March Bordeax Tasting
Waterford Wine Company
Tasted Wednesday, March 18, 2009 by *Vine* with 707 views
Introduction
Bordeaux tasting led by Ben Christiansen, proprietor of Waterford Wine Company (boutique wine retail in Milwaukee).
3 flights of 3 wines, all receiving 4.5 hours of aeration.
Flight 1 (3 Notes)
Nice contrast between the 2005 Bellevue and 2000 Bellevue, both from outstanding vintages. Clearly, the 2000 was more open and aromatic with 5 additional years of maturation. But it's easy to see that the 2005 will equal or eclipse the 2000 one day.
The Chateau Aney is definitely a nice drink of Bordeaux for the money.
Flight 2 (3 Notes)
Again a nice comparison. The Mouton was the WOTN, great aromatics.
Flight 3 (3 Notes)
Although not my favorite flight, this did include the 2002 Pavillon Rouge, which was my WOTN runner-up. A beautiful Margaux that has much in common with the 2002 Chateau Margaux.
The 2005 Grand Destieu was not a good foil for the two wines from Margaux, both of which came across as feminine and elegant...especially compared to the flamboyance exhibited by the 2005 St. Emilion.
Closing
Although the Mouton was great, my personal WOTN was the 2002 Pavillon Rouge - just excellent claret. Also, the 2005 Grand Destieu stuck out like a sore thumb in a lineup of mostly "classic" styled Bordeaux...that's not to say it's a bad wine at all, just made in a much more modern style that will appeal to fans of CA Merlot and Cabernet.
2005 Château Aney 88 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Medium to medium-plus red-purple hue, youthful. Mild perfume of black currants, plum, earth, and a touch of green. Medium body. More black currants on the palate along with notes of cedar, vanilla bean, and oak. Moderate length on the finish. Nice acidity is a plus. Although still quite youthful, IMO this will definitely provide nice drinking in the early to mid-term. Very nice for the Haut-Medoc.
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2005 Château de Bellevue (André Chatenoud) Lussac-St. Émilion
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lussac-St. Émilion
Medium-plus hue with a core of dark purple and ruby on the rim. Expressive aromas of blackberry, touch of black currant, and leaf tobacco - quite primary. In mouth, the flavors of fresh blackberries continue, along with notes of misc. black fruits, minerals, and oak. Chewy tannins, touch of heat on the finish. Extremely youthful, seemed to shut down after about 15-20 minutes in glass (hence the lack of a score). Needs time in the cellar! However, I do believe this will be a fine example of a St. Emilion one day and should score somewhere in the 90-93+ range.
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2000 Château de Bellevue (André Chatenoud) Lussac-St. Émilion 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lussac-St. Émilion
Medium-plus, dark ruby hue. Forward nose with complex notes of crushed rocks, black currants, a hint of bell pepper, smoke, and even an aroma of violets - quite nice. Medium body. On the palate, flavors of black fruits, cigar box, and minerals blend to give this one a very fresh and appealing profile. Firm, tannic structure indicates that this has many years left to go. A very nice example of adolescent Bordeaux.
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