For the fifth year in a row, Margaret River producer Voyager Estate hosted a masterclass in Melbourne and other Australian cities to benchmark new releases of some of their wines. This was my second time at this event; one of my first entries on this blog spoke about the first time back in September of 2011, just before I left for my trip. The exercise is designed to show sommeliers, buyers and media that Voyager is very confident about the quality of their wine against exceptional examples from around the world. Showing even more hubris, they do this against their three key wines; chardonnay, shiraz and a cabernet/merlot blend. That’s serious chutzpah.
Tag Archives: Pauillac
Lead by example (Bordeaux, France – Day Four)
If you don’t work in the wine industry then Bordeaux can be one of the best wine experiences you can have. For one thing the old part of the city of Bordeaux is quite beautiful and offers many epicurean delights (although wine lists are very inconsistent and of course parochial). There are plenty of places to stay providing your budget isn’t too small, and it is quite easy to get around thanks to the buses and trams. Getting out to the wineries means renting a car or joining a tour which by all accounts are great with some tour being allowed to visit some of the top producers. There are thousands of producers to choose from and they are all relatively close to the city. The chateaus are often beautiful and the cellars are filled with flashy fancy equipment and plenty of new barrels. Speaking personally I find Bordeaux to be one of the most boring regions to visit, in no way impressing me and making very little attempt to impress me. For one the thing they have a very homogeneous and flat landscape offering one less influence on the terroir. As I have mentioned in the past fancy wineries and modern equipment don’t offer anything if you aren’t understanding and expressing your terroir well, which in most cases they are not (partly because in my opinion the terroir isn’t that good to begin with). I also feel they aren’t making respectful wines when they are doing pretty heavy maceration and new oak maturation, resulting in wines that don’t begin to drink until many years after they are released. The system of selling also is completely out of touch and arrogant in my opinion. There is a good reason why other regions in France and Europe get frustrated with Bordeaux, but at the same time their influence has been so strong on other producers around the world.
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| A lamp shade in the shape of the mouton of Mouton-Rothschild |
Filed under Winery Visits
A river runs through it (Bordeaux, France – Day Three)
There are many places in the world where a river is a divider both from a geographical perspective but also in an intangible way. Some of the most famous cities in the world are split by equally famous rivers, like the Thames in London and the Seine in Paris. Not that it is any comparison to these cities but Melbourne is also divided by the Yarra River, and a common question asked is ‘which side of the river are you, north or south?’ There are often philosophical, political and financial divisions around this that have a lot to do with history. Wine region sometimes have this and none more so than Bordeaux, which is separated by the Garonne River. On the right bank you find Saint-Emilion and Pomerol where merlot is the major variety. On the left bank you have the Medoc with Margaux and Pauillac, and cabernet sauvignon is king. Winemaking is pretty similar which means the selection of variety and the terroir. On the right bank there is more clay in the soils which is better for merlot, and on the left bank it is a little warmer and therefore better for the later ripening cabernet sauvignon. The left bank wines tend to take longer to age in the bottle which is why I tend to prefer right bank wines younger. But there is plenty of spoils for all and as always every vintage is different. For my third day I visited one estate on each side of the river, and then met with one of the more important Bordeaux negociants to discuss how the wines are sold in their own unique way.
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| One of the coolest spitoons I have encountered |
Filed under Winery Visits
Everything’s bigger in Bordeaux (Bordeaux, France – Day Two)
How did Bordeaux become the most important wine region in the world? With 120,000 hectares it is by far the largest single viticultural area in France, and when you consider the density of planting here that results in a lot of production. It has some of the highest and lowest yields in France as well, which means you can have some of the best quality and the lowest. Bordeaux was the first region I visited in Europe back in 2010, and it amazed me the size of the area and the extent to which vineyards are planted here. In spite of the quantity of wine they produce they seem to do a pretty good job of selling it, and the reason has less to do with quality and more to do with image. Bordeaux has developed one of the strongest connections with quality in wine second only to champagne. Through the classification system that designates quality of vineyards, to the glamour of the chateaus and then to the system of selling, all combine to make bordeaux wine one of the most immediately recognisable but also mysterious. My second day was spent at two estates on the left bank; Chateau Montrose and Chateau Pichon-Longueville.
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| The soils of Saint-Estephe |
Filed under Winery Visits
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.
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| Chateau Pichon-Lalande 2004 |
Filed under Tasting Notes
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.
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.
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| Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 2010 |
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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.
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| Baron Pichon-Longeuville in all it’s glory |
Filed under Tasting Notes
The Intrepid Wino 