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Vintage Club - Bordeaux 2018 En-Primeur and Gala Dinner
Andaz Hotel
Tasted June 1, 2019 by vinhonotte with 543 views
Introduction
An rpic tasting that I was sure looking forward to... and happy to see quite a few of my wine-lover friends attending as well
Flight 1 - En-Primeur Walkabout Tasting (15 notes)
Red
2018 Château L'Escadre Major
88 points
Fruits and spice dominated, of black cherry, grass, pepper, nutmeg, liquorice. Acidic, tannic, and very high in alcohol, which affected the balance somewhat
Red
2018 Château La Gaffelière
91 points
Nice cool minty feel, with ripe blackberry and cassis. Good tannic structure
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Comments (1)
Red
2018 Château Figeac
92 points
A nose that is dominated by sweet candies and liquorice. Fair acidity, Has some grass, blackberry, pepper, liquorice, and some orange peel at the backpalate. A fairly long finish of flowers and grass
Red
2018 Château La Conseillante
90 points
Packed with herbs, sour cherry, cassis, plum, pepper and liquorice. A bit of red bricky feel, and a nice minty, grassy finish
Red
2018 Château Nenin
92 points
Blackberry, strawberry, grass, liquorice. Lots of acids and good tannic structure, as well as some of the red bricky undertones. A good long finish
White
2018 Château Olivier Blanc
91 points
Fresh and clean expression, with intense punch of green mango, green papaya, seaweed, and even a bit of shrimps. Felt like a fresh salad made at the heart of Bangkok
Red
2018 Château Olivier
89 points
Flamboyant nose with plums and dried roses. Felt a bit light on the palate though, with a profile of strawberry, grass, and plums. Good freshness, but feels more like a “drink-now” wine
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Comment
Red
2018 Château de Lamarque
89 points
Cool mint, and liquorice, with some cassis. Rather light and comparatively mild though, but good tannic structure. Mostly cherry, cassis and grass. Seems like something to be drunk within the next 5 years
Red
2018 Château Léoville Las Cases
95 points
A dark rocky, smoky nose. Good acids, and punchy tannins, blackberry, sour cherry, peat, coffee grounds, rocket leaves. Long pleasant chocolatey finish. Great wine!
Red
2018 Château Pontet-Canet
96 points
Bright orange-peel on the nose. Acidic, tannic, and an intense orange and plum, as well as some yeasty, grassy notes, and chocolates on the backpalate, which persisted towards the long finish. Exceptional!
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Comment
Red
2018 Château Grand-Puy Ducasse
90 points
High acidity, tannins and alcohol. A nose of liquorice. Blackberry, cassis, raspberry, strawberry, and leaves. Somewhat peaty as well. Good power, but felt that the huge alcohol heat seemed to distract
Red
2018 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
94 points
Pronounced nose of orange blossoms and cool mint. Acidic, punchy and yet fleshy as well, with plums, rose, orange blossoms, and tea leaves. A good lengthy finish of plums and cool mint
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Comments (1)
Red
2018 Château Beychevelle
91 points
Candied, plummy, and luscious. A very fruit-forward and friendly wine, with cassis, cherry, and plum. Lacking somewhat on the tannins so I’m quite doubtful of its longevity
Red
2018 Château Cos d'Estournel
95 points
Nose and palate driven by chocolate and cherry. Acidic, tannic, intense and high alcohol. A buckload of cassis fruits, and strawberry, wheat and grass. Showing up really well at such a young age. Nice!
Red
2018 Château Phélan Ségur
88 points
A grassy and green nose and palate. Sure there are blackberry and plums, but it kind of felt a bit unripe
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Comments (1)
Flight 2 - Gala Dinner - Apertif (1 note)
White - Sweet/Dessert
2009 Château Guiraud
94 points
Very sweet, but with the clear liftiness and freshness. Bright ripe pineapples and mint. Was introduced by their Brand Ambassador Anne to the concept of having this as an apertif, and it actually worked! Nice!
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Flight 3 - Gala Dinner - Appetizer (3 notes)
Soy Poached Duck breast, master stock jelly, green beans, pickled mushrooms, mushroom puree
Red
2016 Château Olivier
88 points
Mostly dried flowers, and savoury, with dried twigs. But hardly any fruits, and felt kind of flat. A bit bricky and meaty
Red
1989 Château Léoville Las Cases
94 points
Big nose of mushrooms and undergrowth. While a bit of blackberry, and some acidity, this one is full-force driven with mushrooms, lichen and green moss. Still quite warm. The cassis shows up in the finish, and it’s long and persistent. Great!
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Comment
Red
1996 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
89 points
Felt very developed, mushroomy and smoky, while the black fruits have become rather mute. While complex, it seems like age has caught up
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Flight 4 - Gala Dinner - Main Course (5 notes)
Roast Beef Tenderloin, chive crushed Potatoes, pancetta lardons, glazed echallots, saute mushroom
Red
2011 Château Grand-Puy Ducasse
89 points
Good acidity and tannins, but felt rather mild, with a bit of blackberry and sour cherry, as well as rose and grass. Also rather warm. A pretty fair effort, but could do with more intensity and balance
Red
2006 Château Nenin
93 points
Very intense feel of raisins and grass. Full of acidic freshness, orange peel, plummy, cassis. Also has a certain chocolatey and red earthy feel at the back. Some warmth on the finish. Great!
Red
2006 Château Palmer
88 points
Very big fruity nose, and grassy as well. But on the palate, the blackberry fruit seem to be unripe, and yeasty and grassy. Felt that the palate underdelivered against such a good nose...
Red
2008 Château Beychevelle
88 points
Good tannins, and a good orange peel sense, and a rather heightened alcohol, with some candied orange peel. However, if felt a bit thin and lacking
Red
2000 Château Cos d'Estournel
91 points
Straight-up grassy, mushroomy and twiggy, but does have a good amount of the sour cherry and plum at the back. The tannins are still largely there though. Has many years ahead, but I think it’s still too young now...
Flight 5 - Gala Dinner - Cheese (3 notes)
Camembert, Comté, Fourme d’Ambert AOC, Morbier,
Dried Fruit, Nuts, Bread and crackers
Red
2004 Château L'Escadre Major
93 points
Blackish, peaty, and sour cherries. A good inky and meaty feel, and some good florals such as elderflowers and lavender. Good!
Red
2008 Château La Gaffelière
89 points
Good impression of sweet fruits on the nose, but a lot of tannins and acidity on the palate, and comparatively less fruits... perhaps that they had harvested a little too early back then?
Red
2010 Château Figeac
90 points
Good nose of raspberry and cassis, and a palate of sour cherry and peat. A good weighty mouthfeel
Flight 6 - Gala Dinner - Dessert (3 notes)
Guanaja Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Shortbread, Caramel
Red
2011 Château Pontet-Canet
89 points
Mostly of blackberry and green herbs, of dill and rosemary. Could have a bit more fruits
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Comment
Red
2011 Château La Conseillante
88 points
Grass and peat in the nose, while there’s some red cherry and sourness, and plum, and a bit of tannins and savouriness on the palate. Felt that the complexity was lacking - straightforward...
Red
2011 Château Meyney
91 points
Dried roses, leaves and yeasty nose. Good acidity, and tannins pretty resolved, and largely fruity, with strawberry, and plums
Closing
Can say that this might be the wine event of the year for me... honoured to have the chance to experience an En-Primeur, and also get to taste so many of top-growth Bordeaux