27-12-2010
Howdy all and welcome back. By now we have caught up to past the Christmas holiday and the amazing food from lunch, to backtrack, dinner will follow this article. By this time I was back to travelling solo, having sent Margaux on her way to Prague via Paris and I was spending my last few days in Bordeaux on my own before heading to Madrid for the NYE holiday. The weather was cold, but dry mostly, and holding up quite well.
As I mentioned in my first article on the Max Wine Gallery, this second installment would feature wines strictly from the Right Bank. I am happy to report that I have added the Right Bank amendment to the Bordeaux Region Information page. To get a clear and concise abbreviated understanding about this area please visit that link on the homepage. I will quickly remind you though that The Right Bank is Merlot country. I would also like to report as a side note here that I have added Merlot to the varietal descriptions section of my webpage. Here you can learn about Merlot and the prominent regions it calls home around the world. Back to today, there are wines from both Saint Emilion and Pomerol in the comparison, and so you can begin to understand the similarities and differences between the two regions. Let us begin….
1) Clos Fourtet Saint Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe 2006
This house is one of the 13 Level B Premier Grand Cru Classe wines recognized in Saint Emilion. The vineyards literally back up to the city itself, as the area directly beyond the wall is parking for the top of the town.
The wine is bright with a clear garnet color and firm color concentration, almost non transparent in fact. The rim variation is very minimal and the wine is youthful to the eye still, with lightly stained tears that have a high viscosity.
The nose has a medium intensity to the aromas and is balanced between red fruits and secondary flavors. Cherries, cranberries and plums are complimented by chocolate, a bit of dried tobacco, and a tinge of vanillin.
The palate confirms the red fruits in the front and emerges with warm earth and mineral notes on the back. The wine is dry and in balance with Medium plus tannins and medium acidity to hold it all together. All in all a good effort and value wine as it is not a wallet buster.
90 Points Wine Spectator
2) Vieux Chateau Certan Pomerol 2006
I encourage you again to remember from the Right Bank information section that Pomerol has never officially been classified. With that said there are of course still houses that are recognized and revered for their outstanding qualities. Vieux Chateau Certan is grouped in this category.
The wine is daybright with a light garnet color, which is clear, with a moderate concentration. There is transparency here to the wine. The wine is still youthful, but the rim is beginning to be noticeably softer in color and a definitive water line is evident. The tears have a staining and a medium plus viscosity.
A clean and perfumed wine with a medium plus intensity. Dark red fruits like raspberries are offset with a chocolate ganache quality which leads into dark red earth and pencil shaving elements.
The palate confirms the dominant red fruit characteristics, with the earth element also still intact. The secondary flavors transform into dried tobacco and dark floral notes on a medium bodied wine with a long finish. The tannins and acids stay balanced with the warm hint of a slightly high alcohol.
95 Points Wine Spectator
3) Chateau Figeac Saint Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe 2006
Here is another of the Level B Premier wines of Saint Emilion. This house is located just outside of the town proper on the road that heads west towards Pomerol. It is regarded by many as one of the top Level B wines each year.
The wine is bright in its ruby red color, clear with a moderate concentration. The wine has a slight opaqueness to its visual effect. The rim is only beginning to vary with a minimal water line on its edge. There is noticeable staining to the tears which have a medium plus viscosity.
There is a high level of aromatic intensity to this wine, a lot going on. First I get dried red fruits, like raspberries and plums, but there is a tinge of sweetness in form of candied fruits to the nose as well. Dark compact earth is complimented by red and purple floral effects behind.
The dried red fruits definitely drive the palate as well, confirming the nose. They are pleasant and not overwhelming though. There are also mid palate accents of brown tobacco leaf and hints of liquorice. The finish is long and persistent, greatly balanced and youthful with the expression of the clay mineral soils and some leather notes as well. Impressive indeed.
91 Points Wine Spectator
4) Chateau L’Angelus Saint Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe 2004
This house is among the 13 as Level B Premier Grand Cru Classe wines of Saint Emilion. It is also located very near the town proper.
This wine is bright with a deep garnet color and high concentration. It is slightly opaque and not clear, borderline non-transparent in fact. The rim variation is still quite youthful, with only the start of color variation and a thin water line formed on the rim. The tears are deeply stained with a medium plus viscosity.
There is firmness to the intensity of the aromas, not as high as a hot climate or vintage, but very rich and present. There are fleshy ripe fruits like dark red cherries and plums with chocolate shavings, a tinge of vanillin, and heavy dark dry earth tones.
The fruit stays consistent on the palate, red fruits dominating, and stays long and warm throughout. The depth of this wine emerges with an almost gamey quality of smoky/peppery accents and dried cigar leaf on the finish. The tannins are firm and balanced by the acids, and the wine is long on the back. This is a good wine, deeply extracted in style.
91 Points Wine Spectator
5) Chateau La Conseillante Pomerol 2006
One of the most respected houses in Pomerol, and my first time being able to try the wines from this chateau.
The wine was Starbirght and clear, with the traditional garnet color, medium plus in concentration though still transparent. There were the beginning sign of rim variation evident, and the tears were slightly stained with moderate viscosity.
Medium intensity to the nose, starting with dark berry fruits components, which were warm. The nose also hinted towards rich vanillin notes and slightly toasty, giving the impression of a healthy dose of new French oak influence. Also present were notes of dry dark earth tones.
The palate was well balanced and in harmony throughout. The fruits were of a similar tone, plums sticking out, with fresh fleshy tones. Loads of secondary flavors emerged in addition to the earth, like wet tobacco leaf and coffee grounds. The wine was drive with firm yet silky tannins and a finish that was long and persistent.
I have to say this was one of my favorite wines tasted in all of my visits to the gallery. It lived up to its reputation, and I am anxious for my next chance to have some more of this wine.
94 Points Wine Spectator
This concludes the tasting of the Right Bank installment article. I hope that you were able to understand a general style of these wines and hopefully at least one of the tasting notes sparked you to go out and try it. For Visit Number 3 we are ferrying across the Gironde and going to the Left Bank , Cabernet country. Until next sign, Salute!
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