estournel. This property really has had a lot of money spent on it. With its gravity feed Vats and its shrine of a cellar and wine vault. It was like something out of Raider of the lost ark.

  • NV Deutz Champagne Brut Classic 88 Points

    France, Champagne

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Cos d'Estournel

    Nose of citrus and a lot of minerality. Quite an acidic mouth but refreshing.

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  • 2008 Château Cos d'Estournel Bordeaux Blanc 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Cos d'Estournel

    Light refreshing with a good balance of acidity and fruit. Slight greenness to the taste.

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  • 2007 Château Cos d'Estournel 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Cos d'Estournel

    Nose of blackcurrant and vanilla with some tar, leather and spice. Very approachable for its age with some smooth tannins.

    Will come back in 5 years

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  • 2000 Château Cos d'Estournel 97 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Cos d'Estournel

    Very complex nose of blackcurrant,vanilla, earth, tar, leather and spice. This is surprisingly approachable for a 2000. The tannins are silky smooth and the length is very long.

    Lucky I have a case

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Flight 7 - Château Lafite Rothschild (1 Note)

A beautiful property wine a wonderful wine vault and cellar. I am afraid the tour feels a little bit too prefabricated and as they exit you through the back door you can see the next group being lined up.

  • 1995 Château Lafite Rothschild 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Lafite Rothschild

    Drank in the Chai with the barrels. Notes of earth, plumbs and tar. Complex mouth with a medium finish. There were a number of harsh tannins in the taste maybe because of the coldness of the Chai.

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Flight 8 - Château Latour (3 Notes)

A really boring video has to be watched but then it is on to the wonderful tasting room. Everything is bright and modern here. Enormous facilities to cope with the storing of all the bottles they keep back from en premier (unto 60%).

  • 2009 Château Latour Pauillac de Latour 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Latour

    Nose of cassis and plumbs with hints of vanilla and spice. Very approachable with a smooth palate. Medium finish.

    Interestingly they probably will not sell this for another couple of years.

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  • 2006 Château Latour Les Forts de Latour 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Latour

    Nose of red fruit, tobacco and chocolate. Medium length with a complex mouth with some harsh notes.

    Still too young or maybe the vintage.

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  • 2004 Château Latour Grand Vin 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Latour

    Nose of cassis and earth with vanilla overtones. Quite a harsh mouth and short length. Has complexity but not worth the price at the moment, may get better.

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Flight 9 - Château Beychevelle (5 Notes)

Dinner at Château Beychevelle. This really is the Versailles of Bordeaux. I was really surprised at the quality of the wines that were served.

  • NV Louis Roederer Champagne Brut Premier 88 Points

    France, Champagne

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Beychevelle

    Nice crisp fresh champagne. A little bit too harsh for my taste.

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  • 2000 Château Beychevelle Amiral de Beychevelle 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Beychevelle

    Nose of cassis, earth and vanilla. Good complexity in the mouth with smooth tannins. Medium length.

    This certainly was a surprise and I will be back for more.

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  • 2001 Château Beychevelle 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Beychevelle

    Nose of cassis, vanilla and earth. Smooth mouth with a medium finish.

    Very good showing

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  • 1986 Château Beychevelle 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Beychevelle

    Nose of cassis, vanilla and spice. Silky smooth tannins but slightly hollow and a short length.

    I think it is past its prime.

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  • 2001 Tokaj Hétszőlő Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos 95 Points

    Hungary, Tokaji

    (3/8/2012)

    Drank at Château Beychevelle

    Full Botrytis nose with brown sugar, citrus and honey elements. Rich deep complex mouth with a very long length.

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Flight 10 - Château La Mission Haut-Brion (2 Notes)

A morning homage to the church of Haut Brion. It is amazing to see the railway run through the middle of it but they say it helps with the drainage.

  • 2007 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    (3/9/2012)

    Drank at Château La Mission Haut-Brion

    Very big nose of cassis, chocolate, earth, forest floor and spice. Complex mouth with tannins still young and harsh. Nice long length

    Come back in 5 years.

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  • 2007 Château Haut-Brion 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    (3/9/2012)

    Drank at Château La Mission Haut-Brion
    Château Haut-Brion across the road is still under construction with no final date yet.

    Nose of cassis, tobacco, expresso, chocolate and spice. Very complex mouth with smooth tannins although still quite young and angular yet. Very long finish.

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Flight 11 - Domaine de Chevalier (6 Notes)

Lunch at Domaine de Chevalier with Remy Edange. What a wonderful passionate man. We were only meant to be there a couple of hours but ended up staying four. A good tip is he likes his cigars.

  • 2010 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    (3/9/2012)

    Drank at Domaine de Chevalier - Barrel Sample

    Slight grassy tinge and cloudy as it has not yet been fined. A lot of minerality in the nose with hints of citrus fruits and pineapple. Refreshing crisp mouth with a long length.

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  • 2009 Château Lespault Martillac Blanc 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    (3/9/2012)

    Drank at Domaine de Chevalier
    They bought this property a couple of years ago. Only 2 Hectares so very small production.

    Nose of pineapple and citrus. Lots of acidity but within balance. Good complex mouth and medium finish.

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  • 2007 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 97 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    (3/9/2012)

    Drank at Domaine de Chevalier

    Nose of citrus, flowers and honey. Lots of minerality on the palate with a crisp freshness. Very long finish.

    This is an incredible wine, go out and buy some

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  • 2002 Domaine de Chevalier 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    (3/9/2012)

    Drank at Domaine de Chevalier
    I got the vintage wrong also and guessed 2000. We were all amazed at how good the 2002 was showing.

    Nose cassis, smoke and earth. Lovely balanced mouth with great complexity and smooth tannins. Long length.

    This is a buy.

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  • 1989 Domaine de Chevalier 98 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    (3/9/2012)

    Drank at Domaine de Chevalier

    Slight bricking at the edges but still a deep core. Incredibly complex nose of cassis, vanilla, tobacco and spice. Mouth is silky smooth and rich with a long length.

    This is what old claret should taste like

    Get some

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  • 2002 Château Guiraud 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    (3/9/2012)

    Drank at Domaine de Chevalier
    They are a partial owner

    Full botrytis nose with honey and apricot. Lovely complex round mouth with a long finish.

    Wonderful stuff from not a great vintage

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Closing

An excellent trip with many thanks to the organisers and also the people we met who made it special.

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