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UGC Bordeaux
Sheraton Hotel - Chicago IL
Tasted January 26, 2012 by Burgundy Al with 839 views
Flight 1 (14 notes)
Red
2009 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière
89 points
Super-concentrated black fruit aromas, borderline over-ripe with plenty of new oak spice on nose. Very ripe black fruit accompanied by flavors of dark roast coffee, dark chocolate and hints of anise. Very ripe with heat prominent from middle to finish.
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Red
2009 Château Figeac
89 points
There were very divergent opinions amongst people I spoke with today tasting this wine. I wasn't on the positive side, finding it both fleshy and very ripe, not in a very positive way, but without the positive depth, density and concentration that provide length and nuance.
Red
2009 Château Troplong Mondot
90 points
An unusual wine, showing massive black fruit aromas, then the sam efruit profile on the palate, lots of good spice, but just so much very ripe fruit and (for me) quite awkward alcohol at the end, giving it a drying finish.
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Red
2009 Château La Conseillante
94 points
Floral start with very good spice along with black cherry, blackberry and hints of licorice, mushroom and dark chocolate. Same black fruit on the palate with slightly earthy flavors and textures, along with great Asian spice and black pepper on long finish. Good balance.
Red
2009 Château Pape Clément
95 points
Aromas of ripe blackberry, plum with blueberry hints. Lush textures, incredibly balanced, very long and powerful with some dark chocolate and spice on finish. My favorite wine at the Chicago UGC tasting.
Red
2009 Château Beychevelle
92 points
Floral start with aromas of black plum, currant and cherry. Lots of power, but the spice, acid and tannin are all very well balanced. Perhaps not the most powerful wine, but very easy to enjoy already today.
Red
2009 Château Gruaud Larose
92 points
Sweet dark fruit on both nose and palate, accompanied by good spice in the background today. Lots of structure and power. Long finish. This will take ten years to show well, but then last 40 or 50.
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Red
2009 Château Léoville Barton
92 points
Another wine where opinions diverged widely. I liked the wine's elegance, complexity and outstanding minerality. Floral start with great spice and black fruit. Lots of black fruit on palate with same spice flavors. Accessible today but with lots of stuffing and power.
Red
2009 Château Lynch-Bages
93 points
I have previously found it challenging to enjoy young Lynch Bages, but the 2009 is an exception. Good floral start with aromas of cassis and black currant. Lots of sweet black fruit, sweet tannins and great acidity. Long and powerful. Wonderful today, I expect this will keep picking op weight and complexity.
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Red
2009 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
94 points
One of the most interesting 2009s aromatically, showing both red and black fruit along with licorice, vanilla and cedar. Lots more spice comes out on the palate, where the fruit is also more classically black than red. Very good balance and textures.
Red
2009 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron
93 points
Good floral start with massive, dense black fruit aromas. Big, bold flavors that stay slightly behind the big, bold tannins today. Lots of spice comes through on the finish. This is one of the more structured of the 2009s today.
White
2009 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
90 points
Ripe lemon, lemon peel and orange on both nose and palate. Lots of power and substance, but seemed to be short on energy.
White
2009 Château Carbonnieux Blanc
87 points
Ripe fruit on nose, showing lemon and grapefruit. Same citrus on palate along with ripe melon. I'd expect this to be best young.
White
2009 Château Pape Clément Blanc
92 points
Ripe citrus and tropical fruit aromas with good nutmeg and ginger aromas. Lots of ripe fruit on palate that balance well with lemon and lemon peel flavors, all working well with spice mostly from new oak. Very balanced.
Closing
My three major takeaways were (1) the consistent high quality of the wines, even if some bordered being over-ripe; (2) great balance of fruit, tannin and acidity also quite consistent across producers; and (3) the top wines weren't quite as great as I might have expected from the vintage hype.