Tag Archives: France

July 30, 2012 · 11:14 pm

Chateau Soutard – 27/07/2012

Chateau Cadet-Piola 2006
A little sharp on the nose, quite precise and fresh, red fruits but a tad volatile and bretty. Tight and lean, very intense but somewhat simple, very soft tannins, good acids but generally quite empty and simple.

Chateau Larmande 2002
Dense and meaty, darker fruits more mature and savoury, picking up some nice bottle-character, toastier and a little mint elements, dried fruits. Quite sharp and precise, definitely a product of its vintage, high acids and a little bitterness. On the bitter side, volatile and alcoholic. Not impressive.

Chateau Soutard 2003
Visibly ageing very fast. Much meatier on the nose, burger rings, bacon rind, fairly cooked on the nose, fruit all but gone. Soft and supple on the palate, looking quite complex at the moment but very little chance that it will improve, leathery and yoghurt. Creaminess in the texture but typical old-world bad.

Chateau Soutard 2007
Deeper and darker fruits, more mellow on the nose, good concentration but still showing some of that old-world funk, almost like a brunello. Good structure through the palate, well balanced and filling the mouth very well, subdued red fruits, a little creaminess in texture from the oak and the tannins, quite supple but persistent. Good acidity through the mouth, certainly potential and a fine example but still a lot of improving to be made.

Chateau Soutard

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , ,

July 30, 2012 · 11:08 pm

Chateau Suduiraut – 27/07/2012

Chateau Suduiraut 1989
Looking a little oxidative, possibly due to it being open a few days(?), showing some nutty notes and some watercress and celeriac, just like an old semillon should, some minerality and dried banana and fig. Creamy yet still bright and fresh texture, caramel and vanilla showing through but the sweetness is really dying down, very late dried apricots which would have been prominent in youth. Very complex and long, on the warm side at 14.5% alcohol, but lot’s of dried fruit complexity.

Chateau Suduiraut 1997
More brightness and showing minerality, oily and kerosene notes, dried citrus. Very nutty on the palate and texture, creamy and yet dense in the apricot and dried peach, denser but more linear through the palate with some nice savoury elements as well. Textured and bold but tight and fresh. Still plenty of life left in it, more complexity in the nose than on the palate for now.

Chateau Suduiraut 1999
Less expressive aromatically, very tight and linear on the nose, showing a lot of the minerality, finesse and elegance with a lot of freshness and more citrus than stone fruit. Denser and more concentrated than the 1997, but very tight and volumous, bright and textured at the same time, developing a little nuttiness and some lovely ripe vegetable elements like pumpkin and sweet-potato, great minerality and a core of acidity. Very shy at the moment, in a trough period of the ageing, needs another 10 years.

Chateau Suduiraut 2002
Quite different aromatically, showing some barley and wheat notes possibly as it is quite closed, very subtle caramel. Nice candied characters on the palate, dense and very concentrated viscosity, quiet in the palate as well, but showing a lot more youth in the dried apricots and warmth. Quite closed with a lot of intensity and potential or the future, powerful expression and bold volume and texture.

Chateau Suduiraut 2006
Combination of fruit and also some very subtle spice and celeriac aromatically, oil and minerality, thick and viscous. Very powerful and full of fruit, very full in the texture and viscosity, creamy and bold, layers of flavour and complexity, quite tropical and sweet, a real fruit salad of pineapple, passionfruit, mango and papaya. The weight and viscosity adding to the impression of sweetness. Juicy and approachable but very complex and elegant given time.

Chateau Suduiraut 2009
Kind of fat on the nose, looking slightly dull and inexpressive. Creamy buttery, slightly flabby aromas, not seeing enough brightness of fruit, seeing an evolution of style and winemaking perhaps. Quite thick and intense, very ripe fruits on the palate, warm and intense, but still quite well balanced, probably far too young to be appreciating and understanding this wine, it is designed for age and development in the bottle.

Chateau Suduiraut tasting

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , , ,

July 30, 2012 · 11:05 pm

Chateau Guiraud – 27/07/2012

Le G de Chateau Guiraud 2011
Very classic sauvignon blanc aromas of kiwi, white peach, guava, citrus and passionfruit. Very slightly grassy and mineralic. Crisp bright and fresh, albeit a little on the oaky side. Textured and a little warm, nice and round with persistent acids and fruit. Quite classy with the potential of ageing 5-10 years.

Petit Guiraud 2006
Nice oily petroleum kind of nose, very mineralic and slightly flinty. Extremely fresh and bright, only a little viscosity and texture, some sweetness but well integrated with the oak. Persistence and character, very young at the moment, wonderfully subtle and elegant, closer to a sweet German than a sauternes. Wonderful texture and purity, so simple yet so elegant. My style of sauternes, showing the difference with the sauvignon blanc.

Chateau Guiraud 2008
Quite tight aromatically, extremely fresh and lean, showing some green notes from the sauvignon blanc, bright fresh fruits, small apricots and white peach. More intense creaminess from smaller yields, definitely some influence from barrel but still showing so much elegance and freshness, bright concentrated fruits, well balanced alcohol and sweetness, will develop exceptionally well.

Chateau Guiraud 2002
Nicely developing nose, showing some dried fruit aromas now, more creaminess and vanilla influence, minerality and oiliness expressing more now. Denser and a little fuller, more extraction and phenolic compounds, a little more density in the oak but with some maturity. Brightness of acidity starting to settle down and the more complex elements opening up a little. Certainly more concentration that needs more time.

Chateau Guiraud 2005

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , , ,

July 30, 2012 · 10:53 pm

Chateau Leoville-Poyferre – 26/07/2012

2011 Chateau Le Crock (Saint-Estephe)
Soft and mellow merlot nose, quite plummy with some interesting very ripe tomato. Very soft opulent tannins, nice freshness good acids, very supple and generous, quite broad and surprisingly light, balanced concentration. Good purity and freshness.

2011 Chateau Moulin Riche (Saint-Julien)
More closed on the nose, deeper darker fruits, less brightness more brooding, concentrated and subdued by oak for now. Excellent lines through the palate, bold on the front but softening quite nicely, cabernet doughnut hole being well filled by the merlot and petit verdot. Mouth-filling acidity and tannins, firm but not heavy or abrasive. Great consistency through the palate and extension. Benefit from 5-10 years in bottle.

2011 Chateau Leoville-Poyferre
Deeper more intense colour, but good clarity. Significantly more cabernet sauvignon influence on the nose, very berry concentrated with stalkiness and some tight-grain oak characters, but overly a great balance between fruit and savoury characters. A little more texture and grip from the tannins, certainly an influence of more cabernet sauvignon, textured and will take a lot more time in bottle to soften out and start to express the concentrated and closed fruit characters. Powerful expression but not heavy and well-balanced alcohol.

Chateau Moulin Riche 2007
Starting to show some age in the colour. Very stalky and dusty on the nose, fruit somehow a little subdued but more in the red fruit area. Good freshness and balance, seeing some of the secondary and tertiary elements come through, good balance and some nicely developing texture as well. Still with another 5 years perhaps, you might start to see a little more leather in the background.

Chateau Leoville-Poyferre 2006
Wonderfully perfumed floral and dark berry aromas, very inviting and expressive, a lovely bouquet, one of the nicest I’ve seen in a Bordeaux for a long time. Intense and fresh, lively and full, soft yet structured. Excellent purity but still tight in the structure and needing more time to continue softening and opening up in the bottle. Tight but showing wonderful finesse and elegance, great acidity to keep things together and ageing well. Superb balance will be wonderful in 15-20 years.

Chateau Leoville-Poyferre case

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , ,

July 30, 2012 · 10:48 pm

Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande – 26/07/2012

2011 Reserve de la Comtesse
Light soft bright merlot colour. Juicy but also quite brisk fruit aromas with toasty balsamic notes. Very full and bold but also soft and juicy, nice clean finish, showing some very subtle red honey notes. Fairly dense but fresh, acids having a minimal influence, structured and very approachable, a nice young wine. Very late aromas of floral.

2011 Pichon-Lalande
Much denser and darker from the cabernet sauvignon. Very dark and intense fruit notes, sweet toasty oak notes, some dustiness and earthiness, slightly stalky but quite closed fruit richness. Very broad and lacking a little structure, approachable but also very dense in the tannins, a little full, very good but lacking personality. May open up given tie, but doesn’t look particularly balanced.

Chateau PIchon-Lalande 2004
Lovely and bright, juicy dark fruits with some attractive floral notes, creamy and jubey, like blackcurrant cordial. Softening out beautifully, supple and pretty, good concentration of fruit, structured with some nice acids, will improve for another 10 years or so. Still plenty of time to show more of the complexity. Firm but fresh tannins.

Chateau Pichon-Lalande 2004

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , ,

July 30, 2012 · 10:45 pm

Chateau Mouton-Rothschild – 26/07/2012

2010 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild
Very deep intense aromatics, really dark berries and cassis notes, some black olive and slight balsamic notes, nice dusty earthy cabernet fruit notes with some elements of oak and stalky maturity. Very fresh and bright, lively acidity and brisk tannins, a little warmth initially with softens out quite nicely. Well structured and balanced, but very reductive in fruit expression, not open at all. Very linear through the mid-palate, quite subtle vanilla oak characters, but reasonably well integrated. All about the structure and the acidity for the moment, the fruit and more complexity will come in time.
Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 2010

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , ,

July 30, 2012 · 9:59 pm

Full circle (Bordeaux, France – Day One)

There is a kind of poetry to my arrival in Bordeaux at this point in my trip. After this week I will be taking a hiatus from the wine discovery for about seven weeks, travelling through the UK, Ireland and Northern Europe playing the part of the cliché Australian backpacker. After this I will be working the vintage in Germany and will be having a different wine experience to the one I have had over the past 10 months. This therefore means that Bordeaux is the last wine region I will visit until November when I finish vintage and finish off my French wine discovery in places like Burgundy and the Loire Valley. In a way my journey has been leading up to Bordeaux as it is considered to be the greatest wine region in the world. Wine consumers and critics are more widely enamoured of this region than any other to the point that Bordeaux wines often sell for exorbitant prices in secondary markets if they are from a prestigious house and a great vintage. Bordeaux has created such a strong image around itself, the wines and the appelations that very few wine connoisseurs would struggle to name at least one left bank appellation. This region is the reference for marketing, branding and wine style for so many regions around the world that the cabernet sauvignon variety is the most widely planted in the world. There are thousands of wineries around the world who attempt to produce wine in the Bordeaux model, using the classic varieties and winemaking techniques to produce robust full-bodied and oaky wines. Almost every country I have visited has at least one Bordeaux variety planted, and there are many examples of the blend from Germany, Italy, Portugal, Chile and the USA. So after being shown so many ‘bordeaux’ wines in my journey coming here to taste the original and still the best is like the end of a pilgrimage. My first day was spent in the south eastern parts of Bordeaux at Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere, Chateau L’Eglise Clinet and Chateau d’Yquem.
Outside the famous Chateau d’Yquem

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under Winery Visits

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

July 25, 2012 · 6:51 pm

Chateau L’Evangile – 25/07/2012

2011 Chateau L’Evangile
Nice intense soft merlot colour. Bright intense merlot nose, balsamic reduction and black cherries, some dark pomegranate, very slightly spicy but lots of fruit. Intense supple yet firm and structured, nice clean finish, good fruit concentration but not heavy, in fact quite fresh. Some very subtle savoury notes coming from the barrel, as well as a crunchy texture. Very tightly wound, needs a few more years to open up.

Chateau L’Evangile tank temperature control

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , ,

July 25, 2012 · 6:44 pm

Chateau Leoville-Barton – 25/07/2012

2011 Chateau Langoa-Barton
A little sharp on the nose, not very expressive fruit or floral elements, very dusty cabernet sauvignon dominant aromas, quite reductive and shut down. Shy and reserved fruit, good structure, not full or heavy, a little shy and not full, clean texture, good freshness, nice and lean but not sure how it will react to another nine months in barrel.

2011 Chateau Leoville-Barton
A much darker inkier colour. A lot more ripe cabernet influence, certainly more ripeness of dark fruits and expression, denser and still with that stalky dustiness. Showing slightly more new oak characters. Great structure and texture, wonderfully fresh and bright, tight and lean tannins and excellent core of acidity through the palate. Excellent potential given time to be a structured food friendly wine that is both approachable but with good character. Excellent fruits.

Leoville-Barton 2010 Jeraboam

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , , ,

July 24, 2012 · 5:06 pm

Chateau Pichon-Longueville – 24/07/2012

2011 Chateau Pibran (Pauillac)
Very intense purple, quite bright and spirited. Bright dark fruits, berries and cherries, slightly creamy and vanilla notes. Creamy texture, almost like wild berry yoghurt, soft but dense with good concentration.

2011 Les Tourelles de Longueville
A little denser and tighter on the nose, slightly stalkier and a little green herb element, nice bright florals and small berry notes. Fresh full and soft, dense and ripe tannins, quite savoury in fact with just a hint of vanilla oak influence. Good lines but still far too early.

2011 Baron Pichon-Longueville
Very mature, old vine elements, much more complexity, density and finesse, less expressive but this will come. Very intense but also fresh and precise. Great structure and density, the cabernet sauvignon is very refined and well balanced. Nice combination of fruit and savoury elements, well managed oak but that may change given more time in barrel.

Baron Pichon-Longueville 2010
Very floral, rosy and violets, lovely intensity of dark fruit, fairly classic Pauillac cabernet sauvignon. Bright intense fresh, quite tannic and showing a lot of barrel at the moment, balanced and structured well with a good long finish. Density and maturity in the flavours and the tannins, mouth-filling but also good acidity. Dominated by youthful tannins and oak, but will develop over the next ten years.

Baron Pichon-Longueville 2009
Fuller but softer notes, fleshier juicier fruits, less floral elements and more intense oak integration. Full dense and soft, robust and broad. Approachable and soft yet well structured, doesn’t have the same concentration and core of acidity though. Looks good now, will improve for ten years or more but won’t last as long as the 2010.

Baron Pichon-Longeuville in all it’s glory

Leave a comment

Filed under Tasting Notes

Tagged as , , , ,