Random Bordeaux Tasting

Went to a Bordeaux tasting, was also for people in buying 2009 Bordeaux Futures [Not my since they are way to expensive and I do not roll that deep]  Tasted 6 wines, and a white to start the night a pleasant S.B from Sonoma

Here are some Pictures




And my tasting notes

UNDERGROUND BORDEAUX TASTING FEB 10/2010 - Yaletown, Underground (2/10/2010)
A tasting of Bordeaux from a Negociant from well a Bordelaise. Tasted the much disappointed 2007 Vintage, which I say is disappointing.

The notes are arranged from my Favourite, to Least Favourite

• N.V. Château Palmer Historical XIXth Century Blend - France, Vin de Table Français
  So this is blended with 15% to 20% Syrah from the Rhone, rest with Bordeaux Grapes, Only About 60-70cs made per year. A Throw Back to the days when some Bordeaux were adding Syrah to make there wines taste better, and as from this wine here it definitely does that
  
  C: Med Fuchsia, Clear
  
  A: Earth, Coffee, Tobacco[Dried], Sweetness, Bordeaux Fruit coming through also
  
  T: Red Fruit, Ripe, spicy, Good Tannins Good Balance, Good Acid
  
  Conc: This was the Wine of the Night, it was fantstic so good that Rhone Syrah just makes it so much rounder and approachable early (93 pts.)
  
• 2001 Château Malescot St. Exupery - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
  Bottle open for 1.5hrs not decanted tho
  
  50%CS 30%M 10%CF 5%PV
  
  C: Cloudy, Not Clear, Med Minus Intensity
  
  A: Initial Ketchup Chip, Earthy Flavours, Some good high ripe fruit
  
  T: Red Cherry, nice Approacble Tannins, Acid.
  
  Conc: Showing very well, def good to drink now (91 pts.)
  
• 2003 Clos l'Église (Pomerol) - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
  Decanted 1.5hr before drinking
  
  80%M 20%CF
  
  C: Med+ Intensity, Ruby
  
  A: Raisin, Fruitcake, Orange, Grand Marnier
  
  T: Really Good, soft, Cola Flavours, Orange, Grand Marnier Spice, Silky~
  
  Conc: Really Enjoyed this wine showing so nice, Merlot makes it nice and "soft", silky yes! (91 pts.)
  
• 1999 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Bottle opened for 1.5hrs not decanted
  62%CS 32%M 5%CF 1%PV
  
  C: Cloudy, med Ruby
  
  A: Nice Ripe Fruit, Ripe Cherry, Floral, Tar [Almost Nebbiolo Like] loved the nose 92pts on that itself
  
  T: Approachable Tannins Med+, Good, Acid med minus touch bitterness
  
  Conc: Looks like to start drinking now, the acid was not as high as the other wines (88 pts.)
  
• 2002 Château Montrose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
  Decanted for 1.5hr Aprox before drinking
  
  62%CS 32%M 4%CF 2%PV
  
  C: Med + Intesnity, Ruby
  
  A: Just Beautiful Nose, Cherry nibs [what I get off good Nebbiolos]
  
  T: Still Tannic, Good Fruit Ripe, Really Tight tho, slowly Opening up
  
  Conc: Yeah this wine has lots of life, and really good (90 pts.)
  
• 2007 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Decanted for Aprox an 1.5hr before drinking
  
  82% CS 8% M 10% CF
  
  C: Med Minuns Intesnity, Purple/Fuchsia
  
  A: Big "Acetone" Ripe Fruit, Touch of Coffee
  
  T: Bitter Tannins, med minus body, med fruit intensity tart red fruit
  
  Conc: As I have heard from the winedoctor which they were takling about at the Bordeaux event, they call the 07s the Restaurant Vintage, I can see its not a big wine, who knows if it will evolve lots of acid to keep it...but not worth the money (87 pts.)
  

The only Disappointing wine is the Leoville Class, the other 5 were very good

Bordeaux is getting expensive, I don't know if i'll be buying a lot in the future, I might have to go to NRhone and Barolo/barberseco
Posted from CellarTracker

Kid in a Candy Store

For me there are a couple of place where I can feel like a 'Kid in a Candy Story' one being Ming Wo Cookware shop looking for Chef Cooking Goods, Another is the Mikuni Truck mmmm, then there are the related a Really Good Wine Shop and Being at the winevault.ca and a palate of rare/old wines just sitting there, 1970s Ausleses', 1980 Cali Chards, in hidden inside Cases of Old Burgundies and Bordeaux 50s 60s etc.

I store my wine at the WineVault and don't often head down into the basement, but I was there for a wine tasting event, and there just happened to be some old wines I had to get my camera, this is jsut what was on top of the 40 or so cases that has been donated to the Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival Gala Auction.

Enjoy

Trust your BCLD Consultants

So for those of you not living in BC.  We are basically run by the British Columbia Liquor Board.  They have a Master of Wine buying French Wines [If im Corret]. They have signature stores, which have Product Consultants.  Basically they are knowledgeable staff who drink wine and like wine.  They are using the ones are the trade tasting finding new product for there Signature stores.  They are there and are passionate.

SO I was looking for a Hunter Valley Semillon. Well that didn't go well at all. They had a Barossa Semillon, and lots of Semillon / Sauvignon Blancs. All Good but not what I wanted. So I asked what he recommended for a Semillon / Sauv Blanc from France (Bordeaux) showed a couple and landed on a 2007 Chateau Janon from Entre-Deux-Mers.  Like he said Inexpensive wine, from a unknown wine isn't going to be pricing and talking about how the MW was just at Vinexpo.  Must of been one of her choices, that and it has a Medaille D'Argent from Paris.  All Good! So far.


The Stats:
Chateau Janon [Blanc]
Semillon / Sauvignon Blanc

11.5% Alc
Entre-Deux-Mers
$15.99 [Canadian/British Columbia so its like Cheap]


The Eye:
Pale Straw.

The Nose:
What jumps out first is the Nuttiness from the Semillon. Some 'freshness', and a little Rubber going on. I really like it

The Mouth:
Acid Acid Acid. Red Delicious Apples, but super Tart if that makes any sense.  Grassiness coming through.  Lemony Acidity.  Very Refreshing Also my type of wine, finish with a touch of bitterness. Medium (-) Body.


Overall/Reflection: So this wine I really do enjoy, maybe the score does not indicate that, its a great QPR. Its light and refreshing my type of wine you can drink this whenever with some nice fish or maybe a salad with a good acidity vinaigrette, toasted nuts, chicken or maybe fish.  Its not super complex which is where I would give higher scores.
Score: 85

THE 100-POINT RATING SCALE (Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate describes this in more detail.)
• Extraordinary (96-100 points)
• Outstanding (90-95)
• Very Good to Excellent (85-89)
• Good (80-84)
• Average (75-79)
• Below average (70-74)
• Avoid (50-70)

Bordeaux 2006 Notes on 10 Wines

First of all sorry for no posts just have not been feeling it, that I checked my gmail account and I find its all screwy not forwarding emails to my normal account but just half of them. Weird stuff anyways I think its fixed now [which means it isn't fixed BUT hey that's the internet/computer for ya]

So I bought tickets to a 2006 Wine Tasting for Bordeaux, it was for a 9am Sunday Morning Figure it would be good not a lot of people and taste wine in peace. Show up 10mins early. And there is a line up outside the front door! Really at 9am?! Are these people mad? I know I am.

So in all I enjoyed all the 2006 except for the one that was totally over oaked.

I use the term Game, tho its not like Rhone game but it is earthy, game like that for my palate.

2006 Chateau La Tour Carnet, Haut-Medoc
A: Tobacco, Ceder
T: Acidity Present, Fruit Hidden, Creamy, getting little Cassis now, Pomegranate Finish

2006 Chateau Cantemerle, Haut-Medoc
58CS, 33M, 6PV, 3CF
A: Game, A nice Syrup nose coming across Black Pepper
T: Red Fruit, Tannins Present, Creamy, spicy finish

2006 Clos de l'Oratoire, St Emilion
A: Pretty Floral Nose, little Game
T: Tight nose, fruit not ready to drink [tho one wine note said drinking now...]

2006 Clos du Marquis, St Julien
A: Pepper
T: Good Tannins, "light body" [one critic called this Full Body, it was the lightest of the 10 and noticebly light] a interesting Juice flavour

2006 Chateau Clinet, Pomerol
A: Game
T: Good fruit, good tannins, "low acidity", spiciness

2006 Chateau Lascombes, Marqaux
A: Coffee Ground, Cocoa, "A Diaper Plastic Smell maybe I am thinking of the perfume they put in it?"
T: Good upfront fruit, med body, nice tannin. a solid wine

2006 Chateau Clerc-Milon, Pauillac
A: Game, Bordeaux Classic Nose, Spicy Pepperiness
T: Med Body, Red Fruit, Cranberry, Creamy

2006 Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron, Pauillac
A: Vegatel Celery, Oak Creamy Vanilla
T: Coffee Ground, Acidity Red Fruit, Big Big Tannins, Nice Big Body, Creamy
*Not a Fan lots of Oak used in this

2006 Chateau Montrose, St Estephe
A: Interesting Nose (Good Way)
T: Good ripe red fruit, menthol
*I was going to buy this, didn't know if they were pouring it, it was good/ok, but I spent an extra 20$ and got a Pontet-Canet

2006 Chateau Pape-Clement, Pessac
A: Big game nose reminds me of a Burg, good nice fruit
T: Big Tannins Good Fruit
*Don't let the notes fool you this was the best red of the day hands down

Sauternes / Barsac

2006 Chateau Coutet, Barsac
A: Lovely Nose, Perfume, good tropical dried canadied Papaya nose
T: Honey Consistency, Minimal Acidity

2006 Chateau Rieussec, Sauternes
A: Dried Papaya Candy, Touch of Petrol
T: Good Acidity, "oak", papaya dried


Edit: All the wine were drinking nicely after 2 hours of open bottle, 2-4 hrs decant good, tannins there but not "bad" that they need to hide in the cellar for a couple of years

All said and done bought for me and my dad

x2 Chateau Cantemerle
x2 Chateau Suduiraut, Sauternes The other Sauternes was good but this was rated the best on CT.
x1 Chateau Pontet-Canet

My Major Liquor Store is releasing most of these wines for 20-30% Less, So I am most likely going to buy couple more bottles of these wines. Which starts this Saturday So Time to go Broke

Chateau Curton La Perriere 2005 Bordeaux Cuvee No5

So I just found out this wine is imported by my favorite British Columbia Importer Freehouse wine and spirits so props to them, a great company fantastic people, I have met almost all there stuff at tasting and they have flown in 4 wine makers that I have me and talked to and even cooked dinner for one the guy who brought in a 20year vertical tasting! Oh and they import the St Cosme Rhone and Chateau Pesquie, both wine makers that I met too

That being said, this wine Chateau Curton la Perriere Curvee No5 Bordeaux 2005. Is from what I can tell is 100% Merlot 25year old, not fined or filtered. 17.99 Canadian! and I saw it for 10 British Pounds I mean that's a steal in Canada.

Colour Dark-Purple
Aroma: Spice, fruit, menthol a bit on day two with a prune/spice/molasses combo.
Taste: Good fruit, acidity tamed with decanting very silky def. needs decanting even for 30mins. Day2, fruit is there even darker and more brooding, almost plum/spice/prune combo very very nice

Overall/Reflection:
Score: 90

THE 100-POINT RATING SCALE (Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate describes this in more detail.)
• Extraordinary (96-100 points)
• Outstanding (90-95)
• Very Good to Excellent (85-89)
• Good (80-84)
• Average (75-79)
• Below average (70-74)
• Avoid (50-70)

Chateau Saint-Christoly - Medoc 2005

Had a bottle of this when the case first arrived about last year I think or maybe 6 months ago I have no idea. What I do remember is that when I had it, it was totally Off balanced and heavy on the acid. Maybe Bottle Shock? Most Likely. Now having it drinking a lot better, but this wine just about tore off my tongue haha.

The Stats:

Chateau Saint-Christoly

Cru Bougeois 2005

Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot

13.5%

Medoc

The Eye:

Dark In Colour The Look...it Looks like a big boy.

The Nose:

Pop'n'Pour - Aroma of Good Sweet Dark Blackberry, Cassis, With Vanilla, basically a Vanilla Heavy Sweet Compote

Next Day[Kept half a bottle] - Aroma now has lost all the sweetness of fruit and vanilla and has gone with the more Earthy, notes of Coffee, Eucalyptus bit has a "Syrupyness too it"

The Mouth:

Pop'n'Pour - Good Fruit nothing standing out but dark berries Aciditiy Check, Tannins Double Check, this boy is just tearing off my tongue the tannin structure speaks off good agability but probably won't drink again for another year

Next Day[Kept half a bottle] - Tannins are a lot smoother, but still grinding a bit, acid is present, Fruit has turned down from the "fruit bombyness" of the First Pour more red fruit showing now

Overall/Reflection:

I think this will age well, once the tannins calm down this should be just fine to drnik with a good meal