UGC Bordeaux Tasting - 2013 Vintage

Bentley Reserve, SF
Tasted Saturday, January 30, 2016 by RajivAyyangar with 626 views

Introduction

Full note with diagram of floor layout: https://www.evernote.com/l/ABb2_TvhZd1Jg7NXJf44fs7SkPZbglYswK8

Not the greatest tasting for me- I didn't have a clear impression of a lot of the wines, and it was a bit chaotic. Palate wise I was initially concerned I was getting over a cold, but the Pessac whites and the Lynch Bages reassured me that when a wine was good, I could taste it in detail. I tried to avoid scoring wines when I was doubtful I had a fair impression.

However I was excited to hone in on the celery soda / key lime pie note in the Pessac whites! I felt like I had a minor epiphany there. Bdx Blanc seems to be all about that balance of greenness, tensile acidity, minerality, and opulence from the elevated alcohol and oak.

Wines I scored around 9:
Pessac Whites:
-Dom. de Chevalier
-Pape Clement

Pauillac:
-Lynch Bages
-Pichon Baron

St. Emilion:
-Canon

Wines I scored between 8.5-9:
Pessac Whites:
-de Fieuzal
-Carbonnieux
-Olivier
-Smith Haut Lafitte

Margaux:
-Cantenac Brown

St. Julien:
-Branaire-Ducru
-Gruaud-Larose
-Leoville Poyferre

Sauternes:
-Lafaurie-Peyraguey
-de Fargues

Wines I scored around 8.5:
Pessac Whites:
-Malartic-Lagraviere

St. Estephe:
-Lafon-Rochet

St. Julien
-Lagrange
-Leoville Barton

Margaux:
-Brane-Cantenac
-Prieure-Lichine
-Rauzan-Segla

Sauternes:
-Suduiraut
-Doisy-Daene

Flight 1 - Graves/Pessac (11 Notes)

This was the most exciting grouping for me - I finally got a good scent-impression of what oaked sauvignon blanc tastes like. In all the major wines I tasted a note best described as celery soda, grass with cream soda, or key lime pie.

  • 2013 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Slightly reductive. Grassy celery soda (oaked sauv blanc nose). Elevated alcohol with high acid. Very nice! Between 8.5 and 9.

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  • 2013 Château Pape Clément Blanc 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Beautiful and creamier than the Smith Haut Lafitte. Grapefruit and grass plus celery soda and key lime pie. Slight impression of tannins - maybe from oak? Well-contained alcohol at 13.5%
    18 months elevage in 60% new oak. They do lots of battonage - daily for the first week or so.

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  • 2013 Château Olivier Blanc 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Strong lime peel. Key lime pie. Creamy but more aggressive acid than the Pape clement. 40% new oak.

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  • 2013 Château Olivier

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Very open. Good fruit and significant oak. Significant Merlot presence on the nose. Palate is fleshy and soft. Medium tannins.

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  • 2013 Château Carbonnieux Blanc 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Absolutely classic. Celery soda and grass. Key lime pie. Fresh acidity, in the medium-plus to high range.
    30% semillon, 70% sauv blanc. 10 months in 1/3 new oak. They mostly use new oak on the semillon, and 2nd/3rd use barrels on the sauv blanc. 85-90

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  • 2013 Château de Fieuzal Blanc 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Green grass / celery soda / key lime pie (oaked sauv blanc) is in the background. Very honeyed (48% semillon!) with slight cream. Quite developed for 2013 (18 months elevate, 40% new oak, some in concrete eggs, some in 400L acacia barrels. Very distinctive. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Julia Harding thought this might have some botrytis (honey) but I asked and the rep was emphatic that they never have botrytis. Maybe it's the semillon?

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  • 2013 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Intense and captivating nose. Tropical yet tensile. The grassy celery soda / key lime pie / oaked sauv blanc note is present as well. Moderate alcohol (I guessed 13.5% - it’s 13%). The 2011 was a bit warmer (14%). Acidity is long, lingering, and brings lots of light to the palate. 18 months in 40% new oak. This was an above-average year for whites in Pessac. Score: Around 9.

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  • 2013 Château Malartic-Lagravière Blanc 84 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Nice grassy cream soda nose but less en point in fruit ripeness than the other 2013’s.

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  • 2013 Château de France Blanc

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Lean and mean with slight cream. 40% new oak - blind I’d guess around 20%.

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  • 2013 Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion Blanc

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    A bit acrid. Slight note of overripe peach but without tropical support. Less oak influence than its compatriots.

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  • 2013 Château Latour-Martillac Blanc 83 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Leaner and more fresh-cut grass pyrazines than the others. Between 8 and 8.5

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Flight 2 - St. Emilion (4 Notes)

Overall, these were lighter and thinner than the 2011’s. Noticeably absent was the chocolate-covered blackcurrant note from the merlot-dominant wines. Canon still had some nice things going on.

Flight 3 - Pomerol (5 Notes)

Overall these were indistinguishable from the St. Emilions. The chocolate-covered blackcurrant note was absent.

Flight 4 - St. Estephe (2 Notes)

Flight 5 - Pauillac (7 Notes)

Flight 6 - St. Julien (11 Notes)

Relatively strong quality across the board, especially given the vintage. There was some tannin silkiness at play too.

Flight 7 - Margaux (10 Notes)

Some of the wines were classically floral/aromatic, but overall the quality was really spotty.

Flight 8 - Sauternes (5 Notes)

I think I prefer my Sauternes one of two ways: aged to the point where the savory character is more prominent, or with much stronger acid than most of these display.

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