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Selective Sampling of the UGC Tasting of 2016 Bordeaux

Metreon, San Francisco

Tasted January 25, 2019 by drwine2001 with 523 views

Introduction

Sorry, folks. This was as many wines as I could taste and quickly assess before reaching the saturation point. Many omissions.

Flight 1 (43 notes)

White
2016 Château Carbonnieux Blanc France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Green, grassy, some texture, high acidity.
White
2016 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Powerful low pitched citrus. Very good length.
White
2016 Château de Fieuzal Blanc France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Elegant mix of vanilla and orange. Great feel. My favorite of the white Graves I tried tonight.
White
2016 Château Pape Clément Blanc France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Pungent and a little funky. Lean, high acid. Did not care for this one.
Red
2016 Domaine de Chevalier France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Classic Graves nose. Cherry fruit. Deep, long, well balanced.
2 people found this helpful Comment
Red
2016 Château de Fieuzal France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Very herbal, much lighter and not as pleasing overall as the Domaine de Chevalier.
Red
2016 Château Pape Clément France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Earth and herbs. Elegant weight. Palate herbaceous with high acidity.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2016 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Lovely sense of earth, pliancy, texture, and dull red fruit. Excellent.
Red
2016 Château Canon France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Big wine. Sweet berries and a touch of herbs. Dry, woody finish. Not for me.
Red
2016 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Strongly herbaceous. Wonderful medium weight and texture. Chocolatey finish.
Red
2016 Château La Dominique France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Dark, deep, very ripe, woody, and one of the most modern wines tasted.
Red
2016 Clos Fourtet France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Some funk here. Ripe berries, spicy, and tannic. Not quite as big boned as La Dominique though.
Red
2016 Château Pavie Macquin France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Blueberry and soil, medium weight, high acidity, very herbal finish. Completely disjointed tonight.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2016 Château Le Bon Pasteur France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Herb and some brett. Relatively light, supple, green tones and lovely berry fruit.
Red
2016 Château Clinet France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Cedary and herbaceous. Middle weight but a strong chocolate/tannin finish.
Red
2016 Château Gazin Pomerol France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Slightly herbal nose. Middle weight. Neutral flavors. Most of what I got was the tannins. Not much here.
Red
2016 Château Rouget France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Herb and berry aromas. Rich, round, and fruity with very good acid/tannin punch at the end.
Red
2016 Château Chasse-Spleen France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Moulis en Médoc
After one clearly corked bottle, the second one was also a bit funky. Lighter color, elegant weight. Good red fruit entry, then curiously short. Very disappointing.
Red
2016 Château Cantemerle France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Herbal nose, lightweight, anonymous palate. Poor.
Red
2016 Château La Lagune France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Cedar and green aromatics. Lush texture, toothsome, round tannins. Lots here.
Red
2016 Château Brane-Cantenac France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Cedar. Elegant but lacks flavor authority. Astringent finish.
Red
2016 Château Giscours France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Classic Cabernet scents and flavors. Nice concentration and chocolatey richness with excellent back end structure that will carry it. Relative bargain here.
2 people found this helpful Comment
Red
2016 Château du Tertre France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Green with some brett. Lush and round but too soft.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2016 Château Kirwan France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Mute nose, ripe cassis fruit, harsh finish.
1 person found this helpful Comments (1)
Red
2016 Château Lascombes France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Creosote and cassis. Concentrated, tannic, and long. At least very good.
Red
2016 Château Rauzan-Ségla France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Cedar and herbs. Power and freshness. Subtly sweet fruit, herbal finish, gentle tannins. I really liked this, and it was by far the best of the Margaux.
2 people found this helpful Comment
Red
2016 Château Beychevelle France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Rich, dark, classic, good herbal complexity. Lots of grip. Only nit is a lot of wood showing on the finish. Should be excellent though.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2016 Château Branaire-Ducru France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Excellent texture, feel, and complexity. Tannic but round.
2 people found this helpful Comment
Red
2016 Château Gruaud Larose France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Backward, sweaty, and earthy. Nice, ripe black fruit, but plenty of structure to resolve. This needs a good deal of time.
Red
2016 Château Langoa Barton France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Also a bit sweaty like Gruaud Larose. Wonderful volume, ripe blueberry fruit, and layered, tannic finish. Impressive and delicious. I preferred this to the Leoville Barton tonight.
2 people found this helpful Comment
Red
2016 Château Léoville Barton France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Much more herbaceous and lighter weight than the Langoa. Spicy, complex, great acidity. Elegant package that shows some oak.
4 people found this helpful Comment
Red
2016 Château Léoville Poyferré France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Bigger, rounder, and more fruit driven than the Barton-more like the Langoa in this regard. Austere tannins demand time, but this too should be excellent if given enough time.
2 people found this helpful Comment
Red
2016 Château Grand-Puy Ducasse France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Definite funk on the nose. Better in the mouth, though. Blue fruit, reasonable volume, dry finish. Not for the early going, hope it's cleaner than it smells.
Red
2016 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Lovely combination of cedar, spicy fruit, and perfect weight. Lively and fine. Truly excellent.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2016 Château Lynch-Bages France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Dark and deep with wonderful fruit. Great poise between power and restraint. Beautiful balance with a citric lift. Delightful and right up there with some of the other heavy hitters tonight.
2 people found this helpful Comment
Red
2016 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Well, for me, this just leaped out as one of the 2 best wines of the tasting, along with the Pichon Comtesse. Spectacular and classic Pauillac. Deep, rich, round, and superbly balanced, again with that lively citric acidity and waves of perfectly ripe tannins. Phenomenally impressive now, but this will clearly make old bones. Top quality.
1 person found this helpful Comments (1)
Red
2016 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
This is completely different from the Baron but similarly outstanding in its own way. Much more herbal, lighter, and less dense. It is a marvel of complexity, though, with sweet fruit and tobacco beautifully intertwined. Epitome of elegance. This is gorgeous now and will be for quite some time.
4 people found this helpful Comment
White - Sweet/Dessert
2016 Château Doisy-Daëne France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
Gorgeous honey and citrus. Medium weight, quite Barsac-like. Moderate acidity. Really good.
1 person found this helpful Comment
White - Sweet/Dessert
2016 Château de Fargues France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Melon, pineapple, less honey. Elegant weight, nice twist of grapefruit at the end.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2016 Château Guiraud France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Floral. Light with curiously little flavor or palate impression.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2016 Château Clos Haut-Peyraguey France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Honey, citrus with moderate sweetness and excellent balance.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2016 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Herbal and honeyed. Not a lot of flavor, though.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2016 Château Suduiraut France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Lower pitched aromas, quite honeyed. Great feel and length, only average acidity. Delicious for sure, but I doubt it will be a Sauternes that ages particularly well given its forward nature and lack of structure.
2 people found this helpful Comment

Closing

Yes, some really good wines, but not everything is great

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