|
I was fortunate enough to be invited by Bordeaux wine company Yvon Mau at the
end of
September 2005 to catch the action of the harvest in full swing. We visited an
interesting cross-section of Châteaux including world-famous names,
up-and-coming estates and some that have recently changed hands, and a ground-breaking
maverick: Smith Haut-Lafitte, Brown (the Mau family's latest purchase), Taillefer, Beauséjour, Haut-Bailly, Romer
(Sauternes actually) and Val d'Or owned by Philippe Bardet, who's invented an extraordinary
sorting machine. We had the opportunity to chat and taste over dinner with the
growers/winemakers/business people involved in this marketing initiative (click
on the lead to read the story in Wine Press):
A breath of fresh air in Bordeaux?
"Eighteen bright ‘young guns’ have formed a new producers’ association and
launched their promotional campaign for the UK, called Bordeaux Oxygène..." This trip
confirmed vintage 2005 is looking good, and it's certainly created a buzz
of excitement among buyers and press around the world (egged on by producers
keen to pump up their prices, it has to be said). Here are my notes on some of
the wines we tried including comments on a few fermenting 2005s.
Château Taillefer -
Pomerol
2005 Merlot parcel (3-4 grams per litre of sugar remaining) - lovely
black/purple colour, nice structure v ripeness, fresh acid bite v plump cherry
fruit. 12-15 days skin maceration to follow (28/9/05).
2003 Château Taillefer - quite forward showing attractive black cherry
fruit and spicy oak, subtly firm structure with dry tannins yet approachable
fruit; good depth v elegance, further nuances develop as it opens up with the
oak becoming more background. Drinking from now onwards, should blossom in a
couple of years and more. 89-91
2002 - maturing savoury black/red fruits lightly layered with coconut
oak, quite full and concentrated for a 2002 with firm but not unattractive
tannins; approachable now but should improve over the next few years.
88-90
2001 - more classic style with greater concentration, power and weight;
cedary and inky blackcurrant and plum
fruit v solid rounded tannins, classy length and poise; drinking now but should
improve over 5-10 years. 92-94
1995 (excellent in Pomerol: regular rainfall then dry, early picking
producing rich yet balanced wines) - delicate mature fruit with ripe cassis
notes, elegant and concentrated, still youthful with lovely texture, well
balanced fruit v tannins v oak, fine length. Yum, drink it now!
92-94
Château
Val d'Or - St. Emilion Grand Cru
Both approx. 70-75% Merlot, 20%+
Cabernet Franc and max 5%
Cabernet Sauvignon:
2000 - developing brown-ish shades, delicious smoky complex nose showing
ripe v minty fruit and a touch of chocolate oak; more liquorice tinged on the
palate, good depth and firm bite with rounded texture, very ripe fruit with
leather notes. 90-92
2001 - attractive fruit with floral leafy undertones, not as big as the
2000 but tighter and livelier, very gripping tannins yet has nice balance and
elegant length. 92-94
Château
Haut Bailly - Pessac-Léognan, Grand Cru
Classé de Graves
2003 - Subtle toasty chocolate oak combines with rich black cherry and
lightly leafy undertones; fair depth and concentration, pretty firm texture yet
elegant and tight finish; needs a few years to open up.
87-89
2002 - more rustic, smoke and tobacco aromas and less leafy; still quite
taut and youthful set against nice blackcurrant fruit, more structured than the
03 in terms of acidity and austere tannins; less appealing now but time will
tell... 85-87
2001 - sexier, more complex nose with cassis, light leafy notes and
background oak; developing earthy tobacco characters lead to richer bright
fruit, dry textured bite yet very attractive and supple tannins, fine and long.
92+
Château Smith Haut-Lafitte - Pessac-Léognan, Grand Cru
Classé de Graves
2005 Sauvignon Blanc (from cask, nearly dry at 13.5) - attractive citrus
fruit depth, zesty acidity and subtle yeasty intensity. Usually blended 90-10
with Sauvignon Gris (vat) - white grapefruit and spice, more exotic
richer palate yet less intense and zesty.
1999 blanc - toasty background with mature oily aromas and texture on
citrus fruit bodywork, rounded melted mouthfeel yet still alive and fresh.
90+
2001 rouge - delicious maturing smoky nose with ripe fruit v delicately
leafy and chocolate oak, black fruits and leather; rounded v firm palate with
nice depth and coating of fruit, inky v fine, subtle grip and length.
93-95
1995 - smokier still with muted red pepper notes, lighter mouthfeel with
dry grip yet fine fruit underneath; drink now but no hurry.
89-90
1998 - quite rich and sexy, smoky maturity v minty intricacy; firmer
palate yet has fine acid/tannin structure and length; again drinking now but
will develop much further. 92-94
Château Brown - Pessac-Léognan
2001 rouge - ripe smoky black cherry and cassis with complex mint/herb
nuances and very background oak; meaty tobacco notes on the palate, rounded
fruit v cedar coating, firm grip and tight acidity create a quite austere
finish. 90
2002 - earthy v leafy nose, not as forthcoming as the 01 with grippy
austere finish; difficult, might round out. 85+
2003 - warmer liquorice and jam aromas with light cedar and leaf
backdrop; richer black cherry fruit then hard firm length; not very appealing at
the moment but has substance on the finish. 87+
2004 blanc (Sémillon &
Sauvignon Blanc) - lovely pure citrus, pear and white peach with floral
perfume and very light toasty yeast lees notes; rich and rounded with buttered
toast backdrop, then fresh tight acid structure and stylish length.
90-92
2003 (70-30% as above) - fatter and creamier with more obvious oak, rich
tropical fruit as well on a big palate, lower acidity yet still has some mineral
bite. 87-89
Château Romer,
2003 Sauternes - multilayered
apricot and fig fruit with musky spice and mushroom notes, very light subtle oak
on lovely rich sweet texture; has good cut and freshness for 03 with 14% alcohol
adding weight to impressive length. 90+
Bordeaux Oxygène launch 29th Sept 2005
Château
Thieuley,
2004 Cuvée Francis Courselle blanc - elegant mixture of toasted cedar and
citrus fruit, fat v crisp mouthfeel. 87
Château le Bon Pasteur,
2002 Pomerol - quite lush and
smoky with raisin and plum fruit, finishing with tighter grip
and length, elegantly textured too. 92
Château la Fleur de
Bouard, 2001 Lalande-de-Pomerol
- pretty rich and rustic, displaying complex development with firm texture v
nice ripe dark fruit. 92+
Château Loudenne,
2004 Pink de Loudenne, Bordeaux
rosé - lots of fresh aromatic juicy strawberry,
redcurrant and raspberry fruit; good weight and structure v crisp length.
87+
Château Rouget,
1999 Pomerol - still quite firm and
unrevealing but develops a more generous palate after opening up a little.
87+
Clos Dubreuil, 2002 St-Emilion Grand Cru -
ripe and smoky flavours v solid, more austere finish; nevertheless, fine
textured and becomes softer with aeration. 90+
Château Malartic-Lagravière,
2001 Graves Grand Cru Classé - delicious rich tobacco tinged fruit set on a
firm framework, yet finely textured too. 94-96
Château Tour de
Mirambeau, 2002 Bordeaux
blanc Cuvée Passion
- yeast lees and butter notes lead on to a pretty toasty palate, which gets
fresher with underlying citrus and ripe peach; powerful and long, needs the
right food! 89
Clos du Clocher, 1998 Pomerol - maturing
complex aromas of light red pepper v rich ripe black cherry, full dry palate
with rounded tannins. 95
Clos Fourtet, 1996 St-Emilion 1er Grand Cru
Classé - soft and quite mature with elegance and intricate flavours.
92-94
Château Nairac,
1995 Sauternes Cru Classé - super sexy
nose displaying rich oily honey notes with exotic spicy botrytis fruit; big
mouthful of dried apricots and honey yet with a fine green fruit centre and
fresh acidity, gorgeously drinkable too. 95-97 |
|
|
