Chateau La Conseillante 1947-2020 tasted blind
Tasted October 2, 2023 by Collector1855 with 140 views
Introduction
This tasting was held in Fribourg at the home of one of Switzerland’s most prolific Bordeaux Collectors. The blind tasting of 20 vintages of La Conseillante was moderated by the French wine critic Jean-Marc Quarin (www.quarin.com), who is a regular guest at these events. The wines showed well but there were few really great wines. There was a lack of excitement in the room, which is a pity, especially for the prestige and price level of this well known Pomerol estate. It was noticed that certain vintages were too ripe. I noticed that as well, but more as an occasionally than a general issue. What I struggled more with with was the lack of multi-layered aromatic depth that I expect from a grand terroir. There was pleasant blue fruit and violets in all of the wines, but little forest floor, leather, peat, pine, aromas that make Bordeaux so special. I feel La Conseillante is a soldi Pomerol, but from today’s showing I would rank it behind its Pomerol peers Trotanoy, La-Fleur Petrus, Vieux Certan and Eglise Clinet.
Flight 1 (4 notes)
Red
1982 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Expressive, earthy, nose, lovely aromas, herbs, pepper, coffee, tertiary. Medium- bodied delicate. Lovely.
Red
1986 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Earthy nose, more discrete than the 1982 next to it. Blueberries, some smoke. Medium-bodied on the palate, still fresh, tannins melted.
Red
1990 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
The nose was a bit reductive, earthy elements, lots of fresh blue fruit, felt closed. Soft palate medium bodied. May be not the most representative sample given the reduction.
Flight 2 (4 notes)
Red
1993 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
This felt like it was at the end of the drinking window. Very sinewy with the fruit mostly gone and mainly tannins and acidity left.
Red
1995 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Nose of dark berries, some spice. Rather acidic and meagre on the palate. Needs more substance.
Flight 3 (4 notes)
Red
2000 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Ripe nose with toasty elements and dark fruit. Starts nice on the palate entry but then shows alcoholic on the finish.
Red
2001 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Earthy elements, dark fruit, cake, good ripeness. Soft palate, subtle blue fruit, good freshness. A bit thin on the mid palate.
Red
2005 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Young and dense on the palate, some brett, ripe fruit aromas, licorice, still a bit closed. Somehow hard to assess today. 94+
Red
2006 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Discrete nose, relatively ripe with some licorice and cooked fruit. Still quite a bit of structure to resolve.
Flight 4 (4 notes)
Red
2009 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Dark fruit, oak and vanilla. Medium- complexity only. Elegant and fresh on the palate, relatively light for the warm vintage. If this can develop more complexity it may add a point from here. 93-95
Red
2010 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
My WOTN together with the 2016. Cool dark fruit with good ripeness. Rich palate, enough freshness, a touch of alcoholic heat but then a fresh finish on the blue fruit spectrum. Still a few years away from peak.
Red
2015 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Hmm, the fruit here was a bit cooked with an oxidative tendency, some smoke and blue fruit. The palate felt too Californian for my liking.
Red
2014 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Intense nose, dark fruit, licorice, touch of farmyard. Good mid palate, fresh, balanced. Not far away from the 2010 next to it which had more stuffing.
Flight 5 (4 notes)
Red
2016 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Discrete nose, needed some swirling and coaxing. Dark fruit, subtle earthy aromas. Very good palate, medium bodied, precise. Great potential, but don't open before 2032.
Red
2018 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Similar to the 2019 next to it. Rich, ripe nose with blue fruit and vanilla. Generous palate, more structure than the 2019. Both need more Bordeaux aroma even at this stage of their life.
Red
2019 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Rich, ripe nose here as well with dark fruit, youthful. Generous palate, a bit uneventful and foursquare. Solid, but I miss the aromatic complexity. Where will this land once mature, hard to tell.
Red
2020 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Very primary nose still, lots of dark fruit, not much else yet. Very generous palate good fruit, not overdone, but where is the Bordeaux typicity? May be it will come with age, then my score will turn out to be conservative. To be revisited after 2035. 94-95
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