Bordeaux, France
30-12-2010
Hello all, I hope you have been able to get a good fill of Bordeaux wines by now. Through this whole experience I have gained such a great appreciation for the region and the wines, and now truly have a better idea why they are so highly revered, and often tried to be recreated elsewhere in the world. After a wonderful day spent in Saint Emilion I felt better and knew I had to finish up my last few hours in Bordeaux-and France- with some great wines. Also I had a few Euros left on my tasting card and I couldn’t let those go to waste!
And so the topic of the final installment is simply Bordeaux. You may have noticed that I have not had any white wines included thus far, or a Sauterne dessert wine either. I have saved both for the finale here. I will be covering 6 wines here, including 2 reds from the Left Bank and 2 from the Right Bank. Also under the resources area I have added my final amendment to the Bordeaux Region Description, the Graves. With that I have been able to cover the 3 major areas of Bordeaux and now you have a great reference for the future.
1) Chateau Domaine de Chevalier Blanc Pessac Leognan-Graves 2006
Interestingly enough, this was the sole dry white wine offered at Max Wine Gallery. Of course they had bottles of other producers, but open to taste this was it. I’m not complaining though, as it is one of the best producers each year for their whites. The blend is 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Semillon.
The wine is Starbright with a clear light golden color with a medium concentration. The rim is beginning to show a water line on the edge, with no green hues apart to the color. The wine has a moderate viscosity.
The nose is wonderfully perfumed without being overly intense. There is a harmony and precision. Yellow apples and honey are complimented by white flowers and dry straw. There is a waxy hint, also some leesy notes.
The palate confirms both the flavors and the quality of this wine. There is balance carried throughout the wine, including a long and persistent finish. The wine is dry with medium plus acidity and a medium body. The warm gravelly mineral notes that were hidden by the fruit and oak on the nose wake up here.
95 Points Wine Spectator
2) Chateau Pavie Saint Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe 2003
There are two fun facts about this wine, it was the very first wine I tried on my initial trip to the gallery, and also it is the highest rated wine (Wine Spectator) that I tasted in all of my selections. Come to think of it, also the oldest selection being a 2003. This is a highly rated vintage for Bordeaux, but one that is highlighted by a hot and heavy summer and drought conditions. Chateau Pavie is one of the most well known of the Class B Premiers of Saint Emilion, and lies just outside of the town of Saint Emilion to the Southeast.
The wine is Daybright with a clear garnet color with a medium plus concentration, still transparent. The rim variation is noticeable and the edge is beginning to brick slightly. The tears have a medium plus viscosity and firm staining is evident.
The nose of the wine is clean with a firm intensity. The fruits are red, and all dried out, cranberries, cherries and plums. The fruit is complimented by the toasty oak and the vanillin accents.
The palate continues to show the dryness of the vintage. The dried out fruits are consistent, and both the tobacco/cigar notes are dried as well as the red clay soil minerality. There is a slight tinge of a gamey quality to me as well. The tannins are firm still, although a bit chewy and the wines acidity was beginning to disappear. The wine was a good 2003 Saint Emilion.
96 Points Wine Spectator
3) Le Petit Cheval by Chateau Cheval Blanc Saint Emilion 2006
Chateau Cheval Blanc is arguably the most famous of all the houses in the Saint Emilion commune. The 1947 bottling is remarked by many to be one of the best bottles of wine the world has ever seen. The property is a special place, on the western border of Saint Emilion, almost stretching into Pomerol in fact. The soil here is a bit different than directly around the town, there is more gravel outcroppings. The other interesting note about Cheval Blanc, there wine is not majority Merlot, but rather Cabernet Franc. Their 2nd label, Le Petit Cheval, is a great glimpse into the Grand Vin, one of two Premier Grand Cru Classe “A” chateau of Saint Emilion, Ausone being the other.
The wine is Starbright and clear, with a ruby red color and medium concentration. The wine is youthful with only a minor variation of color beginning at its edge. The tears are firm and lightly stained.
The nose of this wine is clean with a medium intensity. There is a great balance of fruit and secondary flavors. The red berry fruits are offset by the dark chocolate shavings; there is an underbrush/tobacco leaf quality and a warm dry gravelly minerality.
The palate is of a medium body with flavors being confirmed and built upon. The berries emerge to be cherries and plums with the chocolate, and the oak influence wakes a bit with a light toasty accent along with warm perfumed coffee grounds. The tannins are soft and silky and there is bright acidity to keep the finish lasting on the palate for a long time. Better than its WS score right now.
88Points Wine Spectator
4) Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou Saint Julien Grand Cru Classe 2006
Saint Juilen is a small commune with many of its chateau producing very high quality wines, including Ducru Beaucaillou. This house is definitely a ‘Super Second’ as it was classified as a 2nd Growth in 1855. The 2006 ranked #96 in the Top 100 of Wine Spectator in 2009. My first experience with the wine from this chateau, but after tasting I know it will not be my last.
The wine is Starbright and clear, with a garnet color and medium plus concentration. The wine is very youthful, the rim still holding its color intensity quite well. The tears are firm here with moderate staining.
The nose is clean with a moderate intensity of aromas. The fruits are black and complimented by toasty vanillin qualities from the barrique, as well as cool dark mossy earth aromas behind.
The palate struck me right away with its great structure; it was full bodied but very elegant at the same time. Both the tannins and the acids are firm and in balance, with a brightness to the warm palate which is very long and the flavors have a continued persistence that lingers forever. Truly a great wine.
95 Points Wine Spectator
5) Chateau Latour Pauillac Premier Grand Cru Classe 2004
What is there that can be said about a wine like Chateau Latour. One of the original four 1st Growths of the Haut-Medoc in 1855, they are one of the most sought after wines in the world. The chateau itself lies in the southern end of Pauillac, bordering the Saint Julien commune. With this taste (20 Euro) I can now say that I have been able to taste at least one vintage of every 1st Growth as classified in 1855.
The wine was Daybright and clear, with a garnet color of medium plus concentration. The rim variation was youthful, only beginning to form a water line at the edge with the intensity of the color still strong near the rim. The tears were firm with mild staining to them.
The nose was clean with a medium intensity which was very complex. It seemed that the layers of flavors on this wine just kept unraveling. There were red currants with chocolate and dark cherries with the sweet kiss of the vanillin from the barrique. The oak influence was warm and toasty, but finely integrated and the earth tones were dark and loose with gravel in character. There were even floral notes that woke up and were not shy towards the back.
The palate of this wine was absolutely amazing. The fruits were confirmed as the currants and dark cherries, very intense although not in a hot or dried sense, just quite pronounced. All of the secondary flavors took turns revealing themselves as well, with everything staying in balance. The tannins were firm yet very silky and the acidity worked in harmony. The body was firm throughout and the finish was very long showing how the wine’s palate was seamless throughout.
95 Points Wine Spectator
6) Chateau Guiraud Sauternes Grand Cru Classe 2004
One of the highest regarded houses for Sauternes, below Chateau d’Yquem of course, but nonetheless produces amazing examples of the richness of a great Sauterne wine. Couple this with the fact that the wine is a fraction of the cost and their aging ability is astounding. The 2004 here was 55 Euro (full bottle), and the 2005, which received 97 Points by Spectator and was the #4 Wine of the Year in 2009, only cost me $70 when I purchased it in 2009.
A wine that has a rich golden amber color and is very concentrated. The nose and palate revealed intense tones of dried apricots and spiced stone fruits, as well as a tinge of licorice on a long and persistent finish.
92 Points Wine Spectator
Well I am happy that I was able to share with you the 20 or so wines I was able to experience in my trips to the Max Wine Gallery. It truly is the best place in Bordeaux, and possibly the world, to experience the best that Bordeaux has to offer. There selection will slightly change I was told as volume and supply changes, but they are always pouring the best wines for people to taste. I found the layout and the format well designed, and the room itself very conducive to the proper tasting experience. A true gem and the ultimate haven for the Bordeaux lover, I am thankful to have been pointed in the direction of the Max Wine Gallery. Salute!
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| Thanks Again Max Wine Gallery |
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