WOW! Not since the 2005 vintage Bordeaux (of which I did three separate tasting in the space of a week) have I felt the need to write 'wow' in capital letters. I was a bit nervous to see if the wines lived up the the massive hype for a couple of reasons. First and foremost after the last three Bordeaux vintage dinners 2006, 07 & 08 we needed some joy. And secondly I had bought quite a bit En-Primeur.
Thankfully the wines were stunning. Once again Patrick had the unenviable task of picking the wines but the representative sample was great for an overview and there was not a dud amongst them.
Lanson 2002 Vintage Champagne The third time we have started with this wine. It is still charming although it has only been a couple of months it seems to have softened and broadened a little making it all the more drinkable.
Cantemerle Haut Medoc 5th Growth 2009 Smoke, spice, graphite, red currants, hint dried green herbs, pepper.
Firm but elegant oak tannins, hints of gravel, lean and very very long, floral and red fruited core. Hint bitter.
Stunning wine for the money and could easily have been mistaken for being of much higher quality than its lowly 5th Growth ranking.
D'Issan Margaux 3rd Growth 2009 Plums, choco, terracotta, violets, red, spicy.
Dirty, meaty, earthy, core of dark fruits, black currants and dark choco.
This was a beautifully elegant wine that was infact my favourite for its perfume and simplicity.
Phelan Segur St Estephe Cru Bourgeois 2009 Fragrant, blue/purple fruits, primary, meaty, hint hand soap.
Silky, good flesh, fine tannins, very lean, tight core, hint hollow? Builds intensity on finish. Black currants, hint chalky, high acid.
This and the Cantemerle were the cheapest on the table but both punch well above their weight.
Batailley Pauillac 5th Growth 2009 Herbal, spice, hint of green mint/peppermint, oak becomes prominent. Pepper, spiced meats, cinnamon.
Plums, oaky, choco, flesh, spice, dry tannins, hint bitter. Great harmony.
This was voted equal wine of the night along with Leoville Barton. It is a young and exuberant wine that has a long time to go before it fully matures.
Leoville Barton St Julien 2nd Growth 2009 Dense, cool, plums, fragrant, spearmint, violets & roses, spice, very perfumed, bubblegum.
Vibrant, crunchy, blue/purple, structured, sweet fruited, hint short? Primary and raw.
This was the second most expensive wine on the table and it was impressive but extremely young. For three times the price of Phelan or Cantemerle you'd certainly grab three bottles of the others if you were going to drink the wine now. In 15-30 years time it may be another story. However, Options wine number one might just turn that thought on its head.
Clos Fourtet St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe 2009 Dark, smoke, graphite, oak, cardomom, complex, hint of jam at core.
Silky, weighty, dark, choco, firm, clean, tart red fruits, red liquorice, hint bitter, briary.
The most expensive wine on the table and the only Right Bank wine. I think it suffered for that in part as most didn't enjoy it where I found it quite lovely but perhaps too expensive. We also had a discussion about the fact Robert Parker gave this wine 100 points out of a possible 100. Was this wine perfect? Was it better than the Leoville or Batailley? Over time will it become perfect?
Options Wine # 1
Cantemerle Haut Medoc 5th Growth 1995 Kevin brought this along to complement the 2009 we were having and it was stunning.
Dry, green leaf, tobacco, spearmint, dry leaves, earth, prune, plums, spice.
Sweet fruits, clean, cool, elegant.
Unfortunately noone picked it as being the Cantemerle but this wine was stunning. Exactly why you buy and store Bordeaux. If you could bottle this and sell it you would....
Options Wine # 2
Pichon Lalande Pauillac 2nd Growth 1979 Patrick's favourite Bordeaux producer and a wine he holds close to his heart.
Green olives, tea leaf, earth, stone, currants.
Dry, lean, clean, sweet core, red fruits, red currants.
Can be summed up as "Pretty, floral, red and vibrant". There was a mustiness to it but more an age rather than cork issue. It was stunning old Bordeaux that still had a fair whack of tannic power.
Showing posts with label merlot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label merlot. Show all posts
Monday, 3 September 2012
Sunday, 12 August 2012
A Decade Of TarraWarra @ The Point
After a recent trip to the cellar door I was quite excited to hear that TarraWarra was hosting a ten year vertical tasting showing off their flagship Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with some of their other releases.
First up was the Marsanne Roussanne Viognier blends. As a rule these blends have never excited me even in the Rhone Valley where this classic blend calls home. The 2010 was excellent, a great vintage that made a floral, peachy, nutty drink with spice and dough notes. The palate was creamy and silky quite clean with a hint of savouriness and a lanolin finish. 2009 was from a hot vintage and looked a bit cooked and bitter but the 2008 from a cooler and more elegant year showed great oystershell, spice and peach. It has a great mouthfeel with candied red fruits a hint of white pepper and good length.
Next table along provided 12 Chardonnays to taste. The entry level Estate from 2010 - youthful, minerally/flinty, nice bit of stonefruit with great mouthfeel and hint of oak and 2008 showing a lot of vibrant, rich fruits and a creamy, vanilla bean palate. The Reserve spanned vintages from 10, 08, 06, 05, 04, 02, 01, 00. It was an amazing exercise. 2010-2004 all showed amazing depth and purity, while really celebrating the vintage variation. Moving to 2002 was the first hint of real development in the wines and 2001 and 2000 looking like good old fashioned Chardonnay with some age. Finally we had MDB Chardonnay which is a selection from the best vineyards made in only the very best years. I tasted the elegant, restrained, zesty and vibrant 2010 and the Flinty/mineral, lean and clean 2006. It was seriously good Chardonnay on this table.
Pinot Noir the third table and I have to say I lost my nerve a bit. That and I was running out of time. I tried two vintages of the Estate the fabulous 2010 - so vibrant but savoury and lovely. The 2008 was deeper and dark with just a hint of bitterness. Quite enjoyable but at the other end of the spectrum. I tasted four vintages of the dark fruited, undergrowthy Estates 10, 08, 06, 04 or which 06 was the most impressive with its extra level of blood orange and meaty/olive notes. And the 2006 MDB Pinot offered the same style but with more red fruits, silky, balance and loveliness.
To wrap up the tasting was the Merlot and Shiraz. Short of time or not I intended on tasting all of these wines as I knew how good they are! Their 2009 got me excited about Australian Merlot and the 2010 takes it to the next level. These are seriously impressive wines. The J-Block Shiraz was brilliant and vibrant with depth and elegance. Great mineral notes and compelling drinking.
All in all a great tasting, surprising that the Chardonnay stood out so tall but my stars were the Merlot and Shiraz.
First up was the Marsanne Roussanne Viognier blends. As a rule these blends have never excited me even in the Rhone Valley where this classic blend calls home. The 2010 was excellent, a great vintage that made a floral, peachy, nutty drink with spice and dough notes. The palate was creamy and silky quite clean with a hint of savouriness and a lanolin finish. 2009 was from a hot vintage and looked a bit cooked and bitter but the 2008 from a cooler and more elegant year showed great oystershell, spice and peach. It has a great mouthfeel with candied red fruits a hint of white pepper and good length.
Next table along provided 12 Chardonnays to taste. The entry level Estate from 2010 - youthful, minerally/flinty, nice bit of stonefruit with great mouthfeel and hint of oak and 2008 showing a lot of vibrant, rich fruits and a creamy, vanilla bean palate. The Reserve spanned vintages from 10, 08, 06, 05, 04, 02, 01, 00. It was an amazing exercise. 2010-2004 all showed amazing depth and purity, while really celebrating the vintage variation. Moving to 2002 was the first hint of real development in the wines and 2001 and 2000 looking like good old fashioned Chardonnay with some age. Finally we had MDB Chardonnay which is a selection from the best vineyards made in only the very best years. I tasted the elegant, restrained, zesty and vibrant 2010 and the Flinty/mineral, lean and clean 2006. It was seriously good Chardonnay on this table.
Pinot Noir the third table and I have to say I lost my nerve a bit. That and I was running out of time. I tried two vintages of the Estate the fabulous 2010 - so vibrant but savoury and lovely. The 2008 was deeper and dark with just a hint of bitterness. Quite enjoyable but at the other end of the spectrum. I tasted four vintages of the dark fruited, undergrowthy Estates 10, 08, 06, 04 or which 06 was the most impressive with its extra level of blood orange and meaty/olive notes. And the 2006 MDB Pinot offered the same style but with more red fruits, silky, balance and loveliness.
To wrap up the tasting was the Merlot and Shiraz. Short of time or not I intended on tasting all of these wines as I knew how good they are! Their 2009 got me excited about Australian Merlot and the 2010 takes it to the next level. These are seriously impressive wines. The J-Block Shiraz was brilliant and vibrant with depth and elegance. Great mineral notes and compelling drinking.
All in all a great tasting, surprising that the Chardonnay stood out so tall but my stars were the Merlot and Shiraz.
Sunday, 3 June 2012
Bordeaux - The Aristocratic Way Pt 1
Bordeaux is one of my favourite wine regions, through the years I have been able to taste more of these wines than any others (except maybe Burgundy). You can see some of my recent Bordeaux encounters here.
Before we get into the wines themselves perhaps some background on the region will put it into perspective.
The region is most famous for its savoury, structured and long lived red wines and intensely sweet botrytised white wines. It is important to remember that with Bordeaux about 10% of the production takes about 90% of the wealth and 97% of the attention. For the most part we are going to be talking about the 10%.
Bordeaux is situated near the Atlantic coast of France and is shaped by the Gironde, Dordogne and Gironne rivers. Cool conditions and frequent rainfall, including during harvest time, makes Bordeaux quite a marginal region with vintages frequently ruined by rain or saved from the rain at the last minute by timely sunshine. This makes knowning the vintages quite important when buying Bordeaux, but knowing the good producers will be safer still. On the plus side, the rainfall does help to facilitate the productions of wines affected by botrytis such as Barsac and Sauternes.
Wine making was brought to the area by the Romans sometime after 48AD. The region developed a strong link with England in the 12th Century when Henry Plantagenet and Aliénor d’Aquitaine married and Aquitanine became a province of England. This link remains to this day despite a few hiccups to the relationship, such as The Hundred Years war and France reclaiming the land.
The region makes red, sweet white, white and sparkling wines. A lot of this wine is sold as cheap generic 'super market' wine. A small percentage is the high quality wines that are celebrated and sought afters by wine lovers and investors all across the world.
Approximately 89% of the production is red wine. Merlot is the most commonly used grape followed by Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Depending on terroir and historical importance Malbec, Petit Verdot and handful of other varieties such as Carmenere are used, generally in small quantities. There are very few high quality wines that are made of a single variety. The sum of the parts add up to more than the individual components.
The Right Bank wines use a lot more Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The Merlot provides plushness, silk and softness while the Cabernet Franc gives acid and fragrance. The two main appellations on the Right Bank are St-Emilion and Pomerol.
The sweet and dry whites are made from Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. Botrytis affected white wines made in appellations Sauternes and Barsac have spawned many imitators all over the world. There is a lot to love about the unctuous, apricoty, creme brulee, vanilla bean and floral lift that these wines offer. The best wines such as Chateau d'Yquem age gracefully for many decades.
The dry whites can rival the best white Burgundy, Loire white or Rheingau Riesling. The top end wines show racy acidity, tropical and floral perfumed notes, a fair lick of oak and nice texture. They have the ability to live for a long time. The only draw back is they tend to be comparatively expensive. Look for whites from Graves, Pessac Leognan or from well regarded producers.
The other point of difference about the region is the En-Primeur system of sales. The top wines of the regions are offered for sale 18 months before they are ready to be shipped. The wines are tasted unfinished by experts and punters and given scores representing what they will taste like and the rest of the world buys (or not) on the back of this.
If you want to be part of the excitement we have the 2011 En-Primeur Offer currently available for sale now (with the wines arriving in 2014). Available for sale and enjoyment now are Reds from the charming 2008s, classically styled 2006s and the brilliant 2004s.
 |
| The Region of Bordeaux and it appellations. |
 |
| Cabernet Sauvignon |
The region is most famous for its savoury, structured and long lived red wines and intensely sweet botrytised white wines. It is important to remember that with Bordeaux about 10% of the production takes about 90% of the wealth and 97% of the attention. For the most part we are going to be talking about the 10%.
Bordeaux is situated near the Atlantic coast of France and is shaped by the Gironde, Dordogne and Gironne rivers. Cool conditions and frequent rainfall, including during harvest time, makes Bordeaux quite a marginal region with vintages frequently ruined by rain or saved from the rain at the last minute by timely sunshine. This makes knowning the vintages quite important when buying Bordeaux, but knowing the good producers will be safer still. On the plus side, the rainfall does help to facilitate the productions of wines affected by botrytis such as Barsac and Sauternes.
 |
| Merlot |
The region makes red, sweet white, white and sparkling wines. A lot of this wine is sold as cheap generic 'super market' wine. A small percentage is the high quality wines that are celebrated and sought afters by wine lovers and investors all across the world.
 |
| Sauvignon Blanc |
The famous Left Bank of Bordeaux exalts the grape Cabernet Sauvignon which makes elegant and fragrant wines of high acidity and tannin that allow the wines to age for 30 to 50 years depending on the vintage. The best appellations on the Left Bank include Medoc, St-Estephe, Pauillac, St-Julien, Margaux, Haut Medoc, Margaux and Pessac Leognan.
 |
| Semillon |
The sweet and dry whites are made from Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. Botrytis affected white wines made in appellations Sauternes and Barsac have spawned many imitators all over the world. There is a lot to love about the unctuous, apricoty, creme brulee, vanilla bean and floral lift that these wines offer. The best wines such as Chateau d'Yquem age gracefully for many decades.
The dry whites can rival the best white Burgundy, Loire white or Rheingau Riesling. The top end wines show racy acidity, tropical and floral perfumed notes, a fair lick of oak and nice texture. They have the ability to live for a long time. The only draw back is they tend to be comparatively expensive. Look for whites from Graves, Pessac Leognan or from well regarded producers.
The other point of difference about the region is the En-Primeur system of sales. The top wines of the regions are offered for sale 18 months before they are ready to be shipped. The wines are tasted unfinished by experts and punters and given scores representing what they will taste like and the rest of the world buys (or not) on the back of this.
If you want to be part of the excitement we have the 2011 En-Primeur Offer currently available for sale now (with the wines arriving in 2014). Available for sale and enjoyment now are Reds from the charming 2008s, classically styled 2006s and the brilliant 2004s.
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