Nikon SB-600 Speedlight

Got my flash! Shining bright, ready to go. Being the obnoxious guy with the flash at the party starts now.

DF

Family Day 2010

The Ontario government tells me that today is Family Day, a day that celebrates the importance of families and family life to people and their communities. Whatever. It's a day off. They can call it whatever the hell they want.

Dreary, and it's still going on. Have a lot of stuff to do today - RRSP deadline coming up. A pot of tea on an otherwise frigid day.

DF

Oh Bordeaux

Oh Bordeaux. I just can't quit you. I said I'd stop buying En Primeur forever. But I have an ego, like many who write about wine. And nothing strokes the ego like an expensive claret.

In all seriousness, I think it's necessary to have a balanced cellar. That includes wines to lay down for the long term (10+ years). There's few wines in the world meant for that kind of aging - Bordeaux is one of them. The spoofy, overripe oak drinks...not so much. But there still are judiciously made clarets, that I need to search out.

In terms of the wines, Bordeaux still offers fantastic wine experiences, outside of the satisfaction of holding the famous names in your cellar. White Bordeaux is a revelation. And Sauternes ages so beautifully - truly one of the great sweet wines of the world. So I don't think I'm going to quit Bordeaux just yet. And I want 20 years of La Lagune on the wall.

DF

Amazing

"And you like Oh God,
why he go so hard?
Look what he's been through,
He deserves an applause"

DF

New Year's Eve

Our New Year is coming up. Year of the Tiger...here we go again. I watched footage of that poor luge athlete who died. I felt sick afterwards. Just something that should not have happened.

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics opening ceremonies. The malfunctioning hydraulic blunt, the clumsy ride through downtown to light the external torch - this is what happens when you try to do these things on a budget. No need to say anymore.

Having a quiet night tonight. Lots of oysters, lots of cockles, fish, and a beautiful filet of beef. Pairing some wonderful wines as well. Photos will be up soon. And I finally got my SB-600 Speedlight!

DF

Just sing!!

2010 Vancouver Olympics. Why can't you just sing the damn National Anthem with some dignity instead of trying to hip-hop the shit out of it? Huh????? Please, Nikki, answer me that. Just sing the fucking song the way it was meant to be performed and show some respect!

DF

New on the blog

Some new features on La Cave de Fang. Look to the left, if you will. Comments are up. I've begun moderating all comments. And the most recent comments are now all up. Because I love when you comment. Especially when you tell me how awesome/wonderful/
talented/sexy/hot/desirable/awe-inspiring I am.

No more blogging. Olympics.

DF

Dreary

Took a walk last Saturday, thought some cold air would help clear my sinuses. Look how dreary everything looks in Toronto. And it took but 5 shots before the cold took out my battery.

DF

2008 Coteaux de Languedoc

2008 Mermont Picpoul de Pinet, AC Coteaux de Languedoc

I needed a wine that was 1) drinkable, and 2) cheap enough so I wouldn't feel pain if I used it to cook clams. Hey, 1 out of 2 ain't bad.

I think there's an issue with these thin, grassy wines that choke your palate. There's a wave of white wines that mimic the absolute head-slamming herbaciousness of New Zealand sauvignon, that people somehow confuse for a fish wine. These wines don't go well with seafood. Period. With oysters, the grassiness just enhances the briny/salty flavour, and really ruins any subtlety the food might have.

But at least the clams came out real nice.

DF

Fluff

Yup. Still cute.

DF

1978 Colheita Port

1978 Hutcheson Colheita Port, Douro

We finished with this wine. After about 5 weeks open and in the fridge, still showing brilliantly. Very complex, bouquet all of nutty, caramel, dried dates....just delicious. Texture holding up wonderfully. A very fine example of how great of a wine colheita port is.

DF

NV Madeira

NV Justino's Fine Rich Madeira

Finishing dinner off with two sweet wines - this was the first one. A Madeira, nonvintage. Of course as you all know, Madeira is an island off the coast of Portugal which produces these sweet wines - they have the distinction of being nearly indestructible. Just a very, very sturdy wine.

Dark amber, bouquet remarkably similar to a sweet vermouth. Licorice, herbal, vanilla...very sweet on the palate. A good drink, but maybe this wasn't the best example. If only LCBO could get its act together and start bringing in more Madeira - a wine that I would very much like to drink and understand more of.

DF

All kinds of cute

You see...even Bebe agrees with me about Bordeaux. We're both so done with overpriced, mediocre claret. Cutie.

DF

1995 Pommard Premier Cru

1995 Remoissenet Pére & Fils Pommard-Épenots, AC Pommard Premier Cru

Second wine of the night. I found this wine and immediately picked it up, with this pairing in mind. Same vintage, bitter rivals, similar prices - even playing field, no?

Colour showing much more maturity. Not browning, but showing very pale. Colour just leeching out of the wine, no lustre. Nose shrieks of high acidity and pruney fruit. Acidity becoming unhinged on the palate as well. But, still some elegance left, and the acid paired very well with our food. I enjoyed the wine. It's clearly getting very tired, but I still enjoyed it. It spoke of its glory days, and proved (to me at least), that Bordeaux pleases the ego, but Burgundy pleases the soul.

DF

1995 Pomerol

1995 Château Latour à Pomerol, AC Pomerol

I'm not a greedy man, nor do I like bragging. I'm not into wine to splash my ego, and flaunt expensive wines that I come across, unlike many other bloggers. But let's be real. The only real reason we blog is to spread ego and arrogance - who are we kidding? And I only wish I was able to drink expensive wine regularly.

A bottle given to me from a friend last year for dinner. It's horrible etiquette not to open a bottle that someone else has brought over, but my friend knows that wine needs to be properly prepared, and we'll drink his wines together anyways, eventually. After a thorough job of prepping, this wine was ready to go.

Holding onto some good colour, edges showing maturity. Alas, a trace of TCA taint. Yes, this expensive, mature claret was a bit corked. Still showing some dark fruits though, becoming a bit sweet in the mouth. Palate is elegant, with finely grained tannins still lingering. Finish still softly grasping on. But alas, this bottle was flawed.

DF

Prepping the wines - Double decanting

Just after 2 hours of decanting was enough. Time to decant back into the bottle. Carefully, with a funnel. There was still some sediment in the Bordeaux, but I took care of that. That's why you double decant. So, both bottles placed in the fridge, to wait for the guests to arrive, and to be poured.

DF

Prepping the wines - Cleaning the bottles

The whole point of double decanting is presentation. So you must make sure that the bottles are presentable. After decanting, I rinsed both out, clearing out the sediment. Wipe down the outside - 15 years in a cellar will layer some grime on the outside. Then, I used a hairdryer to dry the inside. Upside down to let it dry and cool off. Excessive? Maybe, but details matter when the great JC comes over for dinner, and I take care of every, little detail.

DF

Prepping the wines - Decanting

So, both wines carefully decanted with a funnel. Lots of sediment in the Bordeaux, as expected. What's important is that you have to stand the bottles up for at least 24 hours. The sediment was nicely collected in the bottom. Both decanters on ice, because these old wines degrade so quickly if allowed to warm up. Two hours decanting - that's all you need. And of course, a rubber band marker to make sure that you don't mix up the wines. Serving a Burgundy in a Bordeaux bottle.......blasphemy!

DF

Wine for dinner - 1995 Pommard Premier Cru

To pair with our 1995 Pomerol, a Burgundy of the same vintage. We hear so much of this supposed rivalry between the Bordelais and the Bourguignons - the only way to settle things is to taste. So, a 1995 Remoissenet Pére & Fils Pommard-Épenots, AC Pommard Premier Cru.

The bottle's thickness and weight rivals that of a Champagne. Really unnecessary. So, with about $250 worth of wine, I had high, high expectations. Same cool temperature as the Bordeaux, stood up for the same amount of time. Ok, 3 hours before dinner, time to start prepping the wines. And this is how you do it..............

DF

Wine for dinner - 1995 Pomerol

Ok, finally, the first wine for dinner. 1995 Château Latour à Pomerol, AC Pomerol. This is the bottle that JC sent over last year - of course I saved it to drink together with him. Stood up for about 48 hours, to let the sediment settled. It was stored at 10°, which was perfect. - Bordeaux always shows better at a cooler temperature. Label, ullage, cork - everything looks promising for a 15 year old wine.

DF

Post No. 1401

So winter's kind of slinking along, with no end in sight. We've gotten virtually no snow this year, which makes it all the more incredible how salty the roads and my car remains. Why salt if there is no snow or ice? Huh? I thought we were supposed to be more environmentally conscious? What happened to that? You know, living in a socialist state and all, I expect greater things from my government.

Exciting start to the new year. You have to find things to be excited about, no? Even if things are still kind of shitty. You know the crazy single old man who lives with 5 animals in a dinky apartment? I might turn out like that, substituting the dogs with wine. Not a good look. But there was the UGC Bordeaux Tasting - please take a look. And for some reason, I've been on an online buying tear. Loading up on camera equipment. And I just bought 2 packs of rechargeable batteries. Will the quality of the photos improve here? You tell me.

Trying to keep things interesting, mes amis. I try my best to keep you entertained. Really, it takes a special kind of dumbass to write 100 posts a month.

DF

Egg dumplings - 3 & 4

Once you've placed your pork, with a pair of pointed chopsticks, carefully fold the egg wrapper over, and press to seal. Very easy to tear, and it's crucial that the wrapper is lined up when you seal it - otherwise it completely falls apart when it's cooked. It took me 2 hours, and a lot of cursing, but I managed to make 50 perfect little egg dumplings. Hand scalded and sizzled to the point that I could no longer feel sensation in my right index/middle finger. But look how beautiful they are. Steamed for 10 minutes, to gently cook the pork. Then, placed into the broth pictured earlier, to be hungrily devoured.

DF

Egg dumplings - 1 & 2

A Chinese culinary specialty to celebrate the New Year are these delightful egg dumplings. It's tradition to make them fresh - and no shortcuts. You have to painstakingly roll them out on a ladle, being careful not to burn or stick the beaten eggs. You coat the ladle with a few drops of vegetable oil, making sure to evenly spread it around. A spoonful of beaten eggs, and this is where speed and accuracy is key. You have roll the egg into a perfect round shape, making sure that it's an even consistency, shape, and thickness. Once it sets, you place your ground pork in the middle. Then, the real challenge begins...

DF

The wines

A pair of old wines alongside dinner. Corks showing some wear and tear, especially the 1995 Pommard. But the 1995 Pomerol cork still clean, with very little weeping. Presented on a platter, as they should be. They've done a noble job for 15 years...a little recognition is well-deserved.

DF

The look

For my friends, blue gingham on purple cashmere. Simple but elegant. And warm.

DF

The carnations

I dropped into the flowershop in the afternoon to pick up some carnations. Red, of course, because it's for Chinese New Year. But not red enough to be tacky.

DF

The savoury clams

Yes, these are actually called savoury clams. Also called varnish clams, but we all know savoury sounds better. From British Columbia, these are so delicious. Just a touch of black bean paste, ginger, green onion, and a splash of white wine. Sweet, succulent, tender, and very creamy. Incredible flavours going on in your mouth.

DF

The broth

This is a hearty broth for Chinese New Year. Based on the chicken stock, it's cooked in our hotpot, with lots of mountain yam, bean curd, tofu, bamboo shoots, and a New Year specialty, pork egg dumplings.

DF

The greens

Washing the greens. This is a vegetable that every Shanghainese (should) recognize. The name loosely translates to Pant-remover vegetable. Whatever that means.

DF

Cured chicken thigh

We cured our own chicken thighs with coarse sea salt and peppercorns, hung in the wind for a week to dry. Here you see the thighs taking a bath, to wash off the excess salt. Steamed, then chopped, it's the perfect way to start off dinner. A traditional Shanghainese dish, although I'm told it originates from the area in the southwest.

DF

Chicken broth

Where it all begins. The chicken stock that forms the base of all the sauces for the night. Whole chicken, boiled for 3 hours. Incredibly savoury, rich, and delicious on its own, but when used as the base and further simmered down...incredible. This is where quality begins.

DF

The stemware

The most crucial part about the stemware you serve to your guests isn't so much about who makes it, what shape it is, or how expensive each piece costs - no, the only thing that matters is how clean each stem is. Nothing is more off-putting than a dirty wine glass...such an offense is enough to ruin any wine you serve.

Stems, washed and polished, waiting to be filled.

DF

Dinner, digesting

Finished dinner, getting ready to wash the wine glasses. Food came out great, exactly as planned. Execution is key, but it's straightforward when you practice, and don't try to be fancy. Stick to what you know, and you'll be fine. Wines were not as transcendent as expected, but they rarely are.

Ok, more tomorrow, in visuals.

DF

A grand dinner - Prepping the wines

I finished preparing tonight's wines. A 1995 Pomerol, and a 1995 Pommard. Decanted both, to check for any faults, as well as to filter out the sediment. Decanters are on ice, because heat degrades these older wines quickly. I had a taste of both, and at the moment, both wines seem a bit tired. Hopefully, they'll fill out a bit in time for dinner. The bottles have been rinsed out, and are drying - once my guests start arriving, I'll decant the wines back into the bottle. It's a better presentation, as well as identifies which wines you're pouring.

Keeping fingers crossed - at least the wines aren't flawed. Hopefully they'll start showing some life by 6.

DF

Prepping for a grand dinner

I got up quite early today, a Saturday. I'm having friends over for an early Chinese New Year dinner, and I need to prepare. These friends are always wonderful to cook for, because they understand food. And the wines we drink together are always epic. The photo above shows a bottle we enjoyed in May of 2007, a 1986 Château La Lagune, Troisièmes Grands Crus Classés, AC Haut-Médoc. My tasting notes are somewhere. It was a wine from my birth year, perfectly mature and beginning to slowly descend from its peak.

I have the wines prepared - a pair of 1995 red wines, one of Pomerol, the other of Pommard. It'll be an interesting exercise, to see how a Bordeaux and a Burgundy does at the same level of maturity. Of course, paired with simple, flavoursome dishes - no need to get fancy. Do what you're capable of...this is no time for experimentation.

Off to do my piano rounds - prepping and cooking begins at 3. I'll document as much as I can. Here we go again!

DF

What to do about Bordeaux?

So we come back to the question of Bordeaux. I'm standing here with a very distinguished gentleman, Comte Stephan von Neipperg, owner of such Right Bank properties as Château Canon-la-Gaffelière, Château d'Aiguilhe, and Château La Mondotte. Not to mention an all-around man of style and taste. In contrast, I resemble a vagrant, disheveled hair/stained teeth and all. Still have a long way to go young man, a long way.

Right. So what about Bordeaux? I think I've made up my mind, particularly about participating in En Primeur. Spring is (almost) here, and so is the campaign. Will I be buying Bordeaux Futures anymore? My first major purchase was for the 2005 vintage - a hell of a vintage to start with, but I wish I began in 2002, or 2004. Good, classic wines, at relatively reasonable prices. 2006 and 2007 was when it really got out of hand. Let's not even mention 2008, when I started off saying that I wasn't going to buy much, but still ended up with a 4-digit order. Shit.

After tasting through 2007 Bordeaux, I think I made the right choice by choosing mainly white wines. In retrospect, I should have bought more dry white wines. Now that the 2009 campaign is about to start, and all preliminary reports are raving about the quality of the wines, what do I do? I think I'm going to sit this one out. Or at most, concentrate on the $30-$40 producers that aren't producing oaky jam. Right Bank. I think I've given up on cabernet wines - they just don't excite me the way a Burgundy, or a Chinon does. And dammit, I just can't afford to drink Bordeaux anymore. You buy, and then sit on them, but really, are you going to casually open a $65+ wine?

Go through my tags, probably France. Of the wines listed, how many are Bordeaux? And how many of them have really changed my life? Because when I pay $119 dollars for a Pomerol like a goddamn moron, I want my life to be changed.

DF

NV Rosé Champagne

NV Michel Brocard Rosé Brut, RM Champagne

A grower Champagne of the highest quality. Comprising 100% pinot noir, which is extremely rare for a rosé Champagne. Destemmed and crushed, the grapes macerate for 3 days before pressing. You then obtain a wine with an intense colour and concentration, showing all the character and vinosity of a fine Burgundy.

I can't get over how dark the colour is. Anyways, I opened this bottle for my mother's birthday. A bit nervous, as this bottle's been sitting on store shelves for a while. Not a good sign when you're scrambling for wine's to open for your mother's birthday, but things are as they are - it can only get better from here. Her birthday was actually last Monday, but since both myself and my father got so sick that day, we celebrated on Friday. Had a glass of this on Thursday, then put a stopper on it for Friday.

Beautiful colour, very luminous. Fantastic raspberry and cherry aromas, very lively mousse. Excellent fruit, with that characteristic autolysis character. Great energy in the mouth, fresh and juicy fruit. I let it sit in the glass for about an hour, for the carbonic gas to escape. Wonderful. This wine was so incredible as a still wine - mushroom, earth aromas, with a lovely creaminess to the bouquet. So complex, remarkably similar to an old Burgundy. Fruit lingers, but the palate is very rich, very weighty. Lots of extract and grip, with an ethereally lengthy finish. Spectacularly vinous - the first time that term's made sense to me!

Who knew a rosé Champagne could show so profound? I certainly was not expecting this.

DF

Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X

My lens arrived! Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X ultrawide zoom lens. I chose this one over the 12-24mm model for its ability to shoot in low light. As soon as the weather turns warmer...playtime!

DF

To be clear...

I don't know how my online persona comes off to people, because you're never an accurate judge of yourself - but I reserve the right to be an asshole if you take my photos and post them without asking my permission. Yes, that is my property. Yes, it is stealing.

Come on, it's common sense. You want to use my photo, and use my blog to further your own interests, that's all fine - just have the courtesy to send me an email first.

But no, I won't name names, even though this person stole my photo without crediting me, and "disagreed" about what I wrote in the post. I'm not that much of an ass.

DF

Wine talk - why words are important

Wine writers need a common understanding of the words used in description of wine. Without it, everyone is free to interpret terms as they wish, causing nothing but confusion and misguidance amongst consumers. Using wine-speak gives an illusion of expertise for some of these hacks - without a solid understanding of what these terms mean, wine writing is useless.

I'm referring to descriptors such as elegance, finesse, balance, austerity, and the grand-daddy of them all, terroir. Every wine writer interprets these terms differently - what one (American) writer describes as complex, I would call as nothing more than a hot mess of overripe fruit. So there has to be a common understanding of the terms we use in description of wine. For example, austerity describes a wine with a stiff structural backbone which needs a certain period of aging to be more approachable. There are those who believe this to apply strictly to tannic red wines - this is not true. High acid, minerally white Burgundy can certainly be austere in their youth. Likewise for a term like finesse. Where some people believe in finesse to only refer to a silky, round texture, this descriptor goes into much more depth. Finesse in wine is not only textural - it's a focus in the flavours and aromas in wine, as well as a very fine balance in the various opposing energies of the fruit, acid, and tannins.

Unless there's a true understanding of the terms writers use to describe wine, consumers will always be in the dark. Writers are using these terms as a crutch, to somehow further this idea that by confusing readers, it gives them credibility (I know and you don't). Not to say that we should dumb it down and anti-intellectualize everything...not at all. On the contrary, writers should understand the terms used to describe wine, so that when a wine is described as having finesse, it will be a term grounded in an objective palate perception. Readers should be able to fully understand the expression of the writer's taste - finesse should not be taken as a purely subjective opinion, but an attribute in the wine that is clearly discernible.

That is what wine writing should strive for. That'll be an achievement, when readers no longer value score, and tasting notes actually mean something without devolving into infantilized and dimwitted commentary à la Gary Vaynerchuk (Let's take a sniffy-sniff) (!) and the like.

And please, please, please...never use the word yummy. Unless you want people to think you have the capacity for taste of an 8 year old.

DF

Monsieur Baudelaire

I'm a wino. Which is to say I'm nothing more than a glorified alcoholic. Charles Baudelaire, of Les fleurs du mal fame, said it so eloquently when he mused that:

It is the hour to be drunken! To escape being the martyred slaves of time, be ceaselessly drunk. On wine, on poetry, or on virtue, as you wish...get drunk militantly. Just get drunk.

Spoken like a true wino.

DF

On money, and wine

Ok, I did it. I took the plunge. I bought the gear. There were a few used options off of Craigslist, but I ultimately decided against it. It's perfectly fine to pick up a used Tokina lens and a used Nikon Speedlight, but......it's like I'm allergic to second-hand anything. Just can't do it. It makes financial sense, but I just can't look at something the same way if someone else has already broken it in.

Anyways. I guess this means that wine spending will have to be severely curtailed. Some Chablis coming up in the next release that I'd like to taste, but I guess that's not gonna happen now. But I don't have wine in the house! I'm a bit curious as to how people budget money for wine. I can't speak for others, but it's a very awkward situation for me right now. I've been steadily building my cellar, but none of the wines are anywhere near ready to be drunk. So unlike people with deep cellars, I still have to drink bottle to bottle. Not the ideal situation, as it's particularly taxing on the wallet to have to juggle both - accumulating, and drinking.

I'm suffering here, trying to keep to this 2 bottle a week routine. Help!

DF

My photography wishlist

Still agonizing whether I should invest in more gear. It's not frivolous gear that I won't need, it's just...well, it's just all about the money, isn't it? I've been researching the superb Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX ultra-wide angle lens, as well as the Nikon SB-600 Speedlight. Both pieces of equipment that I would need for travelling, and for improving my photography. I think I'll sleep on it before I commit (a lot of) money.

So...wine or photography?

DF

2006 Mendocino County

2006 The San Francisco Wine Press Syrah, Mendocino County

Can we expect drinkability from a Californian wine under $20? Who knows. Still looking. Syrah, from (reputedly) organically grown grapes, from Mendocino. Bottled under Stelvin. Dark colour, but it does have ruby edges. Candied, confected nose. Mistake right there. So sweet on the palate - there has to be residual sugar in here, no? Candied, and just.........why? Really, guys, why? Why can't you just go for a simple wine with good varietal character? This wine has no personality, has no resemblance at all to syrah, and just has.................nothing to offer. My goodness, what the hell were you thinking??!!!

DF

Other things

I had a good chuckle when I read this off Gadget Lab. Apparently, since Apple's new iPad doesn't support Flash, this is what you'll see when you try to view certain multimedia. Yes, if you want to visit BangBros......you can't. No porn for you!

Anyways, I need a bit of a break from Bordeaux. Still collecting my thoughts and all my notes about it all - I promise I'll write more later. Still recovering from a bad case of food poisoning and now a cold as well. Damn. I'm getting hammered like there's no tomorrow.

Right. And I got a haircut today. Trim and proper.

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