UGC Bordeaux - finals thoughts on the 2009's

The infamous, one-off Karl Lagerfeld labels for Château Rauzan-Ségla 2009

DF and Aline Baly, Marketing & Communication Manager for Château Coutet

DF and Jean-Pierre Foubet, Managing Director of Château Chasse-Spleen

DF and Count Stephan Von Neipperg, Director of Château Canon-La Gaffelière

DF with Anne and Olivier Bernard, Managers of Domaine de Chevalier

DF with friends

So, what did we learn from this tasting? A lot, actually. The reds for one, are as good as advertised. Just sheer excitement and sex appeal. Fresh and pure, with the best ones remaining elegant and finely structured, showing enormous potential. The usual culprits (new oak and over-extraction) still lurk, but in such a ripe vintage, most of it is well contained.

The whites, both dry and sweet, clearly don't have the energy or excitement of the 2007's, or even the 2008's. I wouldn't go as far as saying they're flabby, but they do lack a certain acidic lift and dry extract. Good for early drinking though.

The wines feature fantastically high prices, almost shockingly so. One of the representatives of a more modestly-priced wine (and if you follow Bordeaux closely, you'll know who they are) had a rather interesting take on why some of them choose not to price higher. I was tasting his wine - fabulous, just exceptional in its purity and style. I commented that although he's always maintained a sane pricing strategy every vintage, the same could not be said about some of his colleagues. Was there any pressure to increase the price? His answer was that they were happy with their current customers, and had no trouble selling their wines. If they were to increase their prices, they would have to attract a completely different customer base, who may not be familiar with their wines. Essentially, they would have to prove, all over again, why their wines were worth a higher price.

An interesting explanation of pricing strategy. Although I doubt they'd have trouble selling their wines at a 25-30% premium. Don't tell them that though. On a whole, a great, great tasting. A chance to catch up with some old friends, both in the tasting circle as well as some of the estate directors and managers. Met a lot of new people - not providing spit cups does allow one to loosen up over the course of the evening and talk to more people. I'm looking forward to making good on that promise, Monsieur, Madame . . . I'll see you in Bordeaux!

Above all, this tasting reaffirmed that when the vintage is right, Bordeaux still creates some of the most exciting, dazzling wines in the world.

Please find all the tasting notes for the evening here:

2009 Graves & Pessac-Léognan
2009 Barsac & Sauternes
2009 Right Bank & Left Bank

DF

UGC Bordeaux - 2009 Right Bank & Left Bank

DF and Tom Hlasny, Château La Lagune

And now for the heavyweights. 2009 was always, from the very beginning, lauded as a fabulous vintage for the red wines. Legendary even, if you'd believe some of the breathless reports coming back from American critics. Lots of ripeness, soaring alcohol levels, all incredibly voluptuous - very Moulin Rouge, all sex and legs without being whoreish.

They delivered on that promise. The wines were, in a word, extraordinary. Ripe and approachable, exceedingly pure in fruit. Alcohols are high, but I did not detect any hint of an alcoholic burn in any of the wines. The most amazing thing about them though? The freshness. All of them were so fresh, so energetic, so lively. The triumph here, at this stage? In my opinion, the left bank. Pure fruit, finely structured, very elegant. Margaux was a bit off for me, the oak was incredibly intrusive. There were still some issues with over-extraction, especially on the right bank. Unfortunately, some also showed a dried, over-ripened character. Oak management is still an issue - you can't help but wonder if they got so excited with how ripe the fruit was that they figured, why not . . . let's just stick in as much new oak as we can.

Overall, the wines were so, so exciting, I was nearly turning delirious. My favourite wines? Gazin in the right bank, Pichon-Longueville-Baron in the left bank. Expensive as shit, but damn, fine as hell. By far one of the best showings of red wine in the 3 years that the UGC has been in Toronto. I just can't get over how exciting the 2009 reds are!!

Saint-Émilion

Château Canon-La Gaffelière 2009: presented by the one and only Stephan Von Neipperg, dashing as always draped in an orange sweater; oaky rich fruit, great purity on the palate, oaky but quite structured, very long

Château Figeac 2009: oaky on the nose, crunchy fruit, very complex; palate disappoints, seems to completely drop off; at an awkward stage?

Château Troplong-Mondot 2009: So much oak here, dark fruit; refined and very elegant on the palate, finely structured, a good one

Pomerol

Château Clinet 2009: at $265 a bottle, certainly not being bashful; warm fruit, extremely ripe, slightly macerated; a bit disappointing, as I want richness and freshness in a warm Pomerol vintage

Château Gazin 2009: my favourite right bank wine, a real winner; this wine always quite rich, and ages very well - you almost feel like it'll never lose its fruit, in any vintage; dark and really big, rich fruit; dense oak on both the nose and palate, tannins are a bit coarse; very structured, needs time - all the elements are present, so much potential here

Château Petit-Village 2009: ripe fresh fruit, some oak, well integrated; big, grippy tannins

Moulis-en-Médoc

Château Poujeaux 2009: beautifully ripe, fresh fruit, so well put together; such an incredible fragrance, elegant palate, with the oak coming up slightly on the finish; very fine indeed

Château Chasse-Spleen 2009: my first time meeting Pierre Foubet, Managing Director of Chasse-Spleen, sans moustache (!); really fresh, pure fruit, so fine, so elegant, remaining structured and pure on the palate; delicious already, I'm SO glad I bought this wine

Haut-Médoc

Château La Lagune 2009: the wine that introduced me to fine Bordeaux - 7 vintages in my cellar and counting; fresh fruit, really pure, some well integrated oak; grippy tannins, really structured, I'm really looking forward to seeing this age

Margaux

Château Angludet 2009: complex, fine nose, really linear fruit, structured; really, really great

Château Brane-Cantenac 2009: so oaky, completely hiding the fruit; not offering much on the palate; can you say I'm awkward today?

Château Cantenac Brown 2009: that oaky nose again; ripe fruit, remaining fresh on the palate as well; finely structured

Château Du Tertre 2009: degree of oakiness, fine structure, but more luscious in texture

Château Giscours 2009: oaky all over, structured, pure fruit

Château Kirwan 2009: oaky ripe fruit, that middle of the line palate

Château Prieuré-Lichine 2009: so fresh, vibrant in fruit, really elegant; good structure, beautifully put together; 50% new oak

Château Rauzan-Ségla 2009: fine fruit, some oak, really linear palate; finely structured, really delicious; the famous (and hideous looking) Karl Lagerfeld-designed labels

Château Rauzan-Gassies 2009: crunchy, oaky fruit, good integration, fine palate; quite good in fact

Margaux . . . y u no stay consistent??!!

Saint-Julien

Château Beychevelle 2009: fresh, vibrant fruit, good density, rich but balanced; delicious already

Château Branaire Ducru 2009: I need to take a closer look at these wines; fine oak used, linear fruit, elegantly structured; so fresh, very good potential

Château Gruaud-Larose 2009: oaky, fine fruit; linear, fresh, well structured; it's the freshness and balance that was giving my boy Stefan the shakes

Château Langoa-Barton 2009: good depth, dark, and linear; finely structured, tight and dense; the potential here is obvious

Château Lagrange 2009: fresh, well integrated oak, good structured, slightly candied in fruit

Pauillac

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2009: slightly bretty here, the only one (!); rustic palate, good structure, fine

Château Pichon-Longueville-Baron 2009: clearly the finest red wine here; really elegant, pure fruit, fresh, and incredible pedigree here; absolute silk on the palate, weightless; so fine, so grand, I'm losing my mind here

Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse De Lalande 2009: some oak, fine fruit, elegant structured and with great breed; excellent potential here, one of the grand wines of Pauillac ($295 a bottle)

Final thoughts on the wines, and the vintage next.

DF

UGC Bordeaux - 2009 Barsac & Sauternes

I don't want to suggest that Sauternes is in some trouble, but as with other sweet wines, it's near impossible to shed its label as something you only drink with dessert. And we all know how those go - almost no one actually opens another bottle after dinner, and no one even thinks of having it with dinner. Let's change that. In a great, cool vintage where the wines retain a good acidity, yet have ripeness and that all important botrytis character - a LOT like 2007 - the wines are absolutely stunning on the table. Few things in the world provide that deep satisfaction as old Sauternes, and yes, let's work together and change the perception of these wines. First by NEVER referring to them as dessert wines, omg.

The 2009 Sauternes share the ripeness of their dry white counterparts, but unfortunately, a few of them seem primary. All honey, big fruit, and lots of sweetness, but lacking in acidity, botrytis spice, and depth. Because the most interesting thing about a sweet wine should not be the fact that it's sweet. The best (most expensive) wines showed their pedigree though. You want to see lots of complexity, great acidity, great potential for decades of aging. These wines are expensive, and in my opinion, fall short of the 2007's as a whole.

Château Bastor-Lamontagne 2009: honey and apricots on the aroma, one of those aromas that cannot be mistaken for anything but a botrytis affected wine; ripe fruit, good acid on the palate

Château Climens 2009: pure, linear fruit already apparent; very pure and fine on the palate, sweet yet balanced

Château Coutet 2009: presented by the always articulate Aline Baly, Marketing & Communication Manager; honey and ripe fruit, viscous; round and sweet on the palate, long with good richness

Château de Fargues 2009: clearly the finest Sauternes of the tasting, and at $87 for a half bottle, it should be; botrytis spice on the nose, floral and ripe fruits; honey on the palate, long and a very spicy finish; fine and elegant, already complex with great depth

Château de Rayne-Vigneau 2009: ripe fruit, pure, mineral; compact on the palate, slightly bitter on the finish, interesting and needs time to come together

Château Doisy Daëne 2009: a wine I've been following for quite some time - I am SO excited for the 2007's to start coming around; pretty, almost floral in aroma, very refined fruit; really sweet, dense, rich, and long

Château Guiraud 2009: pure fruit, quite pretty, flowers and all that, the signature of Guiraud; ripe sweet fruit, textural and really viscous on the palate

Château La Tour Blanche 2009: blast of oak over the fruit, sweet palate, some spice on the finish; really needs time in the bottle

Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2009: spicy oak on the nose, pure fruit, sweet but balanced palate

Château Suduiraut 2009: I have a half-bottle of the 1997 somewhere - we'll see soon enough how this ages after a decade in bottle; a bit reticent on the nose, but the fruit is very pure, concentrated and very sweet; a big, big wine

My tasting notes for the 2009 red wines next!

DF

UGC Bordeaux - 2009 Graves & Pessac-Léognan

DF with Olivier and Anne Bernard, Domaine de Chevalier

The dry white wines of Bordeaux are always exciting to taste. The past few years have seen successive vintages of stunning dry whites from here - 2005, 2008, and definitely 2007 have all been winners. Just something about the acidity and levels of extract on the palate that make the experience feel like drinking electricity. And, might I add, these are the few white wines in the world that wear so much new oak with such style.

I always start tasting here, moving onto Sauternes, then the red wines. Certainly gets the palate going, as these tastings sometimes can feel like marathon sessions. Something about the 2009's was fairly obvious early on - they're all extremely ripe, with a few of the better ones showing an overt tropical fruit character. The impression of the acid is not quite as present, but not so much as to leave the wines flabby. Just does not have that same degree of dry extract in the mouth. New oak as always (and expected) in these wines when young. What I found interesting was that as ripe as the wines were, they remained balanced, with the sauvignon blanc character still present. Certainly very drinkable now, and being so ripe, one for the short to mid-term.

Château de Chantegrive Blanc 2009: a fair bit of oak here, round in fruit; creamy on the palate, soft acid

Château Carbonnieux Blanc 2009: so delicate on the nose, linear and fresh, very clear fruit; a very cool style of wine indeed, very pure, with just a kiss of oak; very fine and elegant example, a favourite of mine

Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2009: always such a pleasure talking to Monsieur and Madame Bernard, the passionate and eloquent managers of this estate; really well-integrated oak, floral notes, so fragrant already; delicate, ripe fruit, exceedingly elegant on the palate, showing the most amazing peach and tropical character on the palate; just a delicious, friendly, complex, and inviting wine

Château de Fieuzal Blanc 2009: slightly green in aroma, those sauvignon notes, with the fruit quite open; lean palate, put together, but altogether more grounded

Château Haut-Bergey Blanc 2009: I quite like this wine, but it was showing slightly awkward tonight; a fair bit of round oak, with the fruit reticent

Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion Blanc 2009: this wine is always well priced, showing well in 2007 and 2008; slightly green on the nose, fruit a bit shy at the moment; sweet oak on the palate; all the elements are there, just needs time to come together

Château Latour-Martillac Blanc 2009: that hideous label is an absolute eyesore, but the wine is the real deal; ripe fruit on the nose, fresh; beautifully extracted on the palate, with the fruit becoming almost crunchy in texture; a fabulous success for this estate, for this vintage

Château Malartic-Lagravière Blanc 2009: the oak is present, but remains in the background, rising up a bit in the mouth; nutty, but too bad the fruit is hidden

Château Pape Clément Blanc 2009: the heavyweight at, check it, $245 a bottle . . . horrifying; some oak on the nose, but the fruit is ripe and holds it nicely; really elegant in texture, very fine, with the oak rising up on the finish; heavyweight indeed

Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2009: for once, their reds out-price the whites; oaky ripe fruit, really bright on the palate; well integrated already with the oak rising on the finish; this estate always likes more structured white wines, and the 2009 does need some time to just come together and develop into itself

Tasting notes for Barsac and Sauternes next!

DF

just after the tasting

So, we've finished the UGC Bordeaux tasting of the 2009 vintage and are at C'est What, grabbing some food and a few pints. Just some quick thoughts - the reds were stunning across the board, with some truly exciting wines. The cabernets were a great success. Still an issue with some right bank wines being overextracted. Lots of new oak everywhere, but in the best examples, the elements are already well-integrated. The dry whites lacked energy, but did show ripe, tropical fruit characteristics. Sauternes was very sweet and rich.

A great, great tasting overall - a lesson that in good vintages, few regions can compete with Bordeaux in terms of sheer excitement. Detailed tasting notes and impressions to come soon. Time to indulge a bit in the wonderful ales they have here, and a lamb burger - someone is going to have to carry me home tonight.

DF

looking forward to UGC 2012!

Something to look forward to! Yes, it's that time of year again when all the aristocrats from Bordeaux come to Toronto to allow us the privilege of tasting their sweet sweet nectar. I'm so excited, because in 2 weeks, the UGC will once again host a tasting of their wines, this time the vaunted 2009 vintage. The last 2 years, the red wines were certainly underwhelming. This year looks to be much different.

I've always been so impressed with the quality of dry white Bordeaux, and 2007 was a wild success for Sauternes. The reds? Really hit and miss for me - I've felt indifferent about them far more than not at these tastings. The prices being asked for them certainly play a role in that perception. But the 2009 reds are said to be amazing, and I can't wait to taste. Also, looking forward to meeting and talking with some of the owners and estate managers again! Plus . . . it's all on a Friday night. Who knows, maybe we'll see a repeat performance.

DF

UGC Bordeaux, final thoughts

left to right: Ms. Aline Baly, Owner of Château Coutet and Ms. Virginie Achou-Legape, Marketing & Communication of Château Climens

DF and Mr. Pierre Montégut, Director of Château Suduiraut

DF and the peerless Comte Stephan von Neipperg, Director of Château Canon-La-Gaffelière

This year's UGC Bordeaux tasting was once again, an invaluable look into the 2008 vintage. It's also fascinating to see how different a vintage can be for each producer, and meeting the people behind all the wines is always wonderful. I made a conscientious effort to speak with a few of the owners and directors of each estate . . . and was very glad I did. These people are so passionate, so eloquent about their wines - very inspiring.

The 2008 vintage, overall, is consistent. If one is to make generalizations, which are very unfair at this stage, one would have to say that the vintage is good, not great. Above all though, I feel like this is the wrong time to be tasting these wines. Having just been bottled for a few months at most, so many of the wines were either closed or at a very awkward stage - I can't help but feel that these wines would show much better in 12 months. In any case, some kind of judgement has to be made. The dry whites don't have the energy or the sheer sex appeal of the 2007's. The Sauternes are good, some with wonderful minerality, but not as focused as 2007. The red wines were more successful, riper than 2007. However, this is still a fairly lean, tight year. Oak management is a big issue, with many of the wines seeming clunky, with the oak sitting on top of everything. The majority of the wines remain elegant in structure, but a few showed hard, almost greenish tannins.

Good, not great vintage. This was a strange year all around, with the substantial price decreases initiated by the Bordelais. At the time of the campaign, it was said that this was a very good vintage, better than 2006 and just sitting beneath 2005. This tasting showed maybe otherwise. We'll see in 10 years.

DF

UGC Bordeaux - 2008 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru/Pomerol

The right bank is always under-represented at UGC tastings. I'm probably 60/40 on Bordeaux, with the right bank having a slight edge. Just more interesting, especially the ones coming from limestone-heavy vineyards. And look at these guys - the ever so charming Comte Stephan von Neipperg, showing the young guys how it's done with the sharp suit and draped orange sweater. The wines? More of the same - some good ones, some closed.

Château Canon-La-Gaffelière - pure fruit, very ripe, clean and linear on the palate, juicy and very fruit forward
Château Figeac - pure fruit, spicy, great transition into long, firm finish
Château La Couspaude - dark berries, ripe and concentrated, well made
Château La Dominique - oaky fruit, ripe, oak roars on the palate
Château La Gaffelière - spicy fruit, hard tannins, good purity
Château Larmande - soft
Château Larcis Ducasse - spicy fruit, very lean
Château Troplong-Mondot - oaky fruit, ripe and structured, tannins a bit hard
Château Clinet - omg $219, fruit is very pure, ripe, elegant and quite fine
Château Gazin - ripe fruit, concentrated, tightly structured like a rock, very true to the Gazin style
Château La Conseillante - very bright fruit, softly structured

DF

UGC Bordeaux - 2008 Pessac-Léognan Rouge

DF and Mr. Olivier Bernard, Manager of Domaine de Chevalier. Fresh off a feature in Decanter magazine, we had an extended conversation about the history of white Bordeaux, Pessac, dry white wines, white Burgundy, harvesting techniques, wine philosophy . . . what a fascinating man. A trip to Domaine de Chevalier is definitely on my list now. The red wines coming out of here, again, are not bad in 2008. But when you're paying north of $60, not bad doesn't cut it.

Château Carbonnieux - oaky and very hard, closed like a scared clam
Domaine de Chevalier - smoky, toasty but refined oak, lean fruit, lively structure
Château Haut-Bergey - ripe fruit, soft berries, lean and well structured, good potential; I was told to hold onto the 'o5's for another 4-5 years

DF

UGC Bordeaux - 2008 Pauillac/Saint-Estèphe

The heavyweights of the tasting, at least to the rabid trend-chasers these events always seem to attract. At least Lynch-Bages didn't run out this time. Nothing spectacular again - these wines are just so awkward right now. Good, not great . . . this should not be something these wines are striving for, at least at these prices. Yet I'm certain that if we were to taste them in a year, impressions would be vastly improved. A shame.

Château Clerc-Milon - oaky, fine palate
Château d'Armailhac - lean, spicy oak
Château Lynch-Bages - the superstar, ripe and floral, spicy oak, structured with linear fruit
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - spicy fruit, linear on the palate, very tightly wound
Château Cos-Labory - good fruit, soft texture, all cashmere on the palate
Château Lafon-Rochet - oaky nose, well structured, all riding on top of the fruit
Château Phélan Ségur - oak, oak, oak, fruit and tannins ripe(r)

DF

UGC Bordeaux - 2008 Saint-Julien

Saint-Julien interests me. Overall, the wines showed well. Solid, classic Bordeaux, although a few were closed. Geez . . . I know they want to push the newest vintage, and LCBO wants to pump up their futures sales before the wines arrive, but come on, this is just about the worst time to taste these wines. Oak just completely sitting on top of everything, with many showing hard tannins.

Château Beychevelle - graphite minerality, linear, tight but very fine, a good one
Château Branaire Ducru - spicy oak, good fruit, finely structured
Château Gruaud-Larose - rustic aromas, the only one this year; follows on the palate too
Château Langoa-Barton - ripe, structured, impeccably balanced
Château Léoville-Barton - perfumed bouquet, very elegant, the only archetypal Saint-Julien
Château Lagrange - very oaky, ripe, big structure
Château Léoville Poyferré - oaky (again!!), hard tannins

DF

UGC Bordeaux - 2008 Moulis/Haut-Médoc

DF and Mr. Jean-Luc Chapel, Brand Ambassador of Château La Lagune. We had a conversation about my love for his wine, particularly my partiality to the '86. He affirmed that Hong Kong was a major market for them, and La Lagune enjoys great name recognition there. Anyways, onto what I believe is some of the highest value wines in all of Bordeaux. Speaking about Poujeaux and Chasse-Spleen of course, two wines that are modestly priced yet are of exceptional quality. And they were wonderful, my two favourite wines of the tasting. Elegant and classic clarets, making me very happy I bought both.

Château Poujeaux - graphite minerality, linear structure, pure fruit, very classic and fine
Château Chasse-Spleen - Rich berries, creamy oak, ripe and very elegant, delicious
Château Citran -confected, flabby, no
Château La Lagune - oaky mocha aromas, very fine, spicy and quite forward

DF

UGC Bordeaux - 2008 Sauternes

Moving onto Sauternes. I bought only a few bottles of 2008 - these are wines that demand bottle age, and I can't afford to pay so much money for wine that I can't touch for a decade. Like the dry white wines, 2007 was a good year for Sauternes. Rich and concentrated, but with a higher acidity. Good botrytis character too. Was I ever pleased with myself for hedging my bets on those wines. As it is with Bordeaux, no one ever hears about how the whites are doing. After all, as they say, the first duty of a Bordeaux wine is to be red.

This tasting showed quite well for Sauternes. The wines were dense and had lower acid than 2007, but were balanced, and classic. A few had a lovely stream of minerality. The botrytis is not apparent in this vintage, but as with all the wines, we are judging them far too prematurely.

Château Climens - clean apricots on the nose, concentrated and sweet
Château Coutet - balanced fruit, sweet but good acid, long
Château Doisy-Daëne - pure fruit, slight herbal in character, spicy, great length
Château Guiraud - concentrated, punchy fruit, juicy and rich, slightly bitter on the finish, complex
Château La Tour Blanche - slightly herbal, beautiful minerals, balanced and lean
Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey - concentrated and sweet, good mineral character, balanced
Château Sigalas-Rabaud - very concentrated, lots of sweetness, thick
Château Suduiraut - aromatic apricots, concentrated, syrupy and very rich

DF

UGC Bordeaux - 2008 Graves/Pessac-Léognan Blanc

As is usual, I began my night with dry white Bordeaux. Really interested to see how these would show - the 2007 whites were stunning, ripe and racy, showing lots of potential. The 2008's turned out to be a bit spottier, with many of them showing lots of oak and green, unripe flavours. A lot of the wines seemed clumsy, with a few closed - this isn't the best time to be tasting these wines. The oak needs to resolve, especially for the wines which used a high percentage of new barriques. Curiously, many of the wines seemed green and unripe, with very little fruit character. The semillon seems to be muted, sauvignon a bit too aggressive at this stage. Just doesn't have the energy or the harmony of the 2007's.

Château de Chantegrive - grassy, herbal and green, which follows on the lean, bitter palate
Château Rahoul - waxy herbal nose, muted palate, oaky finish
Château Bouscaut - oily on the nose, diesel fumes, creamy in texture
Château Carbonnieux - oily nose, herbal, lean and balanced, but green
Domaine de Chevalier - creamy, balanced, showing lots of green sauvignon fruit, elegant
Château de Fieuzal - creamy but closed at the moment, round and extracted finish
Château Larrivet Haut-Brion - balanced, waxy
Château Latour-Martillac - green and herbal, very oaky, in a very awkward stage
Château Malartic-Lagravière - precise, clean balanced fruit, herbal and creamy palate
Château Pape Clement - so oaky, lots of green on the palate
Château Smith Haut Lafitte - pungent vegetal aromas, spicy oak, balanced, but the oak needs to integrate, especially on the palate

DF

UGC Bordeaux, 2008

The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux is back in Toronto, here we go again.

They're showing 2008 Bordeaux, a vintage that was praised by some as fabulous, derided by others as mediocre. It was certainly an interesting En Primeur campaign - in the midst of a global economic downturn, the French promptly reduced prices by about 40%, with the First Growths leading the way. Of course, Latour was still going for $345, but you get the point. What I thought was my only opportunity to afford a single lot of First Growths was thwarted by proper wine collectors who buy by the case, not by lot. Lesson learned.

Very much looking forward to tonight's tasting at the Four Seasons. Of course, I'll be taking the subway down sober, and returning with blackened teeth, lips, and tongue. Might even get good and tipsy.

Please come back soon for photos from the event, and full tasting notes.

DF

UGC Bordeaux - 2007 In Review

So, after 67 wines tasted, what have we learned about Bordeaux 2007? As I was discussing with Comtes Stephan von Neipperg above, the vintage was not without its successes. But they were far and few between, in my opinion. I understand we're all being far too premature in passing judgement on this vintage, but there were clearly star appellations who were more successful than others. The dry white wines were a revelation - all the producers did well. I can't see anyone being disappointed, if they bought any of these wines. They need at least 7 years of age, but are all very, very delicious. I can't wait to start drinking these wines.

The Sauternes were showing only primary characters, and need time. The best ones show good botrytis, but again, not as successful across the board as I had thought. I'm uncertain about how these wines will evolve. We'll see, but these wines need many years of bottle age.

The red wines are another matter. Maybe it's an indication of Bordeaux as a whole, but I just could not distinguish difference in appellation. There were no clear markers that we had moved on to a different appellation - maybe that's because of the infancy of the wines, but more cynically, that may be due to the intense enology applied to the wines. Merlot was awful across all producers. Many wines were so tannic...over-extraction was an issue, even in a vintage such as this. The problem isn't so much the austerity of the wines - on the contrary, Bordeaux is supposed to be well-structured. The issue is whether there's anything behind the wall of tannins that so many of the wines had. I doubt many of the wines have any complexity able to emerge after the tannins have softened. Overall, I don't see these wines evolving and improving beyond 10 years. Not that these are bad wines. Just don't expect too much out of them. If the prices were reasonably low, would we even be debating the issue of value?

Having said that, I enjoyed the tasting very much. Attending these huge tastings is an exercise in endurance. I was hit by palate fatigue about 1/3 of the way through. I need to be honest with that. My tasting notes began becoming more elementary as we kept tasting. It took about 2 1/2 hours to get through all the wines, and I'm very happy that we got through the wines we planned for. Towards the end, my mouth and palate was a mess of stained tannins and acidity. Good thing I wasn't there with my beloved.

My tasting notes, by region:

Pessac-Léognan Blanc
Pessac-Léognan Rouge
Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Pomerol
Listrac/Moulis/Haut-Médoc
Margaux
Saint-Julien
Pauillac/Saint-Estèphe
Sauternes/Barsac

DF

UGC Bordeaux - 2007 Sauternes/Barsac

Tasting 2007 Sauternes and Barsac

This was actually the second place we focused on, after the dry white wines. I bought heavily into 2007 sweet white wines, and I wanted to make sure that I was getting good ones. These wines often remain primary for many years before yielding any complexities, and I wanted to be mindful of that. Indeed, many of the wines showed simple fruit, and the residual sugar was often cloying. The overall quality was not as high as I expected - good concentration, yes, but only a few showing botrytis character. Which is why you buy Sauternes, no? But we should keep in mind, these wines need a lot of age - 10+ years - before they get interesting. Open them any sooner, and you're getting alcoholic marmalade.

Château Bastor Lamontagne - fresh, lean, dried apricots, balanced...this $24 bottle showed very well, as it lacks the concentration and syrupy quality of many more expensive wines which require age
Château Climens - spicy botrytis, elegant, noticeably thick texture, very concentrated...$279 (!) a bottle
Château Coutet - rustic nose, very viscous, sweet and a bit cloying, needs some age
Château de Fargues - botrytis on the nose, round, elegant, sweet but with balance, great potential
Château de Rayne-Vigneau - alcohol very prominent, very sweet, one-dimensional at the moment
Château Doisy-Daëne - botrytis singing on the nose, sweet, balanced, a great success
Château La Tour Blanche - fresh fruit, sweet, good balance
Château Guiraud - spicy nose, botrytis quite evident, very linear and pure palate, wonderful balance
Château Sigalas Rabaud - apricot, peaches on the nose, very sweet, almost cloying on the palate

Photo, courtesy of ROKChoi.

DF

UGC Bordeaux - 2007 Pauillac/Saint-Estèphe

Tasting 2007 Pauillac

These wines were ok. But when you charge these prices, your wines can't just be ok. Tannic and heavily structured as expected, but I just don't see any complexity emerging. Just seems overdone, again, with the oak and extraction. But as in all the appellations, you have to be careful, and it's usually the relatively unsought after producers that produce the truest wine. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to taste Pontet-Canet.

Château Batailley - open, lots of oak
Château Lunch-Moussas - dry, tannic, some fruit, slightly green
Château Clerc Milon - lead graphite on nose, fruit hidden, structured
Château D’Armailhac - clunky texture, rustic brettanomyces on the nose
Château Grand-Puy Ducasse - so tannic, one-dimensional
Château Lynch-Bages - oak, high tannins, fruit peeking through, needs age but this is a powerhouse

Tasting 2007 Saint-Estèphe

Only one Saint-Estèphe attended. Too bad. Would have liked to see a wider range.

Château Lafon-Rochet - good crunchy fruit, oaky nose, velvet texture

Photo courtesy of ROKChoi.

DF

UGC Bordeaux - 2007 Saint-Julien

Tasting 2007 Saint-Julien

Again, these wines underwhelmed. A surprising number of wines with brettanomyces. Also, so many of the wines were intensely structured, with hard tannins - I question if they have the fruit and complexity behind it.

Château Branaire Ducru - mocha nose, oak nicely done, good fruit, balanced, well-structured...a good one
Château Gruaud Larose - tight, sweet fruit, good ripeness, very austere
Château Lagrange - spicy oak, tannic, some sweet fruit lurking under there
Château Léoville Poyferré - ungainly, brettanomyces showing, tannic, harsh palate
Château Saint-Pierre - candied, overdone fruit
Château Talbot - rustic oak, lots of hard tannins

Photo courtesy of ROKChoi.

DF

UGC Bordeaux - 2007 Margaux

Tasting 2007 Margaux

I expected the elegant, feminine wines of Margaux to do well in this kind of vintage. As always, isn't the key often to manage against over-extraction and over-oaking? How come it seems so hard for people to understand that you can't claim to represent terroir if you try to make wine to fit a certain style??!! I was underwhelmed, to say the least, by Margaux. I mean, why not work within the confines of the vintage? So many of these wines were just so stylized, so overdone that there was little substance.

Château D’Angludet - good fruit, strucutred, spicy, very bold
Château Dauzac - tannic, earthy, good fruit
Château Giscours - oaky, mustry, damp brettanomyces, underwhelming
Château Kirwan - forward oak, finely structured, elegant
Château Labégorce - very structured, fruit is hiding, bitter
Château Lascombes - oaky, bit clunkily tannic
Château Marquis de Terme - good fruit, round, structured
Château Ferrière - soft, round, unremarkable
Château Haut-Bages Libéral - good sweet fruit, round, candied

Photo courtesy of ROKChoi.

DF