Virtual right bank Bordeaux tasting (blind).
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Tasted February 4, 2021 by PSPatrick with 109 views
Introduction
We tasted five right bank wines, plus one pirate. The samples were prepared by my friend in the morning by splitting the bottles. We tasted the wines in the afternoon and followed their development over a period of three days.
Flight 1 (6 notes)
Medium to dark garnet colour. Red fruit, red cherry, leather, tobacco, some chocolate, spices, herbaceous notes, and balsamic notes, with average concentration and average to good length. The Cabernet Franc shines through. Initially, the lively acidity was quite prominent and the partly resolved tannin fairly chewy, and the medium-bodied wine was very demanding on its own. Later in the evening, after the wine had warmed up and had breathed a little, the acidity and tannin tamed, and the wine became harmonious, in particular paired with food (steak tartare on day one and filet mignon on day two). By day three, it was smooth and balanced, with well-integrated acidity and tannin. Drink now with careful aeration. Pair with a steak.
Medium to dark garnet colour. Red fruit, plum, leather, tobacco, spices, porcini, and balsamic notes, with fresh, well integrated acidity, fine, partly resolved tannin and very good length. Medium-bodied and quite harmonious. Becomes even more harmonious with food (in this case steak tartare). Equally good on day two. Spice-driven, with pronounced acidity and slightly drying tannin but still enjoyable on day three.
Very enjoyable, even on its own. Equally good on day two, and gamier (and reminiscent of a lighter vintage of Chateau Musar) but equally enjoyable on day three. Well-kept bottles should continue to drink well for a number of years.
Medium brick-ish colour. Red fruit, cherry, leather, tobacco, vegetal notes, spices, and mint as well as earthy and balsamic notes, with good, medium-level acidity, mostly resolved tannin, and very good length of the lightly tannic finish. Not the most complex mature Bordeaux, but it easily makes up for it with its balance and plush texture. Very harmonious.
More earthy yet still fairly balanced, persistent, and enjoyable on days two and three.
This wine drinks well on its own and I liked it quite a bit!
Medium to dark garnet. Dark fruit, vegetal and earthy notes, some chocolate, coffee, leather, tobacco, shredded hazelnut, lovage, spices, toast, and a hint of mint, with good acidity, fine, dry tannin, and good length of the dry finish.
The wine was very dry at first, but the tannin tamed a little with some aeration. By day two, the fine tannin was well-integrated and provided good structure. Some VA by day three. Very different from the other wines; fuller, more structured, and more complex. Very intellectual.
Pairing with a steak tames the tannin, but I do not mind the dryness and prefer it on its own for its subtleties and multiple layers of complexity.
Medium to dark garnet colour. Sweet red fruit and some dark fruit, red currant, red cherry, blackberry, plum, some chocolate, some coconut, nuts, tobacco, spices, and pleasant herbaceous notes, with medium-level acidity, well-integrated tannin, and good length.
Medium- to full-bodied, fruity (the fruitiest of the wines in this tasting, not surprisingly since it is the youngest and not from a traditional old-world region), and fairly balanced. Goes down very easily. Did not improve on the first evening but was very fruity and expressive on day three. 89+
Closing
In summary, the wines underwhelmed me in the initial tasting, partly because they were too cold which emphasized the acidity and tannin, partly because they probably needed some aeration. All Bordeaux, to the exception of the Meerlust Merlot, already showed much better in the evening, in particular paired with food.
All five Bordeaux were more harmonious by day two, and those that had initially shown pronounced acidity or dryness had tamed and become more balanced and integrated. By day three, only the Château Faurie de Souchard 1988 had started to decline. The other four Bordeaux drank equally well as on day two, and the Meerlust Merlot had become unexpectedly fruity.
This tasting again supports my conviction that (well-kept) mature Bordeaux benefits from careful aeration (at the minimum until the age of 50 years old) and that there is no reason for being concerned that mature Bordeaux might fall apart shortly after popping the cork.