Today we’re setting out for a very busy day on the “Right Bank”. We’ll start in Pomerol for the UGC tasting at Chateau La Conseillante where there are usually about twenty producers in attendance. It’s a good opportunity to find some standout wines in the appellation among some of the estates we don’t see too often. As we arrived, we check in and started going through the room tasting wines that were all quite different in style. You see, even though Pomerol is small, there are many different types of soil. The blends can be 50/50 Merlot/Cabernet Franc to 100% Merlot or somewhere in between. The wines we liked at the tasting were no surprise. Clinet, Gazin and La Conseillante were the hits with La Croix de Gay being the surprise. In this vintage, Merlot was tough for some although most say it did well. But of all the wines we tasted, the ones with the higher percent of Merlot were our least favorite… and we like Merlot (Petrus). After we finished this tasting, it was on the UGC in St. Emilion which is just across the road..
The St. Emilion tasting was held at Chateau Figeac. This is a beautiful estate located next to Cheval Blanc. At the tasting, there were many of the heavyweight estates of the appellation present. The hits were Angelus, Beau-Sejour Becot, Cannon La Gaffeliere, Clos Fourtet, Grand Mayne, Pavie Macquin, Larcis Ducasse, La Dominique and Troplong Mondot (more on this wine later in the blog) among the forty or so estates present. One of the issues in this tasting was over-extraction. It seems those who didn’t have the patients to wait and picked early had to over extract to get volume in the fruit. Doing this causes the wines to be overly tannic and out of balance. As one producer told me, you can’t do the same thing every year. You have to change with the weather… It’s a gamble, but the results can be rewarding. For 2008, it was a year to gamble, but that gamble paid off and it shows in the wines.
As we left, it was time for lunch… but not just any lunch. This was lunch at Troplong Mondot with the lovely Christine Valette. Every year, Christine hosts a lunch that she and her staff prepare. She is a great cook and her husband Xavier Pariente is a lucky man and he knows it. It‘s a great meal hosted at the estate in a cozy room with the fireplace crackling in the background. They also pour some older vintages of Troplong and the experience is a nice, relaxing atmosphere where you can chill and enjoy. After the lunch as all the guests left, it was time for us to taste the 2008. Upon tasting, we were introduced to the new label. Nice…. Xavier is an art broker/dealer and has a great eye and it shows with the new label. Tasting the 2008 revealed what the best wines of the vintage have. Fresh, ripe fruits, wonderful acidity, and silky tannins that are sweet and lifted. No it’s not the 05… or the 2000, but pretty darn close! After the tasting we went to the house and sat on the terrace that overlooks the city of St. Emilion. It’s a beautiful setting and there, we filmed some winery minutes for the Winery Channel.Tv as well as a segment with Chistine on the St. Emilion classification. It’s an interesting topic and one you should check out when we’ve edited the tape.
As we looked at the time, we decided to forgo out next tasting and go to Chateau Angelus where we were meeting with Hubert de Bouard and tasting not only the estates he owns but all he consults for. Since he is one of the hottest consultants in Bordeaux , going through the twenty-four wines in his lineup will be fun. The wines are priced in all ranges from about $10 to over $100 dollars. Of the lower priced wines, we liked La Fleur de Bouard (of course) Clos Chaumont, Lamothe Bergeron, Clos La Madeleine (next to Ausone), Lyonat, Vieux Chateau Palon and Chateau de Franc with the big surprise being a St. Estephe named Chateau Serilhan. Moving up the price range, the hits were his new acquisition, Chateau Bellevue (this wine rocked!), Fieuzal, his Rioja project Bodega Ostatu, Chateau Adaugusta (really small estate where the wine is killer), Le Plus from La Fleur de Bouard and of course Angelus (stunning). It was a great tasting and the Bouard’s were fantastic hosts as always.
Leaving the chateau, it was back to the Left Bank to attend a dinner at Gruaud Larose. Manager David Launay told us there will be a surprise wine tasted so we were excited. As we arrived at the beautiful estate, we were escorted into the barrel room for a tasting of recent vintages of both Sarget de Gruaud as well as the Grand Vin. After the tasting, we went back to the chateau were the food and wine were served in a casual stand up atmosphere. The food was catered by one of the top restaurants in the area, Le Saint Julien where chef Claud Broussard was in attendance preparing exquisite dishes. The wines… some of the best of the trip with the 2000, 1995, 1989 and 1975 out double magnums being served. But wait… what about the surprise wine? Well, about half way through the event, out come magnums of 1919! Yes that’s no typo… It was surprisingly fresh and was a real treat to sample. To think all that wine has been through and still tastes the way it does is simply amazing. I mentioned to David that when he comes to Southern California, we need to do a dinner with older vintages of GL. They have one of the largest cellars of past vintages in Bordeaux and I don’t know about you, but a dinner with these wines that have been perfectly stored would be a hoot!
What a day our last day in Bordeaux was. Tomorrow, we will spend the morning with none other than the man himself, Bernard Magrez and taste through his portfolio before boarding a plane to Italy via London to attend Vinitaly. Stay tuned!
