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Ultimo Wine Centre - Bordeaux 2010 Tasting
Swisshotel, Sydney
Tasted September 11, 2013 by chatters with 1,164 views
Introduction
Sit down tasting run by Ultimo (ex good private bottle shop now owned by a chain but that appears to still be under the control of the original owners) with plenty of Bordeaux wines from this great vintage.
Flight 1 - St Emilion (6 notes)
Hmm, not much here for me...that Chateau La Serre is very new world, in my humble opinion.
Red
2010 Château Berliquet
Fruit forward - black over red cherry, slight spice, cedar and toast. In the mouth juicy red and black cherry notes, but savoury, muted cedar and spice and well integrated but firm tannins. Quaffable now with a double decant
Red
2010 Château La Confession
spice, slight green notes, yeast extract, blueberry, cream, perfumed, floral top note and touches of cedar on the nose - lots' going on. In the mouth the wine is juicy and spicy with flavours of blue berry and red berry fruit, slight alcohol warmth intrudes, lending a slightly spirituous and off putting element on the finish
Red
2010 Château La Dominique
Medium minus intensity aromas of game, meat, violet/floral, menthol over muted black fruit. On the palate there is slightly toasty blackberry fruit, medium plus zesty acidity, medium talc like tannin and slight liquorice on the mid palates that carries on the medium length. Meh
Red
2010 Château La Serre
cream, vanilla, black fruit, currant cedar, quite new world style - like a well constructed Napa merlot. On the palate there is black currant and berry, cream, alcoholic warmth….this is a big wine with medium plus tannin that is still quite slick and lends a round mouth feel with glycerol elements. Hmm
Red
2010 Château Saint-Georges Côte Pavie
red over black fruit, spice, slightly dusty notes, cedar. In the mouth there is slightly boiled sweet raspberry, medium plus acid, cedar, spice and medium plus ripe and spiced tannic grip. There is some warmth on the medium plus length finish
Red
2010 Saintayme
medium minus aromas of slight cab franc greenness and graphite, spice/cedar and slight liquorice notes. In the mouth the wine is savoury with liquorice notes, medium plus acid and medium lush slightly unripe, tongue coating, cheeky gripping tannin. The wine is a little austere and a touch short. It is also very closed. It definitely needs time but I'm not sure that, despite the vintage, it has the fruit to carry it through
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Flight 2 - Pomerol (6 notes)
The La Croix St Georges rather worked for me. The Lafleur Petrus is a beast!
Red
2010 Château Certan de May
Medium plus aromas of cedar, chocolate, blackberry, plum spice and toast - very big nose. On the palate there is immediate plum, chocolate and spice notes, medium plus intensity talc like tannin, juicy acidity, medium plus body and, intruding slightly, alcoholic warmth on the medium plus length finish
Red
2010 Château Clinet
gamey/meaty, slight red over black fruit, pain de l'epice and tiny, funky notes. In the mouth there are flavours of juniper, black fruit, spice over medium plus chalky tannin and alcohol warmth on the long finish
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Red
2010 Château La Croix de St. Georges
Medium minus aromas - the wine is quite closed on the nose - bread yeast, slightly meaty/gamey notes over muted red fruit. On extreme agitation cedar comes to the fore, also offering very perfumed notes and touches of kirsch. On the palate in the wine has medium plus juicy acidity, succulent, plummy fruit, medium plus fine tannin, slight candy floss notes. The wine is balanced, long and nice.
Red
2010 Château La Fleur-Pétrus
Initially medium minus aromas, very muted, very slight spice and slight cream. On extreme agitation (hand over the glass and shake the bejesus out of it) it comes to live with blackberry and plum fruit, chocolate, spice and has jumped to pronounced intensity aromas. in the mouth the wine has blueberry, raspberry and plum, slightly bitter liquorice notes, which dry son the long long finish with notes of plain chocolate, mocha and spice. Massive. A beast. Abundant Not for me though.
Red
2010 Château Moulinet-Lasserre
Blackcurrant notes, black tea, savoury, slightly oxidised with farmyard funk. In the mouth blackcurrant fruit, cedar, spice, medium plus acid and tough tannins which are grippy and mouth filling. Medium plus length. Okay.
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Red
2010 Château Plince
violets and black fruit. Slightly gamey with rubber notes. In the mouth the fruit s slightly sour and tart and a bit wet with green notes and tough tough tannins. Nah.
Flight 3 - Margaux and Pessac (6 notes)
Alter Ego and the la parde de haut bailly - both second wines - are demonstrative of the potential that these makers can do in a good vintage.
Red
2010 Alter Ego
blackcurrant, cedar, graphite, pencil shavings, cream…very pure fruit. On the palate the wine has flavours of blackcurrant, spice and cedar, medium plus acid and tannin with some alcohol warmth but all three, and the flavours, are very well integrated and balanced. The fruit carries on the long finish. Lovely, very nice. Dangerously drinkable.
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Red
2010 Château Marquis de Terme
slight farmyard funk toast, oak, meaty, cream, muted black currant. In the mouth there is medium plus acid and medium plus mouth coating tannin, toast and cedar notes, cream, black currant, slight bitter finish and seems to drop off quite quickly. Nah
Red
2010 La Sirène de Giscours
medium minus aromas of funk, cream, sight black fruit - currants and cassis. On the palate the wine has medium plus acid, slightly bitter muted black currant, cassia and cream and medium plus course tannins which carries through on the medium plus length. not quite right for me.
Red
2010 Château Haut-Bailly
Medium plus aromas of toasting blackcurrant, slight graphite, pencil shavings, cedar and cream. In the mouth the wine has medium plus acid and medium minus intensity flavours of blackcurrant and spice. Medium plus grippy but fine tannins. Very closed. Hmm.
Red
2010 Château Haut-Bergey
blackberry, meaty: bacon and cold meats, cedar, slightly green notes of fresh tobacco. Flavours of bacon, back fruit, almost herby notes - but not unripe - and then bang massive chewy grippy tannins sweep all before it, taking over the palate and drawing the cheeks and lips to the teeth only to be plied loose post H2O application.
Red
2010 Château Haut-Bailly La Parde de Haut Bailly
slightly funky notes, toast and smoking blackcurrant, slight cream and spice notes and cedar. On the palate massive chewy tannins dominate blackcurrant and spice. Come back in 5-10 years…on the medium plus length finish the spice grows in intensity in relation to the fruit.
Flight 4 - St Julien (6 notes)
Gruaud Larose, leoville barton, lalande borie all appealed
Red
2010 Château Gruaud Larose
Medium minus aromas of muted blackberry and graphite, cedar and pencil shavings, cream, slight violet/perfumed floral top notes. Blackcurrant and bramble, slight burnt meat, concentrated black fruit, medium plus acid, medium plus grippy but not tough over unripe tannin. Long finish. Good.
Red
2010 Château Lagrange (St. Julien)
slight mint, blackcurrant, bramble, and spice. Quite woody and a touch green. Flavours of cedar, pencil shavings, toasted oak, muted blackcurrant. Almost burnt tannins, very big. Alcohol encroaches a little on the medium plus finish.
Red
2010 Château Léoville Barton
medium plus aromas of blackcurrant, cedar, cream, vanilla, splice and cassis. On the palate there are flavours of blackcurrant, cream, spice, cedar, rich, fine, long, tannins, very elegant, very well made, and well balanced, medium plus body…long finish. Glorious.
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Red
2010 Château Lalande-Borie
Toasted blue berry and black currant, cedar, cream, slight Brett/farmyard, violets. Medium plus acid, blackcurrant and cassis, cedar, spice, plentiful front of mouth phenolic grip. Long. Nice.
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Red
2010 Clos du Marquis
Meaty, slight closed, slightly burnt black fruit, cheesy/rubbery notes and slightly reductive. Juicy but muted and jammy fruit, slightly bitter and a bit short with chalky tannin. Meh.
Red
2010 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou Croix de Beaucaillou
Cream, vanilla, spice and slightly jammy blackcurrant. Oak note - cedar and pencils shavings. Flavours of pencil shavings, spice, blackcurrant, touch, chewy tannin. Big and young. Needs time. Okay.
Flight 5 - Pauillac/St. Estephe (6 notes)
Duhart Milon, Lafon Rochet out of this lot
Red
2010 Château Duhart-Milon
Cassis, blackcurrant, cream, spice and cedar. In the mouth cassis, cedar, cream medium plus acid, spice, medium plus tannin, medium plus length, very nice. Balanced. Elegant. Lovely
Red
2010 Château Pibran
Cream over medium minus intensity blackcurrant, muted sweet spice and slight smokiness. On the palate blackcurrant, pencil shavings, very tight tannins, perhaps a little tough but good none the less.
Red
2010 Château Grand-Puy Ducasse
Spice, violets, cream, blackcurrant slightly milky notes, touch dusty. In the mouth there is black fruit, slight burnt tannin that is big and chunky and mouth filling. Has fruit, is simple, needs time.
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Comments (3)
Red
2010 Château Lafon-Rochet
medium minus aromas of crushed rocks, blackcurrants and a slight austere green notes with a touch of meatiness. Black fruit, dense, structured, medium plus chewy tannins, cedar and spice. Needs time but, for me, has promise…I rather like this.
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Red
2010 Château Segur de Cabanac
Graphite, pencil shavings over blackcurrant, cedar and spice. Lovely nose. Blackcurrant flavours dominate the palate with medium plus fine tannins and some cream notes. Nice but simple and quite forward.
Red
2010 La Dame de Montrose
Graphite, pencil shavings , crushed rocks, blackcurrant, cream. In the mouth pencil shavings, graphite, spice, blackcurrant backed by huge structure and tannin. Needs time. A lot of time.
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Flight 6 - Sauterne (3 notes)
meh. Rieussec for it's tarty style I guess.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2010 Château Doisy-Védrines
slightly funky, apricot and mandarin, sulphur and spice. In the mouth spice, sweet rather than luscious, notes of apricot - quite muted for a Sauterne but this may be a reflection of the vintage
White - Sweet/Dessert
2010 Château Rieussec
Concentrated apricot, orange marmalade, over vanilla and spice. A touch of youthfulness on the nose. Almost dried pineapple and mango fruit. On the palate it has medium plus acid, concentrated flavours of cream, vanilla, apricot and candied orange. Luscious, long and unctuous. Rather nice in an overblown and blousy way.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2010 Château Sigalas Rabaud
medium minus aromas, funky, touches of glue and meat over apricot and vanilla. On the palate mandarin, spice, sweet tending to luscious, clean.
Closing
I'm not sure on the prep but I think the vast majority of these were popped, checked and then poured about an hour later. I defo thing it would have been wiser to at least double decant these as quite a few were quite closed and needed serious agitation to get anything out of.
Wines of the nights for me - Alter ego, leoville barton and the duhart milon...and the lafon rochet...