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Returning corked wine in a restaurant
A few days ago, my better half and I were kindly invited out to dinner by a William Nash, a retired US general, and his wife Elizabeth Becker, a journalist and author. We first went to my favorite wine bar, Le Sobre, on the Quai des Chartrons for an aperitif and a platter of nibbles (charcuterie and cheeses). The bottle of Champagne (LPM, for La Petite Montagne, Extra Brut barrel aged, 100 Pinot Meunier from Ullens) we shared was delicious.
We then went to Symbiose, a nearby restaurant I was unfamiliar with, but which had a good rating on Trip Advisor. We skipped the first course and our host ordered a 2016 Ch. Grand Puy Ducasse for the mains. This unfortunately turned out to be corked. We pointed it out to the server and asked him to replace it. He replied that he was incompetent to say one way or other and took a glass to the chef, who insisted that it was fine and just needed a little air. Needless to say, this left us in somewhat of a quandary, because my wife agreed that the great growth wine was unquestionably corked.
Fortunately, the sommelier, who was off work that day, just happened to come by the restaurant. He was solicited for an opinion and concurred that the wine was indeed corked (admitting to a face-saving “a little”). This was a huge relief and defused an awkward situation, especially seeing as it wasn’t me who was paying the bill. A bottle of 2016 Haut Marbuzet, a reliable Saint-Estèphe, was substituted for the Grand Puy Ducasse. This proved to be delicious and saved the day. I was very glad that things had worked out well, especially as the automatic reaction is to replace the corked wine with another bottle of the same wine. This means, of course, that the risk of running into another corked bottle is magnified…
This is not the first time I’ve encountered such a situation. I was once was in Tunisia, where I had ordered the most expensive wine on the list. Being Muslim, none of the staff knew enough, or admitted knowing enough, about wine to deal with my complaint. They probably hadn’t run into this problem before either. After conferring, they replaced the bottle.
Of course, a huge percentage of the population is unable to identify the presence of 2,4,6-Trichloroanisole (also known as TCA) in wine and another segment can, but doesn’t want to make a fuss… Also, there are degrees of TCA contamination. A slightly corked wine can still be just about acceptable. It’s all a question of concentration and sensory thresholds. TCA is produced by fungi, mold or certain bacteria in the bark of the cork tree. There’s a good article about it from the Wine Enthusiast site: https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/wine/cork-taint-wine-fault-guide/ I was struck by the following statement: “Humans have a remarkable sensitivity to cork taint, with people able to smell TCA between two and five parts per trillion, and some even below one part. That’s like being able to identify one teaspoon of water from 1,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools”.
In my opinion, restaurant policy should be that “the customer is always right” and that they should replace any bottle identified as corked. On the other hand, I can understand a restaurateur’s point of view if he is convinced the wine is not flawed and does not wish to lose money unfairly. It’s a delicate situation.
Waitstaff at restaurants, sometimes even very good ones, often receive little or no training with regard to the wines they serve or how to serve them. I hope that Symbiose kept the wine back and showed their employees what a corked wine tastes like for future reference. Unless they purchased it years ago, it should be possible for them to contact the négociant that sold them the wine and obtain a refund.
I actually drink many more Bordeaux wines than I mention on my blog. That’s because lots of them are consumed at dinners (chez moi or at friends’ houses) where you would look like a real nerd if you wrote down tasting notes of the wines you were enjoying…
However, Sunday lunch is usually at home, slow-paced, and relaxed, with every opportunity to take an unhurried look at the wine.
I decanted 2009 Château Belle-Vue two hours before the meal. I had good expectations for this wine. In fact, a bottle of this same vintage was featured on the cover of the Revue de Vins de France. It seemed like a very safe bet.
I unfortunately cannot say I came away impressed. The wine had a good deep colour, still showing some purple, but also beginning to brown on the rim. The bouquet was the best part of the wine. This was unmistakably Médoc, with graphite nuances. The wine fell down, however, on the palate. While there was an attractive black cherry component, it seemed thin and mean on the whole, with bitter tannin and the decided impression of alcohol (as though there were more than the 14% alc./vol. listed on the label – not that such a degree is anything to condemn out of hand).
Belle-Vue (there are about 20 wines in Bordeaux with the same, or approximately the same name) is a 15-hectare estate in Macau, in the Haut-Médoc appellation that was promoted to Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel status in the 2020 classification, one of just 14 wines. The château was acquired by Vincent Mulliez, along with Château de Gironville and Château Bolaire in 2004. The Muilliez family own the huge Auchan supermarket chain in France, the equivalent of a Walmart or Tesco.
I have one more bottle of 2009 Belle-Vue and will revisit it down the road. The saying goes that “there are no great wines, just great bottles”. Between bottle variation, the hazards of storage, etc. one experience cannot be deemed definitive by any means. If the next bottle is better when I revisit it, I will be sure to mention it on the blog. I also have a couple of bottles of the rare Belle-Vue 100% Petit Verdot that will be the subject of a separate report down the line.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing… Here I was thinking that I was pretty clued-in to the wines of Bordeaux, especially the great growths, and then the following happened. I was particularly interested in getting to know unfamiliar (to me) estates included for the first time in the 2012 Saint Emilion classification. So, I snapped up a bottle of 2010 Château La Fleur Morange, Cuvée Mathilde. Here I was thinking that I would discover a newcomer and broaden my knowledge. But no, Cuvée Mathilde is something different from the real Mc Coy and I ending up feeling as though I’d been had…
Let me explain.
Named after the owners’ daughter, about 10,000 bottles of Cuvée Mathilde are produced a year. The classified growth (i.e. without any mention of a cuvée), produces half as much… and costs more than twice as much. Most second wine labels make a discreet allusion to the grand vin rather than misleading consumers, as this was the case here, into believing they were buying a cru classé.
Buyer beware!
What of the wine? I wish I could be more positive. A 13 year-old wine from a great year, it should really have been better. The color was about right for its age. Despite 15° alcohol, the nose was gentle and sweet with hints of dark chocolate and anise with some underlying spice. However, the wine fell down on the palate, which showed too much oak and the decided presence of alcohol, accompanied by a dry finish. I do not think that ageing will even things out. While I may give “Cuvée Mathilde” a pass next time around, I am still intrigued about how the cru classé tastes in recent vintages.
Seeing as I happened to have a bottle of the 2009 in my cellar, I decided to open this for lunch on Christmas day, to accompany a roast leg of baby lamb from the Pyrenees. I decanted the wine three hours before the meal and was richly rewarded with something wonderful. The nose was subtle and extremely attractive even if, curiously, thanks to its hints of graphite, I think it could easily be mistaken for a fine Northern Médoc. There was no question, however, that this was an upper tier Right Bank wine on the palate. The attack was soft, enveloping, and voluptuous, and went on seamlessly to show the backbone Bordeaux is famous for, but without any harshness or austerity. I like this wine so much, I figure that it could easily hold its own with the Premier Crus Classés in this vintage. A really positive experience and a great pleasure.
2010 Château Tour Sieurjean, Cuvée Alchima, Pauillac This château, located in Saint Laurant, not far from La Tour Carnet and Larose Trintaudon, has 5 hectares of vines in Pauillac and 3 in the Haut-Médoc appellation. They produce 2,000 bottles a year of this prestige cuvée, consisting of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 24 months in new oak barrels. Served blind to my better half, she took only a moment to ask: Pauillac? This was a vigorous wine with cherry-vanilla aromatics and a lot of punch. There were black olive and herbes de Provence nuances on the aftertaste, as well as a marked oak influence. An interesting discovery. If I had another bottle I’d give it more cellar time.
2010 Château Bellegrave, Pauillac This 8.3 hectare estate is surrounded by Latour, Pichon Baron, and Lynch Bages. 85% of the Pauillac appellation is composed of great growths, so wines such as this are fairly rare. The small château building is very attractive and has a beautiful garden. This 2010 had a very deep, fine color and a relatively muted nose. It screamed Cabernet Sauvignon on the palate rather than terroir. I see that drinkers on Cellartracker are divided as to the wine’s longevity. I tend to side with those who feel it is too young. There was an impression of alcohol even though the degree listed on the label was quite moderate. There are many estates named Bellegrave, or variations thereof, so care should be taken not to confuse this with any other château, especially Château Bellegrave, 5th growth in Saint Laurent, AOC Pauillac.
Some American friends and regular contributors to the Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts forum recently came to visit. BWE (http://www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com/viewforum.php?f=4) is the only internet forum devoted to Bordeaux and, over the years, virtual friends have become real ones at wine dinners shared on several continents.
My wife and I served a special dinner to which I invited two other friends. Jean-François Bourrut-Lacouture, a retired négociant and Lori Westmoreland, who works in public relations at Ch. Léoville Poyferré. The 8 of us tasted 10 ½ bottles (I say tasted, but I see this morning that there was surprisingly little left over…). Here’s an overview of the wines. I say overview because I don’t take notes at table.
The aperitif wines were 2012 Veuve Clicquot and 2012 Dom Pérignon. The former was certainly a good Champagne, but did not really float my boat. The Dom was, in everyone’s opinion, head and shoulders above it and, as opposed to many other vintages of DP, quite enjoyable to drink at age 11, i.e. relatively young. It was complex, yeasty, biscuity, and had a wonderful aftertaste
We started the meal with two Sauternes and foie gras on a bed of mâche, or lamb’s lettuce. The first Sauternes (or rather, Barsac), was 2001 Doisy Daënes, which was delightful and the kind of wine you can love either young or old. We raised a toast to the late Denis Dubourdieu, owner of the estate and Dean of the Faculty of Enology at Bordeaux University. One of the great men of Bordeaux. The wine had the trademark minerality and digestibility of great Barsac. This was followed by 1997 Yquem. Once again, a toast was raised to the late Count de Lur Saluces, who died earlier this year. As opposed to the red wines of Bordeaux, 1997 is a very good vintage in Sauternes. As this was tasted blind, most people thought the wine was older, from the 1980s. I can see why because the color looked that way. The wine was, to my mind, at peak and a joy to drink.
With the goose confit, duchess potatoes, and cauliflower we transitioned to reds, starting out with a 2019 Siran from Margaux that had been given by Edouard Miailhe during a visit earlier that afternoon. This was a promising, elegant wine.
Next up were three wines served side by side: 2002 Mouton Rothshild, 2002 Léoville Las Cases, and 2002 Latour. It was fascinating to compare these blind. Everyone agreed that the LLC was not up to the standard of the Pauillacs. I had hoped it would be because many people feel that this estate is on a par with the first growths and the Delon family at one point unsuccessfully tried to price it in that category. So, the duel was between Mouton and Latour. I was in the minority, felling that the former edged out the latter. Mouton was beautifully aromatic and elegant, a superb Médoc entering its drinking window. Where Latour did outperform was on the incredibly suave long aftertaste.
Next up was 1986 Talbot, a beautiful, classic wine with any Cordier funkiness pretty much under control. This proved to be a meaty, rich Saint Julien in traditional mode, with great acidity and length. The last red wine of the evening was a 1979 Château Margaux. Although the finish was drying, the wine was graceful, poised, and elegant at age 44.
With dessert, we enjoyed a gift bottle brought from the US, a Kopke Colheita Port from 1953, my birth year. I was really touched. This was bottled in 2012. To say the tannins are resolved would be an understatement. This has moved into another dimension, with a softness and warmth that caress the palate, the ultimate “comfort wine”. In fact, I’m sipping some as I write this, feeling pretty damned good about the time I’ve spent with my friends the past few days.
This itsy-bitsy (1.5 hectare) vineyard is owned by José Sansfins, the manager of third growth Château Cantenac Brown. The odd name (as portrayed on the label by a wolf baying at the moon) comes from a previous owner, a carpenter, who cut down the trees he needed when the moon was full in the belief that, in this way, the wood would never be attacked by insects or deteriorate. His vineyard was planted on the highest point in the Margaux appellation, in the commune of Soussans, on a bed of gravelly soil.
I opened this wine expecting to find something serviceable, but nothing special. Boy, was I mistaken. I don’t know if it’s the vintage quality coming through more than anything else, but this wine was a beauty, as good, if not better, than most of the 3rd and 4th growth classified growths of Margaux. This was a streamlined wine of great finesse and a joy to drink. At age 13, it was in its early drinking window. To give you an idea of pricing, a recent vintage, the 2020, can be purchased retail at 30 euros a bottle in France. Who says that serious Bordeaux has to be expensive?
How many of you have ever tasted a wine from the Côtes de Francs?
Hmmm. I didn’t think so…
Francs Côtes de Bordeaux (as it is now called) is the smallest appellation in Bordeaux, with approximately 400 hectares of vines. This Right Bank region is located near the Dordogne River and the border with the Dordogne department, a half hour by car from Libourne and twenty minutes from Saint Emilion.
It would be an exaggeration to call Francs (fewer than 200 people) a one-horse town. I doubt there is even a cat there… However, they do have a castle whose oldest section dates back to the 6th century. The family of the famous enologist Michel Rolland lived here, at Château Ad Francos, for two centuries and his team currently oversees winemaking there.
Ad Francos has about 8 hectares of vines (average age 30 years) on clay-limestone soil producing roughly 30,000 bottles of wine a year. The property, entirely restored in the early part of this century, was acquired by Guillaume Brochard and his wife, Qiong Er Jiang, in 2017. Monsieur Brochard lives most of the year in Shanghai, where he had a successful jewellery business that he sold to Kering (Pinault) in 2013. He also acquired three other wine firms having both a négociant activity and/or their own vineyards: La Guyennoise, GRM, and Le Star.
Château Ad Francos is definitely off the beaten track, both geographically and vinously. Relying not only on the wine’s quality, but also its rarity, Monsieur Brochard has intelligently decided to position it in the premium category, with prices to match.
I tasted through the range in July.
The 2019 and 2020 white wines, AOC Francs Côtes de Bordeaux, were both light, aromatic and mineral without too much oak. The 2015 red Ad Francos was a wine of character needing further ageing and would make a fine match with flavorsome food such as stews or game. The 2016 vintage was also quite tannic with well-integrated oak and a promising future. The 2012 barrel-fermented Reserve, (full name: Réserve Ad Aeternam) at age 11, still showed some oak as well as sweet cherry overtones on the nose, along with hints of spice, pepper, and earth on the palate.
It should be said that Ad Francos has one of the most unusual labels in Bordeaux, reproducing an old engraving of the château and the facsimile of a passage from the 1898 edition of Bordeaux et Ses Vins (Féret).
Château le Grand Verdus is a well-reputed centuries-old estate located in Sadirac, equidistant from Bordeaux and Libourne. This large vineyard (120 hectares) produces wines sold under the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur appellations. The château makes a range of wines including an unsulfured red, an orange-type Sémillon, and a small quantity (for Bordeaux, i.e. 6,000 bottles) of a varietal Cabernet Franc.
The latter caught my eye because it is fairly rare to see a Bordeaux made from this grape variety alone
The salesperson in a shop where I bought the wine explained that it was easy-going and to drink young (he said, c’est très glou-glou). Seeing as we are in the middle of a heat wave (40° C yesterday), I thought that suited me just fine. In view of the grape variety, I was expecting a wine similar to a quaffable light red Loire made from the same grape.
But this was not the case. The wine had a very dark color, which was the first difference compared to a Chinon or Saumur Champigny. The nose showed some attractive cherry and even kirsch notes, but was not very pronounced. However, the comparison with the Loire really fell apart on the palate because this was unmistakably Bordeaux, full-bodied with tons more tannin and considerable grip – definitely a wine to enjoy with food rather than casual sipping. There was also a ferrous quality. Served cool, the 14° alcohol was nevertheless obvious. The brother of a red Loire this was not. More like a first cousin once removed.
Would I have guessed this was a Cabernet Franc if served blind? Probably not because I did not find the grassy quality and light body I associate with that variety. Still, it was a fun experience at a reasonable price.
The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux organizes a Weekend des Grands Crus every year in the city of Bordeaux as well as in the wine country. This is open to the general public and is a great way not only to taste 2 vintages of world-famous wines (one shared by all producers and another of their choice), but also to meet the château owners or their representatives.
d’Armailhacq N: Toasty oak with cherry/vanilla overtones. P: Altogether more expressive on the palate. This is a big, strong, assertive, and virile Pauillac, but elegance and balance are there as well. Confirms the estate’s recent improvement. Fresh, with great fruit, a long aftertaste dominated by blackcurrant, and black olive overtones on the tail end. Already very attractive and will make for fine mid-term drinking. Good to very good.
Beychevelle N: Discrete subtle bouquet with blackberry and throat lozenge aromas. Elegant. P: Seems a bit thin at first, but this is a mistaken impression. Great quintessentially Médoc cassis flavors. Lively and buoyant. Not a big wine, but one with a fine backbone, as well as a refreshing and classic aftertaste. Very good.
Branaire Ducru N: Dark chocolate and blackstrap molasses. Subtle wildberry nose, but without much depth at this stage. P: Starts out round and rich, but then shows surprising acidity for an unusual balance. Brambly. Good textured aftertaste with some leather nuances. Good to very good.
Grand Puy Ducasse N: Roast coffee in spades! This overshadows the fruit. The nose is also a little green. P: A big mouthful of wine. Chunky then acidic. Relatively unbalanced. Dry finish with some bitterness. I keep hoping this château will do better. OK
Gruaud Larose N: Surprisingly little oak. Fine berry fuit, fresh and, above all, understated. Needs time to open. P: Far more expressive on the palate. Fresh, assertive Médoc fruit. Bright, with good length, albeit a bit dry and oaky at present. In the classic mold. A great reflection of its terroir. Good to very good.
Haut Batailley N: Soft, but reveals disappointingly little at this time. P: Better on the palate. Rich, with a licorice flavor. Although not very impressive on the attack, the wine unfolds into a textbook Pauillac with a very good long brambly finish. Good.
Lagrange N: A little confected, with candied red fruit aromas. Not much there really, and one-dimensional. P: Comes off better on the palate, but this is not one of the best Saint Juliens tasted. A little harsh and acidic. This acidity will help it to age, of course, but the wine ought to be smoother and richer. There’s nothing wrong here, just nothing special. OK
Langoa Barton N: Very natural and unadulterated with far less oak than others. Understated. Not very forthcoming as yet, but with some notes of black cherry liqueur. P: Thirst quenching. Pure, satisfying, and well-made, but curiously short. Well-made, just not outstanding in the context.. Good
Léoville Barton N: Very low profile. Bit dumb, but what’s there is promising. Ethereal and intriguing. Touch of mint and camphor. P: Tight, resonant, pure, and with a long velvety aftertaste. Not rich, but will age beautifully. The fruit has been magnificently locked-in. Very good, and one of the stars of this tasting.
Léoville Poyferré N: Fruit forward, fresh, very Cabernet nose. Some coffee/vanilla notes, but not overoaked. More black than red fruit. P: Good acidity and raspberry flavor. Long tangy finish. Neither rich, alcoholic, nor top-heavy. Bit old-fashioned. Classic. The oak comes through more on the finish. Very good.
Lynch Bages N: In accordance with the château profile. Soft, pure, blackcurrant and black cherry aromas. Clean and precise. P: Not a big wine, and the element of purity on the nose comes through on the palate. Good acidity reminiscent of a less-than-stellar year. Unusually, cedar more than oak flavors on the finish. Quintessence of cassis. Good grip, but a little short on the aftertaste. A feminine Lynch Bages? Good to very good.
Pichon Baron N: Sweet and concentrated, but not at all in a New World sort of way. Typical Pauillac bouquet featuring some cedar/cigar box aromas. P: Lovely full-bodied mouthful of wine. Big, with a great velvety aftertaste showing just a little heat. Really tremendously long and fresh, with heaps of blackcurrant and a mineral finish. Very good plus, perhaps my favorite wine of the tasting.
Pichon Comtesse N: Meaty, with hints of maraschino cherry, and underdeveloped at this stage. P: This vintage is strongly marked by Cabernet Sauvignon. Fine structure and a long velvety uncompromising aftertaste. Made to age for many years. Very good.
Saint Pierre N: Candied red fruit nose along with lovely evanescent black cherry. Seductive. P: Open, upfront, and uncomplicated, in a popular commercial sort of ways. Bit hollow and halfway towards a modern style. Good value for money. Good.
Talbot N: Very toasty oak! Wildberry and forest fruit nose. Needs time and oxygenation to come out, which is why young wines in newly-opened bottles can sometimes give a misleading impression. P: Big, chunky, and typical of its appellation. Long, slightly harsh aftertaste. Uncompromising. Fresh, but lacks softness and richness. Little weak on the middle palate. A strong, characterful Saint Julien. The long aftertaste redeems a relatively lacklustre wine. This is long with some black olive nuances. Good.
Beauregard N: Muted at this time, but what there is is very encouraging. P: Big mouthful. Sleek and unctuous. Very Pomerol, but lacks a little oomph. Rubbery tannin. Good plus.
Bellegrave N: Sweet, plummy, bordering on confected. P: Very unctuous, upfront, a Dolly Parton of a wine. Rather flabby and top-heavy. An anomaly in the appellation. So strong and rich that it will call for strongly flavoured food. Good.
Bourgneuf N: Rather unexpressive at this time, but showing blueberry jam aromas. P: Blueberry aromatics on the palate as well. Paradox between freshness and some alcoholic heat. Big mouthful of wine almost New World in style. Really rich. OK
Le Caillou N: Plummy and somewhat spirit, but a little dumb at this time. P: Chunky mouth feel with fine archetypal Pomerol tannin going into some hardness, followed by a surprising about-face to become soft again. Good.
Certan de May N: Licorice and berry aromas. P: Very soft and caressing mouth feel leading into velvety tannin. Lacking a little acidity, but the quality of the tannin is what’s important here. Some chocolate overtones. Already melts in the mouth. Seems too oaky now, but give it time. Good plus.
Le Chemin N: Berry blossoms and ripe black fruit. P: Very representative of its appellation. Starts out rich, then dips, then returns with good quality tannin as well as licorice and floral components on the tail end. Good.
La Clémence N: Sweet, but not very forthcoming. P: Starts out quite round, but then goes into strong acidity. Does not seem balanced at this stage, but can obviously be transformed with age in barrel and in bottle. Only 600 cases are produced a year. Owned by the Dauriac family of cru classé Destieux in Saint-Emilion. OK
Clinet N: Tasted alongside L’Ecuyer, this seemed even more typical of fine Pomerol. Empyreumatic Merlot overtones with a hint of menthol and some very refined and welcome spirity aromas. P: Compact with great acidity. Blueberry flavors spread out beautifully on the palate. Sensual, but classy tannin. Less modern in style than some previous vintages and quite delicious. Very good.
La Commanderie N: Closed at this time, but there are some intriguing dark chocolate nuances. P: More akin to a Lalande than a Pomerol and definitely light for this vintage. Marked acidity, but this buttresses the long textured aftertaste which features rubbery notes that redeems the wine as a whole. Good.
Certan de May N: Wonderful nose of licorice and forest fruit. P: Very soft mouthfeel leading to velvety tannin. Seems at first to lack acidity, but tannin steps in to give definition and structure. Dark chocolate nuances and the wine melts in the mouth at this early stage. Very good.
La Conseillante N: Creamy, both from the oak and the terroir, with some raspberry aromas. P: This creaminess comes through on the palate as well. Soft and caressing, with super round tannin. The flavour progresses seamlessly step by step into a saline and mineral aftertaste. Very good.
L’Ecuyer N: Subtle and inky with a touch of menthol. P: Fresh and vibrant with fine velvety tannic texture. Violet and chalky nuances, along with an impression of tar and incense. A little dry and oaky, but give it time. This estate had just been acquired by Ronan Laborde of Château Clinet. Good plus.
Eglise Clinet N: Very empyreumatic with good fruit to match. P: Toasty oak with a good tight structure. Tight and resonant, with tertiary notes just emerging. Slightly spirity. Velvety tannin. Uncompromisingly Pomerol that needs plenty of time. Some black olive nuances on the aftertaste. Very good.
Evangile N : Shy, but promising. G: Chunky and tightly wound, with goods structure and soft tannin. A wine of character that will undoubtedly show even better as time goes on. Good plus.
Feytit Clinet N: Toasty oak, but rather too much of it. However there are perfumed red and black fruit notes in the background. P: Very round, but also a little dilute and hollow. Needs retasting at a later date. Prior experiences with this wine lead me to believe it will show much better later on. OK
La Fleur N: Closed and reduced at tasting. P: Some gas in a wine that was clearly not in an ideal place to be appraised. This wine, one of the finest in Bordeaux, illustrates how difficult and risky barrel tastings can be. Normally exquisite, it was simply not showing well. But I’m willing to bet it will be sublime down the road if its track record is anything to go by. Not rated.
La Fleur Pétrus N: Very delicate with elegant truffle notes so sought-after in the best wines of Pomerol. P: Big and spreads out wonderfully on the palate. Seems slightly dilute at first, but the aftertaste gives an added dimension to the wine. There’s a sensual texture to the tannin here and it coats the palate deliciously. Good plus.
Hosanna N: Pure and upfront with rich berry and brambly aromas. P: Dense and concentrated. Quite soft with lots of finesse, but also a great deal of character. Broader and slightly more hollow than La Fleur Pétrus. A virile wine. Good plus.
Lafleur Gazin N: Sweet and simple. P: That “sweetness” is reflected on the palate as well. Displays its charms brazenly, but these disappear into a short aftertaste. Reminds me more of the better wines of Lalande more than a Pomerol. Good.
Lagrange N: Subtle black cherry aromas with iron filing nuances. P: Round and compact, backed up by good oak. The only flaw is the short aftertaste. However, a fine representative of the Pomerol appellation, i.e. very typical. Some empyreumatic (burnt rubber) flavors. Good plus.
Mazeyres N: Bramble bush, with deep fruity aromas. P: Heavy mouth feel with a vanilla/almond flavor often found in Pomerols. Vinous, but lacks finesse. Will be enjoyable young. Good.
Le Moulin N: Good oak overlaying discreet black fruit. P: A flashy wine that is rich, but somewhat topheavy. A little green and hot at this time. OK
Petit Village N: Soft bouquet reminiscent of cherry cough drops and black fruit. P: Quintessentially Pomerol. Some anise. Just a little weak on the middle palate, but showing good acidity and uplift into a fine finish. Seems slightly dilute up until that fairly assertive aftertaste. Good plus.
Pétrus N: Very subtle bouquet with violet nuances and some mint. P: Simply wonderful texture. Creamy, chalky, and balsamic with plush tannin and an aftertaste that does not let up. My notes say “so goddam soft”. However, that does not preclude a monumental structure. Will take decades to reach its apogee. Not unduly wowed by price or reputation, I honestly found this to be the top wine of all I tasted from the 2022 vintage. Superlative.
Le Pin N: Sophisticated bouquet with hints of both fresh berry fruit and dried fruit. P: A tour de force achieving a tremendous balance between a sensual, melts-in-your-mouth texture and a superb structure. A tad austere, but a majestic Pomerol. Very good.
Plince N: Vanilla, almond, inky, fine, and delicate. P: Rich, swish, and silky with surprising acidity on the finish, which is nevertheless rather short and with oak that is too prevalent at this stage. A touch of bitterness on the finish. The palate does not quite live up to the promise of the bouquet. Good.
Renaissance N: Fine soft Pomerol nose with violet overtones. Penetrating without being aggressive. Some alcohol discernible. P: Big mouthful of wine 1,000% Merlot. Spherical. Huge, then dies down by degrees. Tasted just after Vieux Château Certain, this suffered from the comparison, but it is a very good wine. Good plus.
Séraphine N: soft bouquet with hints of talcum power and flower petals. G: Rich mouthful with sweet fruit into a fresh zingy finish. Lip-smackingly good. Very good
Tailhaus N: Some violet, but also some lingering fermentation aromas. P: On the delicate side. This estate is on the outskirts of Libourne. Tasty, with a cool ethereal aftertaste. Good plus.
Trotanoy N: Markedly floral with engaging deep fruit P: Sinewy with a marvellous velvety texture and a lovely long aftertaste. Weighty with excellent ageing potential. Tightly wound. The opposite of an easy-going fat Pomerol. Very good.
La Truffe N: Despite the name, there are no truffle notes on the bouquet, which is simple and attractive. P: Rich, typical Pomerol with a delicate flavor profile. Excellent follow-through. Deserves to be better-known. Delicious. By the way, this wine does not have, nor has it ever had, truffle aromatics. The etymology of the place name is lost in the mists of time. Very good.
Valois N: Fresh, engaging, deep. P: Very rich with strong violet overtones. A wine for Merlot lovers. That violet flavor goes on and on! A little obvious, but attractive. Good.
Vieux Château Certan N: Inky, soft, and deep with violet overtones. P: A marvelous texture with great acidity to match. Raspberry flavor and suave tannin that coats the mouth. The aftertaste is pure magic and there is some minerality among the plushness. Very good.
Vray Croix de Gay N: Rich with interesting facets of berry fruit just coming to the fore. P: Sweet and round with vanilla/almond flavors. Good follow-through and length. A serious wine. Good plus. This estate was just acquired by the owners of Calon Ségur in the Médoc.
