I attended a huge Union des Grands Crus tasting in June and am just now getting around to writing up my tasting notes. This tasting was held at Hangar 14 in the city of Bordeaux on the banks of the Garonne River. As usual, it was superbly organized by the UGC, and wines were poured by the château owner or their representative, which gave an added dimension.
I find it hard to make detailed notes when confronted with a large number of wines and usually like to stop at 15, maximum 20. In this instance, there were just 13. I concentrated on Right Bank wines, all from the 2022 vintage.
2022 on the Right Bank was marked by extreme heat and severe drought, compounded by frost, hail threats, and forest fires. Yet, thanks to strategic vineyard practices like canopy management and green harvesting, many estates made fresh, balanced wines with depth.
The harvest featured small thick-skinned berries. Despite high alcohol and tannin levels, many wines retained acidity and freshness, thereby avoiding the overripe character of other hot vintages.
Apology: Posts come so much more alive with photos. I had a problem with my smart phone and lost photos of all the labels. I since have bought a new phone!
Château Dassault
N: Pure forward ripe berry fruit. Fresh.
P: Tight, velvety texture. Lively with good acidity and showing character on the middle palate. Good oak and fine balance. Not powerful, but elegant and will be great after medium-term ageing. I believe this is the best Dassault I’ve ever tasted.
16/20 (and I’m a tough grader)
Château Villemaurine
N: Deep, ethereal cherry. Sexy, but a bit cosmetic Attractive, with cherry-vanilla nuances, but not nuanced or profound.
P: Marked acidity accounts for a certain liveliness. Mediuù-long aftertaste that surprised me because I thought it would be more facile. Obvious oak, but as for its integration let’s give this wine the benefit of the doubt.
14/20
Château Grand Mayne
N: Muted and not very elegant. Closed and too anonymous. Definitely too much oak.
P: Rich and round, but hollow. Overworked. There’s a lip-smacking finish, but this is disappointingly short.
13/20
Château Franc Mayne
N: Chocolatey and slightly medicinal with candied fruit overtones that are already expressive.
P: Big and chunky on the palate and you can feel the alcohol. Tangy finish typical of Saint Emilion’s limestone soil. Teeth-coating tannin with berry flavors. A little jammy and a touch dry on the finish, but I had a high opinion of this wine and bet on its becoming more balanced with age.
15/20
Château La Tour Figeac
N: Classic, floral (blossoms, iris). First class.
P: Full-bodied, but with great acidity and purity. A poster child of the finest wines of the limestone plateau, as illustrated by the long aftertaste that caresses the palate. A revelation.
17/20
Château La Dominique
N: Expressive, but with some reduction. Subdued, dark and brooding and slightly rustic, but with the unmistakable stamp of its terroir next door to Figeac. Well-made and tries very hard to go one notch up the quality scale, but doesn’t quite make it.
P: Big, chunky, and dips on the middle palate. Already a bit dry. Will be better with age, but ultimately lacks finesse.
14.5/20
Château Capdemourlin
N: Slight stink and not showing especially well at this juncture. Cranberry and herbaceous notes.
P: Undoctored, but shows some alcoholic burn. Big, but hollow. There’s a certain sappiness, but the wine is unfortunately unbalanced. Will undoubtedly improve with age, but will always be somewhat topheavy.
13/20
Château Larmande
N: Intriguing fresh black fruit and brambly aromas along with subtle floral and cedar nuances.
P: Layered candied fruit. Rich, but refreshing, and lively. Marked, but not excessive oak. An odd sensation of alcohol and acidity on the finish, but I’d bet on its developing well.
15.5/20
Château Canon
N: Classic, pure, and almost mystical nose with a delightful humus component. Pure and ethereal, nuanced and monumental.
P: The old library aromatics carry over onto the palate. Gorgeous velvety tannin coats the teeth. Fresh, very long, and flawless aftertaste. Great wine.
17.5/20
Château Figeac
N: Forthright, meaty, and leathery with vanilla and caramel nuances. Not quite as nice as the Canon, but almost… Some dark chocolate overtones.
P: Perhaps more vigorous than the Canon, but without the same majestic development on the palate going into fantastic textured tannin. Serious.
For power, Figeac beats Canon, but it’s the other way around for elegance.
16/20
Château La Pointe
N: Bit simple with noticeable alholoic presence. Fresh, but one-dimensional
P: Smooth to begin with, then rather acidic. Tangy, and the sort of Pomerol enjoyable young or old. The aftertaste is better than what precedes with ripe fruit and empyreumatic notes. Good grip. Not the greatest balance, but a good Pomerol with perhaps just too much oak.
14/2
Château Gazin
N: Potent berry aromas along with blackstrap molasses, truffle and a subtle wildflower component.
P: Tremendous concentrated and juicy blackberry flavor. Rich and immediately appealing, then going on to show rich sensuality with a very nice follow-through, with a floral aspect on the aftertaste. A very fine Gazin.
16.5/20
Château Petit Village
N: Ethereal cherry.
P: Soft and seductive. Very sexy with a cool lnog afterteaste. A class act. Haute couture with cherry-vanilla flavors predominating.
15/20