Author Archives: AlexR

Two from Lalande-de Pomerol and one Fronsac

2010 Château Perron, Lalande de Pomerol

Michel-Pierre Massonie is one of the leading figures not only in Lalande de Pomerol, but also in Bordeaux. He was president of the Grand Conseil des Vins de Bordeaux for 9 years (http://www.grandconseilvinsbordeaux.com/GrandConseilBx_site/welcome.html).
Monsieur Massonie is an ardent defender of his appellation and was also one of the founders of the local vinous brotherhood, Les Baillis de Lalande de Pomerol.
He has since handed over winemaking at Château Perron to his son, Bertrand. I bought a couple of bottles of his 2010 during a Portes Ouvertes weekend in April of last year: http://www.lalande-pomerol.com/
The wine had a deep color, but the nose is really rather mute. There are nevertheless some violet aromas in the background. There is also a pleasant tartness on the palate. This is very appetizing with blackberry flavors, a tea element, and a lip smacking aftertaste. Not necessarily what one expects from a Merlot-based wine, but fun to drink and enjoyable young.

La Sergue

2008 Château La Sergue, Lalande de Pomerol

The Chatonnet family has very deep winegrowing roots in the Libourne region. Besides managing Ch. Haut-Chaigneau in Lalande de Pomerol and L’Archange in Saint-Emilion, Pascal Chatonnet also owns and manages Laboratoire Excell, a world-class firm specialized in enological analyses.
La Sergue is made from the best 5 hectares of the family’s 22 hectares of vines in Lalande (87% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Malbec). The 2008 is looking just about as it should for a 6 year-old wine. The nose shows ripe plummy fruit and subtle mocha overtones. Internationally renowned for his research on the effect of oak on wine, it is hardly surprising that Pascal Chatonnet has mastered barrel ageing to perfection here. There are dried fruit and blackberry flavors on the palate, and a cherry-vanilla component. This is definitely not your easy-going Merlot, because the tannin has loads of character and follows through into good grip on the long and slightly tarry aftertaste. I have followed La Serge for years, and it never disappoints. This 2008 is pleasurable to drink now, but it needs much more time to reach its full potential.

2005 Château Haut Carles, Fronsac

This is the prestige cuvee of Château de Carles, a 14.5-hectae estate in Saillans (AOC Fronsac). The wine is followed by Michel Rolland and comes within the orbit of Jean-Luc Thunevin. In fact, I bought the wine at Thunevin’s boutique in Saint-Emilion several years ago.
Haut-Carles has also received praise from Robert Parker, and I was more-or-less prepared to encounter a big Parker-style wine. Big it is, to the extent that it is 14.5% alc./vol. However, the wine is by no means clunky and, mercifully, is not heavily overoaked. The color is very dark purplish-red with thick legs, and looks younger than its years. The nose is rather closed-in, but shows hints of prune, candied fruit, and chocolate.
Seeing the alcohol content on the label, I was expecting a “hot” wine. But, no, this Haut Carles is not overbearing or adversely affected by its alcohol content. It is indeed spirity to some extent, but this is ethereal. The wine has a heavy mouth feel and is quite rich. It nevertheless lacks acidity, freshness, and elegance. The aftertaste finishes dry, and the new oak does come through at this stage. Although somewhat one-dimensional, this Haut-Carles is a pleasant enough wine. At ten years of age, is has mostly achieved what it is capable of.

Château Mauvesin-Barton: something new in Moulis

Château Mauvsin Barton in Moulis

The Barton family needs no introduction. They are one of only two to still own a Médoc classfied growth from before the 1855 classification. In fact, make that two: Château Léoville-Barton and Château Langoa-Barton. I was therefore very intrigued to find out about the estate that the family had purchased in Moulis in 2011, Château Mauvesin-Barton.
I went to visit the estate last week and was warmly greeted by Mélanie Barton-Sartorius. Mélanie has paid her dues, having studied in both Bordeaux and Dijon. She is a qualified enologist and in complete charge of Mauvesin – quite a responsibility for someone so young. Coming from such a distinguished background, Mélanie is the polar opposite of what one might expect. She is personable, easy-going, and very enthusiastic.
Mauvesin-Barton has 60 hectares of vines, and there are a further 150 hectares of forest. This means that the Bartons now account for 10% of all the wine produced in Moulis. I asked Mélanie if there were such a thing as a shared profile, a typicité for Moulis. She tended to think this was not the case, but liked the expression that I believe was coined by Belgian wine writer Jo Gryn: les Margaux de l’intérieur.

Located just outside the small city of Castelneau-de-Médoc, Mauvesin-Barton was in need of serious renovation, and a great deal of work has already been done on the château, the cellars, and the vineyard (46% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot). There were many missing vines, so these were replanted. The soil has a large clay component.

I tasted two vintages: the 2011 and the 2012. The former was largely the work of the previous owners. It was light, simple, and refreshing. The 2012 has more substance and is more elegant – a great start for the new regime.
People often think that Bordeaux is old hat, that things rarely change. Mauvesin-Barton shows that nothing can be further from the truth. And it is always wonderful when a low-profile estate is taken in hand and turned around, which seems very much the case here. I’ll be very interested to follow the wine in the coming years.

2000 Fonréaud (Listrac), 2004 d’Issan (Margaux), and 2004 Bessane (Margaux

2000 Château Fonréaud, Listrac
I’ve long been a fan of Fonréaud and its sister château across the road, Château Lestage, both owned by the Chanfreau family, who made wine in Algeria before they came to the Médoc.
Listrac is a small appellation that does not have much of an identity with wine lovers. There are nevertheless some fine estates there. Fonréaud has 38 hectares of vines (52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot). The château also makes a rare white Médoc (AOC Bordeaux) Le Cygne Blanc.
I opened this 2000 (red), figuring that most mid-range Bordeaux from that vintage is ready to drink. As it turns out in this particular instance, the wine probably would have been better a few years ago…
The color was showing its age, and then some, with a brown rim. The bouquet was the best part of the wine, showing sweet, subtle fruit and some humus overtones.
The taste was of aged Cabernet, in an old-fashioned style. The rich, velvety attack proceeded to turn dry, grippy, and austere, without the richness one would hope for in this great vintage. This is the sort of wine that is fine with food, but judged on its own, I would have to be fairly severe. Of course, this is a reflection on one wine, not on the estate as a whole. It makes me want to try a younger vintage soon!

2004 Château d’Issan, Margaux
Dating back to the 17th century, Issan is one of the loveliest châteaux in the Médoc. The estate’s history goes back to the Middle Ages. As one of ten third growths in Bordeaux, its reputation is better than most. Associated with the Cruse family since 1945, a new partner appeared in 2013 when Jacky Lorenzetti (owner of Ch. Pédesclaux in Pauillac and Château Lilian Ladouys in Saint-Estèphe) acquired a 50% shareholding.
Coming to the conclusion that most 2004s are ready to go, I opened and decanted this 2004 d’Issan two hours before drinking. The color is of medium intensity. There’s still some purple there, and good legs. The nose is sweet and ethereal, with humus, raisiny, and menthol nuances, as well as a pronounced smell I can only describe as lead, which I tend to attribute to appellations further north… As beguiling as the nose is, the wine disappoints on the palate, which is medium-long and refreshing, but dips on the middle and becomes angular. The lead aromatics follow through. This wine is like an overly thin top model. It will hold for quite some time thanks to the acid backbone, but will always lack generosity and richness.

2004 Château La Bessane, Margaux
Martine Cazeneuve is the driving force behind the 32-hectare cru bourgeois Haut-Médoc, Ch. Paloumey in Ludon, between La Lagune and Cantemerle. I’ve always been a fan of Paloumey. Madame Cazeneuve also owns 3 hectares in Cantenac, in the Margaux appellation. Ch. La Bessane is little-known because it is so small. It is also off the beaten track because it has a very unusual mix of grape varieties: 50% Petit Verdot (!), 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Merlot.
The 2004 is a very deep purplish-red and a little fuzzy on the rim. My notes for the nose come in two stages. After two hours in the decanter, the bouquet was rather dumb, with caramel overtones. However, after another 4 hours it was singing, with pure, subtle, seductive, black cherry and pipe tobacco aromas. My better half tasted the wine blind and did not think it was a Bordeaux. I’m not really surprised because one doesn’t often come across such a huge percentage of Petit Verdot. The wine seemed big and brooding on the palate at first, but with increased aeration showed a sappy cherry quality, followed by an acid zing. Although many of the 2004s I’m drinking are not going anywhere, 2004 Ch. La Bessane definitely has more to deliver in the coming years.

2010 Clos Floridène (Graves blanc) and 2004 Ch. Durfort Vivens (Margaux)

I enjoyed two Bordeaux wines on Sunday, starting off with 2010 Clos Floridène, a white Graves from Denis Dubourdieu, Dean of the Institut des Science de la Vigne et du Vin, well-known consultant, owner of several estates in Bordeaux (including the great growth Doisy-Daënes in Barsac), and acknowledged authority on the making of white wines.

So, it was a fairly safe bet that this would not be a dud! In fact, I’ve known Clos Floridène for years, and it is widely considered a model of what white Bordeaux should be.
Clos Floridène has 17 hectares of red vines and 23 of white. It is located in Pujols, a stone’s throw from the Sauternes appellation. The white wine is made from 55% Sauvignon Blanc, 44% Sémillion and 1% Muscadelle.
The color of the 2010 was pale gold with green tinges and the nose was fresh, tart, lemony and showing subtle overtones of honey. The wine was really all that it should be on the palate, with citrus overtones and a dry mineral finish – more akin to a Pessac-Léognan than a Graves blanc, but fortunately with the latter’s price tag, making this very good value for money. This is by no means a great wine, but it is a poster child for disbelievers of what Bordeaux can do with dry white wines!
It is fine to drink now, but will hold for years.
One odd thing. I’m used to encountering citrus overtones in wine, but this is the first time I can remember smelling lime nuances!

The red wine of the day was 2004 Durfort Vivens. I had great hopes here because when I tasted it en primeur alongside other great growths in the Margaux appelation, it seemed one of the top wines. A few other tasters agreed with me. Unfortunately, this promise was not borne out ten years later. The wine’s color was encouraging: a very dark core with only medium bricking, looking younger than its years. The nose was satisfactory as well, with hints of plum, although not very forthcoming. However, the wine fell down on the palate which showed far too much of an acid edge. On the whole, this 2004 Durfort came off as thin and mean, with ungracious tannin on the finish. A big disappointment. I have 2 other bottles, and I’m hoping that this one is not typical.
By the way, the label has changed with the 2007 vintage, if none of you has seen it:
http://www.durfort-vivens.fr/blog/index.php?post/2010/02/06/Bienvenue-sur-Dotclear%C2%A0!

2006 Clos la Madeleine (St. Emilion GCC), 2001 Ch. Chantegrive Cuvée Caroline (Graves Blanc), and 2005 Ch. d’Escurac, Médoc cru Bourgeois

2006 Clos la Madeleine

Like most English speakers, I am more familiar with Left Bank Bordeaux than Right Bank Bordeaux. This is understandable when you consider how hard it is to find some of the wines in Saint-Emilion and Pomerol… For instance, the smallest classified growth in the Médoc, Château Ferrière, has 12 hectares of vines. As for the Saint-Emilion crus classés, Clos la Madeline has 2 hectares, and there’s one even smaller: Clos Saint Martin with just 1.33 hectares!

Clos Saint Martin is on the limestone plateau, quite close to the town of Saint-Emilion and surrounded by Bélair-Monange and Ausone.

Anyway, I opened the 2006 Clos la Madeleine for dinner and followed its development throughout the meal and again the next day. I tend to think of the 2006s not so much as light wines, but ones that are easy-going and early-maturing. So, I thought this would be suitable. I was also interested to discover a grand cru classé I had never tasted before.

I was in for a very pleasant surprise. The wine is a lovely carmine color and the nose is subtle, sweet and enigmatic with some plum and dark chocolate overtones, as well as a perfumed, cosmetic element. The bouquet is good, but the palate even better. This is medium in weight, powerful, round, and very rich. Both tannin and alcohol come through, but not in an exaggerated way. There are deep brambly and black fruit (blackberry) flavors. The aftertaste is plush and tangy, with a fine velevety texture and a little hotness on the tail end.
This wine is still years away from its peak and if tasted blind I might have taken it for a 2009! An interesting discovery and an estate to watch.

2001 Ch. Chantegrive, Graves blanc, Cuvée Caroline

Chantegrive is one of the great success stories in Bordeaux, a huge 85-hectare estate (55 hectares of red wine grapes and 30 of white) in Podensac brought to prominence by the late Henri Lévêque, one of the leading brokers in Bordeaux. The white wine is evenly divided between Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. This 2001 won a gold medal at the Paris Agricultural Show. It has the color of an old Sauternes, more deep straw yellow than golden. The nose is grassy with some matchstick aromas. The wine had the characteristic lemony overtones of white Graves on the palate, but had become a little thin and acidic over the years. It was therefore enjoyable at table, but would have been better and fresher years ago.

2005 Ch. d’Escurac, Médoc cru bourgeois
This 22-hectare estate in Civrac, in the northern Médoc (50/50 Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon) has the reputation of being a very reliable wine. I first heard of it when it won the Cru Bourgeois Cup in the 1990s. The 2005 looks older than its age. The nose is simple, but pleasant, with blueberry and chocolate aromas. It is also a little spirity. The wine is chewy, big, and assertive on the palate, with coarsely-textured tannin. The aftertaste is gummy, relatively short, and a little dry, showing evidence of oak and featuring a slightly alcoholic finish. A vinous, gutsy wine.

The Chinese buy their 100th château in Bordeaux!

Today’s edition of the Sud-Ouest newspaper reports that the 100th Bordeaux château has been purchased by a Chinese (that includes Hong Kong and Chinese living outside their country of origin). As we all know, the Chinese market has receded, but the country still imports one out of every ten liters produced in Bordeaux, which is to say one hell of a lot of wine…

The Chinese strategy has been to target estates in less showy appellations, particularly the Entre-Deux-Mers region. Furthermore, the attractiveness of the château building and grounds is a major factor in purchases. Only one classified growth is Chinese-owned: Bellefont-Belcier in Saint-Emilion.

Curiously, the Chinese now own a huge chunk of the Fronsac appellation, with châteaux Richelieu, La Rivière, and Plain-Point. In the Médoc, the Chinese flag waves over Loudenne, Barateau, Bernadotte, Preuillac, Andron, and Les Tourelles.

Mr. Naijie Qu from Dalian (northeast China) alone has 23 châteaux, totalling 500 hectares.
That having been said, all Chinese holdings amount to just 1.5% of the total surface area under vine.

There have been a few management problems and other difficulties due to the Chinese ignorance of French labor laws, but the trend continues unabated.

Money talks in Bordeaux, and is worth noting the openness to foreigners as compared to the ruckus caused by the Chinese purchase of the Château de Gevrey-Chambertin in Burgundy, where they own next to no vineyards.

2000 Château Clerc Milon

I’m having a whale of a time drinking many of my 2000 Bordeaux. There will always be people telling you to wait another couple of decades, to which I say “Bah, humbug !”. Of course, the very top wines may need that much time. But many, many wines of less exalted lineage are fine just now.
Trust me.

To wit, this 2000 Clerc Milon (40 hectares), a 5th growth from the Mouton Rothschild stable. I’ve always liked Clerc Milon and agree with conventional views that it is one notch above its brother, another 5th growth Pauillac, Ch. d’Armailhac (70 hectares), with which it is inevitably compared. This is reflected in the prices of the respective wines.

I visited the new Clerc Milon cellar last year. It is built in a resolutely modern style on a rise directly overlooking Ch. Lafite Rothschild.
Apparently, a new cellar is also planned for d’Armailhac in the near future.

Back to the wine… 2000 Clerc Milon has a medium-deep colour and a bricking rim, looking slightly older than its age. The wine leaves thick legs on the glass. By the way, there is a common misconception that this is due to glycerine. However, I can remember a tasting tutored by the late Professor Emily Peynaud in which he said that this is incorrect: it is due to alcohol.

The nose is not very pronounced. It is a little dusty with subtle hints of raisins and black fruit jelly.

The wine is more interesting on the palate. It starts our round, then dips, and comes back with an assertive velvety tannic texture. It is warming, a little dry, and has a strong finish that even displays a little alcoholic hotness. The flavors include ethereal cherry-vanilla nuances and even some menthol/eucalyptus notes. The aftertaste is what makes this wine worthwhile. The textured tannin and grip also show that, although it has definitely entering its drinking window, it will stay on its plateau for a long time. In the galaxy of Médoc great growths this wine is middle of the road. But that’s still saying a great deal, and it is unquestionably a good, solid Pauillac.

2007 Clos Dady, 2002 Ch. Troplong Mondot, and 2000 Ch. Siran

I have been a fan of Clos Dady for a while. This 6-hectare estate in Preignac was recently purchased by the Russian Eli Ragimov. It is currently managed in conjunction with nearby Château d’Arche.As opposed to the red wines of Bordeaux, 2007 is a good year for sweet white wines, and this comes through in 2007 Clos Dady, which I enjoyed with panfried foie gras – a marriage made in heaven…
The color is a rich deep golden yellow with bronze highlights. The nose is very fresh and fruity with quince and (decided) pear aromas, with some waxy nuances. The bouquet seems much more overripe than botrytized.

The taste goes from round and unctuous into a finish with pronounced acidity. The aftertaste is pleasant, but on the short side.
This is nevertheless a good wine to enjoy at this stage of its development. It is fresh and vital. I am of the opinion that there is a style of Sauternes (like this) that appeals more to the French market, as opposed to the other kind (more botrytized, more concentrated, and oaky) that appeals to foreign markets. At table, even so, this Clos Dady was a treat.

I expected much from the 2002 Ch. Troplong Mondot, a wine that I do not follow regularly, but which was promoted to Premier Grand Cru status in 2006 and confirmed in 2012. Aware that 2002 is not such a wonderful vintage, especially on the Right Bank, I was willing to make allowances. I was nevertheless disappointed with what I tasted. The color is lovely and deep, looking younger than its age. The nose has hints of leather and musk as well as a ferrous, and what I call a soy sauce element. It is ripe and shows candied fruit. Things unfortunately go downhill from there… The wine is simply steamrollered by the oak.
One of the great discussions among Bordeaux lovers is the “classic” versus the “modern” style. I freely admit to belonging more to the former camp. Still, I have an open mind. But when a wine is as overwhelmed as this by barrel ageing, you simply have to admit it. 2002 Troplong Mondot is thus big and a little “hot” on the palate with a hard, dry, oaky aftertaste. It is curiously diluted on the attack, and then goes dumb and tight. The wine showed a little better after a few hours in the decanter, but it is going nowhere. Someone was a just a little too ambitious that year in light of the fruit’s potential.
The last Troplong Mondot I had was a 1990, which was delightful, so I do not mean to paint every vintage with the same brush by any means.
Also, I am anxious to go to the restaurant that recently opened at Troplong Mondot, called Les Belles Perdrix. I’ve heard very good reports…
The Bordeaux rumor mill has been very active with news of a possible takeover of the estate since Christine Valette passed away last year, but these seem to be ungrounded.

I am increasingly finding that mid-range 2000 Bordeaux is ready to drink. So, I decanted a bottle of 2000 Ch. Siran to have with rabbit à la moutarde. I should point out that the mustard ends up being very subtle when blended with the cooking juices and cream, so this did not really skew my evaluation. Anyway, the color of this 2000 Siran is very deep and thick, looking younger than its years. The nose is surprisingly mute. Although pure, it is not very expressive at all. What little I could detect smelled like beetroot. The wine is somewhat better on the palate and reminded me of nothing so much as the way Médoc used to taste when I first arrived in Bordeaux, over 30 years ago. I noted cedar and a touch of blackcurrant, but also unquestionable greenness and bitterness on the finish. I came back to the wine 5 hours after the meal, and it had changed little. The tealike flavors are very reminiscent of old-fashioned Médoc. Above all, this wine would have been much better a few years ago. You’d have to look very hard to find any of the characteristics usually associated with Margaux…

Huge turnout as Bordeaux protests against terrorist attacks

OK, I know this has nothing to do with wine, but the reaction was extraordinary here in Bordeaux.

I remember what it was like when Mitterrand won the presidential election in 1981, and when France won the World Cup in 1998.

But it was nothing like what we saw today.

http://www.sudouest.fr/2015/01/11/en-images-une-maree-humaine-de-140-000-personnes-a-bordeaux-1793286-2780.php

2000 Ch. Haut-Condissas

I have met Jean Guyon only once, a few years ago when I was invited to dinner at Château Haut-Condissas in Bégadan with a group of wine lovers from www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com
I might add that he correctly identified a wine served blind on that occasion (château and vintage – it was an old Beychevelle).
Jean is very different from your run-of-the-mill château owner. He is plain-spoken and a touch inconoclastic – which suits me just fine. He has got his hands dirty, built an empire of 200 hectares of vines from nothing, and made a great success. His commercial flagship is Château Rollan de By, an excellent AOC Médoc that is competitively priced and critically acclaimed. He also owns Château La Clare, Château Tour Seran, Château Greysac (which he bought from the Agnelli family of Fiat in 2012), etc. in the Médoc.
Total production is approximately 1.3 million bottles.
The cream of all this is Château Haut-Condissas, an AOC Médoc from Bégadan. This ten-hectare vineyard is planted with 60% Merlot, 20% Petit Verdot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc.
Haut-Condissas was a controversial wine in the past among English-speakers because it achieved unexpectedly stellar results at blind tastings held by the Grand Jury Européen, outdistancing several first growths. People criticized the methodology and thought that the wine must necessarily be a flashy “modern” over-oaked Bordeaux that stands out in a tasting, but is not one for the long haul, or for refined palates…

Being somewhat of a doubting Thomas, I wanted to see for myself, of course.
I had bought a bottle of the 2000 Haut-Condissas at Auchan in the Mériadec shopping center in Bordeaux some time back and decided to open it on New Year’s Day 2015. I figured that fourteen years should let most any wine show most of what it has to deliver.

Well, the experience was more positive than I expected.

The color is so deep that I had trouble decanting the wine. The rim is only just starting to brown, making the wine look younger than its age. It also leaves thick sheets on the side of the glass.
The nose shows hints of candied black fruit, cranberry, blackberry jelly, untanned leather, meat, and crushed blackcurrant leaves.
As good as the bouquet is, the wine is even better on the palate, which is chock full of fruit. The tannic texture is coarse-grained, but velvety, and the structure develops effortlessly from spherical into the assertive and penetrating flavour of classic Médoc. The aftertaste is maybe a little short and there’s a certain dryness there, but nothing puts this into the artificial, “manipulated” category. The alcohol content is 13.5% and this comes through in the flavour profile, but does not overwhelm… I would rate the wine 15.5/16 out of 20, keeping in mind that my scores are systematically lower than most other people’s.
I regularly subject my spouse to blind tasting and she thought this 2000 Haut-Condissas was a great growth from Saint-Julien or Pauillac. In fact, I think almost anyone would! The French say of such a complete and richly satisfying wine that it is “à boire et à manger”. It was a fascinating discovery for me, and I am sure that the wine will be even better in years to come…