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K&L Bordeaux Tasting
K&L, San Francisco
Tasted February 8, 2014 by aagrawal with 389 views
Introduction
Overall an interesting tasting. The Montrose both showed very well, as did the Leoville Barton (my favorite of the tasting, and my favorite bordeaux chateau). For budget wines, the Langoa Barton was my pick. Bordeaux has gotten too expensive though, despite how enjoyable they are. 2011 was a difficult year, and those two wines showed poorly. If you're buying in that year, stick to Leoville Barton and select others (see my UGC tasting notes).
Flight 1 - Top Bordeaux (7 notes)
Red
1995 Château Montrose
92 points
Minerality, wonderful nose, blackberry, good underlying fruit; surprisingly approachable on the palate, good red fruit, integrated tannins. Good primary notes with very early secondary complexity. Ready now but with many years to develop ahead. 92+
Red
2006 Château Montrose
92 points
Youthful, good fruit, blackberry, underlying minerality, slightly chalky; very young, plump tannins, fresh fruit. Very good, very young. 92+
Red
2007 Château Langoa Barton
90 points
Great nose with red pepper, red cherry, blackberry fruit; balanced palate with more minerality than fruit, slightly thin on the midpalate holding it back; finish is short-medium. Nice value, and an early drinker. Much better than my last taste of this based on my notes. 90
Red
1999 Château Léoville Barton
93 points
Fabulous nose with core of minerality, mint, menthol, great concentration of fruit; palate has slightly gritty tannins that do not detract from the mouthfeel, great blackcurrant fruit; medium-long finish. A great wine at early maturity with further development ahead. 92-93
Red
2000 Château Les Ormes de Pez
90 points
Nose is slightly reticent compared to the other bordeaux, slight bell pepper, decent complexity; very youthful on the palate with approachable but still structured tannins, black fruit; short-medium finish. Good, but needs at least 5-10 more years. 89-90
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Red
1996 Château Lynch-Bages
92 points
Roasted red pepper, good cherry fruit, slight tobacco; sweet red fruit, good balance, integrated tannins, good red fruit. Solid bordeaux at maturity, will likely have a plateau for years but may not have more development. 91-92
Red
2003 Château Lynch-Bages
89 points
Deep purple color; nice nose with chalk, slight red pepper, nice core of fruit, but still somewhat reticent and maybe closed; palate has some early black fruits but fades in the midpalate; medium finish. This is very primary and hard to evaluate, but is certainly not drinking as well as it should right now. Would not recommend to buy at this time given its price, and I will wait until at least 2020 on my only bottle in the hopes that it will improve. 89
Flight 2 - Extras not on the original tasting list (2 notes)
Neither were that impressive or memorable.
Red
2011 Château Poujeaux
84 points
Nose is thin and unpleasant with a chemical note, slight menthol; palate has big tannin, weak midpalate; short finish. Not terrible, but a pass. 84
Red
2011 Château Larcis Ducasse
86 points
Big brooding nose with black fruits, but also slight chemical note and unclear whether it has concentration or density to last; palate is youthful, very primary, bit of a hollow midpalate, prominent tannins. A pass at the price ($50+). 86-87
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