Wine Focus for January: Bordeaux and Bordeaux blends

[Robin Garr]

Let's welcome the new year by spending a little time with the classics ... or one of them, anyway. Bordeaux gained its spot in the wine hierarchy with the careful blending of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and a few other varieties in pursuit of perfect complexity and balance. This approach has spread around the world, with Bordeaux-style blends created in just about every region where these grapes will grow (and some, perhaps, where they really should not). They also come in a broad range of prices, although at the lower end it can take some searching to find good QPR.

We'll taste and talk about Bordeaux and the wines made in affectionate emulation of its style. What's good, where's the QPR, why do these varieties work in harness while other grapes (Pinot Noir!) seem to prefer to stand alone; and so it goes.

[David M. Bueker]

1998 Château Clerc Milon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (1/1/2016)
When will this wine really come around? Seventeen years on it is still tight and unyielding, showing much more tannin than fruit. It does still have quite a lot of depth/density, but the lack of development over 17 years is a real concern.

1998 Château Clerc Milon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (1/1/2016)
When will this wine really come around? Seventeen years on it is still tight and unyielding, showing much more tannin than fruit. It does still have quite a lot of depth/density, but the lack of development over 17 years is a real concern.

Quite a few '98 left-bankers are like that.

I have an Old World Bordeaux and a New World Bordeaux-variety blend from the same vintage lined up to open next week--a 2005 Chateau La Fleur de Bouard (Pomerol) and a 2005 Robert Foley Claret. Looks like I'll be buying steaks or lamb chops at the grocery store.

I don't doubt the people who say that there is lots of good QPR Bordeaux out there, even under €10/bottle, but my problem is lack of guidance to pick out the good ones amongst a lot of dross. By contrast I have in my mind the names of some 200+ châteaux but these are in the more prestigious range, most of which I could afford up to 20 years ago, but have now become inaccessible. However, even amongst those pigeon-holed names, there are some like Poujeaux (c.€20) and Sociando-Mallet (c.€30) which remain within reach and are really classy Bordeaux, IMO.

But returning to the c.€10 category, I find from my CT notes that I have seen some quite good ones in the last twelve months. These were mostly Merlot dominated wines from the right bank. Here goes, then.

2012 Domaine de Courteillac - France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur (10/25/2015)
I have had many of the vintages of this estate between 2000 and 2009 and I regard the wine as a good ringer for lesser St.Émilion grand cru at an affordable price of c.€10. So I did not hesitate when I saw this '12 on offer at <€9 at a Foire aux Vins. Colour was deep red. The nose was well developed with dark fruit and a touch of leather. The same aromas replayed on the medium/full bodied palate with the quite dense fruit, decent acidity and firm tannic backbone giving an overall savoury and rather dark impression. I was somewhat disconcerted towards the finish by a dry almost raw edge to the tannins which I don't recall on previous vintages and notably the '08 which was already very gracious at a similar age. I guess that more time will soften this. Good potentially.



2012 Esprit de Pavie - France, Bordeaux (10/21/2015)
A nice well balanced and polished wine in the modern right-bank pattern. Quite rich Merlot dominated and slightly sweet fruit, some complexity, smooth texture, decent balancing acidity and liqueur tinged grip on the finish. Ready to drink and would be a good choice in a restaurant with classial European food. Good wine and good QPR at <€10.


PS: I am surprised to find that I liked a wine from Gérard Perse's stable. His Pavie is outside my price range but, from what I read, I wouldn't buy it even if I won the lottery. However I would be curious to drink a glass if some kind person were to offer it.


2001 Château Verdignan - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (9/28/2015)
This '01 was more evolved than my memory and notes of my last '96 two years ago. Colour was quite deep red with some tawny at the rim. The nose was perhaps its best feature with very attractive claret aromas of red fruit with slight green herbaceous edge and balsamic hints. The palate was smaller than my recollection of other Verdignans but quite round and initially showed oxidative touches which were obscured as the attractive fruit and aromas opened up. Tannins were almost completely resolved but there was still some firmness supporting the finish. Good wine but not for the long haul, I think, and remarkable QPR at €8,50.



2008 Château La Fleur de Boüard - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lalande de Pomerol (5/15/2015)

This wine was much better at this 7 year stage than I feared given that its owner is a modernist and it sees 75% new oak. Colour was almost black and very opaque. The nose showed some rich Merlot fruit (80% of blend) but with a compensating lively edge, hints of cedar and no jamminess. The medium/full bodied palate showed good depth of dark fruit, some lightly caramelised complexity, lively acidity, a polished patina and a liqueur tinged, ripe tannic backbone. Kudos to Boüard for avoiding exaggeration and producing a well balanced wine. Good. Price c.€18.



2009 Château de la Rivière - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Fronsac (3/5/2015)
I can see why this wine won a Médaille d'Or at Paris in 2011 and appeals to a lot of people, particularly at the quite democratic price I paid (c.€13). Colour is almost black and quite opaque. Nose is well developed with rich dark fruit, vanilla and a piquant touch. Palate is quite full bodied and shows rich and slightly sweet rose tinted dark fruit of a sombre hue with a richly bitter kick towards the finish which I guess owes as much to alcohol (14.5%) as to ripe tannins. For me, the overall impression was marred by low acidity and marked notes of vanilla which together lead to a lack of freshness and the beginning of cloying. Further ageing might attenuate the vanilla flavours but, in the absence of good acidity, I can't see the balance improving. Quite good.



2010 Château Haute Combe - France, Bordeaux, Côtes de Bourg (2/27/2015)
A sturdy claret with medium+ body, savoury sour plum fruit, some earthy notes, lively acidity and firm tannic backbone. Good.

PS 3/1/2015 No sign of oxidation and aromas and fruit more expressive and a tad sweeter seeming.



2010 Château Moulin Bellegrave - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion (1/9/2015)
After several disappointments with lesser Bordeaux, this half-bottle was surprisingly good. The aromas on the nose and the medium + bodied palate showed attractive round plum like fruit with a hint of leather. There was good depth of fruit, savoury character, fleshiness, quite lively non-astringent acidity, a discreet underlying liqueur touch towards the finish and firm ripe tannins. Good+. Price €5/37cl.


2012 Léo de la Gaffelière - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion (1/6/2015)
Colour showing purple tints but not very dense. Nose very discreet at first with a little red fruit but opening up into cassis, strawberry, leather and vanilla. Palate was medium/light bodied with at first rather thin fruit flavours and noticeable vanilla and dry caramel towards the finish but with more air and warming towards room temperature the fruit filled out and pushed the vanilla and caramel into the background. IMO still a bit raw and needing some more time. Quite good. Price €5/half bootle.



2010 Château du Moulin - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Puisseguin-St. Émilion (1/5/2015)
There was some quite nice tangy red fruit, mainly plum, on the nose entry and mid-palate with an orange peel note more common in Mediterranean wines which I tend to associate with rapid evolution. Medium bodied, up front, decent acidity and not very long. Apart from the orange peel fairly typical of my experience of outlying Bordeaux. Quite good. Gift from village mayor; guess €8.

PS 24 hours later - it seemed better integrated than before with orange peel much less in evidence but lending pleasing complexity. Coming after Léo Gaffelière '12, it showed greater body and depth and stood up better to a quite strong Livarot cheese. I add two notches to the score in the light of this improved showing.

Tim, thanks for your note on the 2008 Chateau La Fleur de Bouard. I look forward to opening my 2005 vintage of this next week. I attended a tasting with a representative of the estate which also produces Chateau Angelus at the Nantucket Wine Festival in 2013 which got me interested in the wine. Also, my only exposure to Pavie was a taste of the 2000 vintage at a paid charity tasting and I have to say I liked it very much. I was scoring the wines at the tasting using a 20-point UC-Davis scoring system and Chateau Pavie did not get my highest score but actually was my favorite wine overall. I haven't tasted any more recent vintages and probably never will have the opportunity to taste one.

Jane, I'll be very interested in your take on the Fleur de Boüard '05. I was wondering whether my liking for the '08 was not partly favoured by the fact that '08 was not a super ripe vintage, unlike '05 and '09.

I sometime think that my view of Perse and Pavie may be over-influenced by the identity of the people who hype his wines; their praise often makes me want to run away. But it is true that, amongst other critics, Jancis R, whose preferences are closer to mine, was very critical of some of his Pavie vintages. The French critic, Michel Bettane, says that modern Pavie needs age to come into its own but that is difficult to demonstrate when the oldest Perse vintage is 1998, i.e. a quite short track record. That's why, your positive opinion of a glass of 2000 is very interesting. I would love to have a glass too.

[David M. Bueker]

I am still working my way through 2000 and 2001 Fleur du Bouard. I have liked both vintages very much, and they are developing very slowly.

Here's my last take on the 2000, just about a year ago:

2000 Château La Fleur de Boüard - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lalande de Pomerol (2/10/2015)
This is very slowly making it way to maturity. There is still a great deal of ripe fruit, and some obvious oak, but it is softening, melding and gaining in elegance. The balance seems right to allow for further aging to full maturity, so I am going to let my last few bottles sit a while longer.

As for Pavie, well look to vintage. Leaner vintages are better for normal humans to drink.

For the remains of a rabbit stew cooked with prunes in a Kriek beer sauce, I chose a Bordeaux right-banker and it went very well, the prunes probably bringing forward the wine's balancing acidity.

1995 Château La Dominique - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (1/8/2016)
A very nice well balanced right-banker kept in fine form by a firm dry cork. Colour still deep crimson with little bricking. Nose and medium full palate were expressive showing red fruit, cherry and plum, some cigar box, grilled meat and secondary aromas, decent depth of fruit with still fresh acidity and ripe tannic backbone keeping Merlot's tendency (80+% here) to excessive lusciousness well in check. Very good.

This month it was my turn to present a tasting to our small tasting group. A remark at an earlier meeting by a Burgundy/Beajolais loving member that it wadhard to find a Bordeaux worth drinking that didn't cost a lot of money inspired me to do a tasting of inexpensive Bdx in a tastinIcalled

Claret & Co
Inexpensive Bordeaux

The 'Co' were the white dry starter and the white sweet finale

This is a copy of the tasting sheet, with prices added (I gave prices after each wine had been tasted and discussed).

Note that prices include a flat rate wine tax and VAT at 20% , thus even our tax is taxed.

My score, out of 7, is given after price.

1
Château Bel Air Perponcher
Reserve
Bordeaux 2014
Semillon with some Sauvignon and Muscadelle
abv 12%
£8.50
5

2
The Society’s Claret
Bordeaux 2014
Merlot based blend
abv 13%
£6.25
4

3
Château Les Ardits
Bordeaux Superior 2012
70% merlot, 10% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc
abv 12.5%
€6.50 about £4.50 from Vignerons Independent fair at Lille in November)
5+

4
Château La Grave de Bertin
Bordeaux 2013
Vineyard: 70% merlot, 20% cabernet franc, 10% cabernet sauvignon
abv 12.5%
£7.25
5

5
Château Moulin du Bourg
Listrac-Medoc 2010
Vineyard: 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot
Abv 13.5%
£11.75 (£9.91 if bought as a case)
6+

6
Château Le Vieux Serestin
Medoc 2009
Cru Artisan
Vineyard: 45% cabernet sauvignon 45% merlot , 8% petit verdot ,2% cabernet franc
abv 13.5%
£8.75
6

7
Château Tour St. Bonnet
Médoc 2010
Cru Bourgeois
Vineyard: 60% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petite Verdot
abv 14%
£10.05 (bought E.P.)
5+

8
Château Haut Sociondo
Premiere Cotes de Blaye 2007
Vineyard: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
abv 12.5%
£6.50
6-

9
Château La Grave
Sainte-Croix-du-Mont 2010
Semillon with a little Sauvignon blanc
abv 13.5%
£7.95
5+

On a vote the top 3 wines were
1- Ch La Grave (the sweetie)
2-Ch Haut Sociondo (8 years aging gave it a very soft ripeness with a hint of chocolate)
3- tie between Ch le Vieux Serestin & Ch Moulin de Bourg

It was difficult to run a tasting and make notes, so I didn't. Wines 3,4,7,& 9 came from my cellar. All wines except for No. 3 were bought from The Wine Society

I noted Ch Moulin de Bourg was 'delicious' and I'll be buying some.

2009 Barde-Haut, opened at 11:00 AM today to give it 7.5 hrs. of decant time. Earlier bottles were tight but this bottle, given much decant in a wide-mouthed decanter, was open for business but needed every hr. Very black in color with no bricking at edges, the nose was full of black fruit and a bit of herbalness. On the palate there was more black fruit and herbs but although this wine has lost some tannins, it is still in need of considerable time. Those that love really mature Bordeaux should give this wine another15+ years. ABV of 14.6% and consumed with beef stroganoff, which was excellent.

Just trying to do my part with the focus this month so opened, 2005 Chateau Le Conseiller, by Jean_Philippe Janoueix. I bought a case of this on release given a great review by RMP and until now have been very disappointed. Finally this wine has mellowed out a bit. I gave it 6 hrs. of decant time today and glad I did. Quite drinkable with very black color and muted plum nose, the palate was dominated by plum. Tannins were finally enjoyable but any secondary complexity has not happened yet. At 10 years of age I would like a Bordeaux Superieur to be more open/mature than this. ABV of 13.5%. Still a Cal. Cab. fan except for the rare 2nd or 3rd. growth Bordeaux with lots of cellar time on it.

2005 ROBERT FOLEY VINEYARDS CLARET, NAPA VALLEY, CA. 15.5% abv. Darkly colored; opaque. The nose carries scent of ripe dark fruit--it could be black currants or maybe blackberries--and the wine displays lots of viscosity. Currants appear on the palate along with coffee and chocolate mint. I was quite aware of the high alcoholic content. The wine has some structure but is not highly tannic. This seems modern in style and appealing in a fruit-forward somewhat jammy style. Certainly no good QPR at the $79 I paid for it in 2011. The latest release is closer to $120.

2005 LA FLEUR DE BOUARD, LALANDE DE POMEROL, BORDEAUX, FRANCE. 14% abv. Merlot 85%, Cabernet Franc 10%, Cabernet Sauvignon 5%. The first sip seemed sour. It developed some herbal notes in a slightly somber presentation. This was better with food (strip steak) than on its own. Okay with smoked Gouda cheese. I feel there is good material there but maybe not yet in its prime. I have two more bottles to cellar for awhile. I did think it improved on the third and final evening which indicates it may improve in the cellar. Much better QPR at prices in the $20's for recent vintage (and also available in half bottles) than the Robert Foley Claret. (But hey, I like Bob Foley having seen him perform with his band at wine events in Raleigh and I like his Charbono and I have been impressed with the Claret bottling in older vintages.)

2012 Bellangelo Meritage, Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake: Bright, youthful mid-carmine; not super dark for a Bordeaux blend. Some oak and capsicum on the nose. Black current, peppercorns, a little green capsicum on the palate. Gets more interesting with a couple hours of air, showing ripe enough tannins and a harmonious finish. An interesting wine that is clearly not Bordeaux but also from a cool climate. Could improve with age - I suspect the oak (60% 1 year old French, with the remainder neutral) will become better integrated. A decent value at $25, 12.8% abv.

About Bellangelo: People who have been around the Finger Lakes for awhile probably remember seeing the 'Barrel People': some goofy sculptures alongside Rt. 14 on the west side of Seneca Lake, promoting the Squaw Point winery. While these guys never made very good wine (hybrids and labrusca), they had a nice site. A few years ago, this was taken over by the Kissick family and now has a focus on high quality vinifera wines. If you visit their website, you will see they are keenly interested in showcasing the growers that supply their grapes and the related terroirs. The above wine is 50% Merlot and 20% Cab Franc, both from the west side of Seneca and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, from the east side. While I didn't think they are yet in the top ranks of FL producers, this is clearly a place to follow.

Cain Cuvee NV 10, from Napa and acquired a few years ago as I have heard a lot of good things about Cain, especially their Cain Five. For $34 I was quite underwhelmed. Lots of plum fruit and a bit of spice, this was made up of Merlot 48%,CS of 32%. CF of 14% and PV of 6%. Maybe the Cain Five is considerably better/more complex but this was a simple wine but also young. A rare NV Napa red! Will NOT go there again. Poor QPR.

The Cain Five is better and from older vines.

The Cabernet-Sauvignon dominated wines from the left bank were my first love at Bordeaux and generally I continue to prefer them to the more luscious Merlot dominated right-bankers for their classy elegance, restraint and structure.

Château Sociando-Mallet comes from the more northerly part of Médoc where the wines tend to be tougher than, say, at Margaux or St.Julien and it punches at the weight of a good grand cru although is not in that classification nor in the cru bourgeois classification which its owner spurns. Recent vintages can be found here for around €30 which can be considered good QPR for claret with this quality on offer but with the inconvenience that at least 10 years in the cellar is required to bring it out.

1998 was not so successful on the left bank as on the right bank because of difficult conditions for ripening Cabernet Sauvignon and some of its wines are still a bit dumb or over acidic as was the case with a recent bottle of Léoville-Barton.

1998 Château Sociando-Mallet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (1/22/2016)
Even more gracious than a bottle of a year ago with balsamic notes apparent on the nose as well as very attractive red fruit and violet with a hint of leather. The palate was not very big, medium+ bodied at most, with good density of plum fruit, variations on the aromas from the nose, lively acidity, beginnings of forest floor and velvety texture with quite ripe tannins supporting a finish which was perhaps a bit shorter than ideal. Nevertheless very good wine and insidiously moreish.

Posted from CellarTracker

Ramey Napa Claret 2012; opened at noon so had 7 hrs. of decant time (maybe double-decanted between 2 decanters many times) probably really helped. This wine, made up of CS 70%, M 24%, Malbec of 2%, Syrah of 2%, CF of 1% and PV of 1%, was very nice and probably needed all the aeration it got. There was lots of spicey plum flavors but also a dusty note I associate with the Rutherford Bench wines. I aggressively splash-decanted many times between crafs. My excellent-palated wife demanded 2 glass-fulls. Again a singleton but I was celebrating survival of this winter storm. We will be cozy even if the power goes out as we primarily heat with a wood stove. abv of 14.5%

Claret like this gives the lie to the belief that Bordeaux cannot produce fine wine at an affordable price. The wines of Châteaux Poujeaux can be found here in the semi-mature vinatges, 2006 and 2008, for around €20 and in the 80s and 90s they were punching well above their cru bourgeois weight, on or above the level of most 3ème GCCs, IMO.

1999 on the Bordeaux left bank illustrates the limitations of vintage charts, where it gets a mediocre score. I don't remember having one which I did not like. They were early maturing wines showing an openness and graciousness from about year 5 which "great" vintages mostly lack until well past their 15th birthday. To be sure, they are not big and impressive and do not have 50 year potential, but I venture to suggest that 1999 is likely to give more pleasure throughout its lifetime than, say, 1996, 2000......most of which have already been drunk well before their prime.

1999 Château Poujeaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Moulis en Médoc (1/30/2016)
I like Poujeaux and I like '99 on the left bank and this one was par for the course. Open and quite complex aromatics with red fruit, summer flowers, a balsamic touch and a faint hint of cedar. Medium+ body, still quite primary red fruit with the graciousness typical of the vintage, some secondary notes, silky texture and fresh acidity and residual tannic structure both enough for balance. Has the insidious moreishness of a good left-banker but more length would have been ideal. Very good though.

Posted from CellarTracker

This Bordeaux blend from Argentina Casarena Sinergy Reserva 2011, was the finest bottle from a case yet tasted. Maybe it just needed a few more years to settle down. The blend was 70% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon,7% Cab. Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Extremely gulpable with great tannin/fruit/acid balance, the flavors were of brambly black fruit and a bit of red raspberry with some minerality/slateyness in the background. I may have a few more bottles but this wine has finally started to really shine. Probably my first note on an Argentine wine but hopefully not my last. abv of 14.9% Well done Argentina!

[Jenise]

Last night I opened a white burgundy. Oxidized.

So I opened another. Oxidized.

The second one had a sister bottle, so I opened that: it was okay, but not what I wanted and I was suspicious that in half an hour it would turn south, too.

So I opened an 09 Cotes du Rhone. Oxidized. Insert 'F' word here _____.

Absolutely the worst night of opening wine bottles EVER! So I turned to a wine I was sure wouldn't let me down, at least not like that! A little merlot-heavy 2010 Margaux called de Marsan that won me over with loamy, foresty notes on black fruit a few years back and which cost just $13. I liked it so much I bought 8 or 10 bottles, but only drank a couple before it shut down. Last night's bottle is just starting to open up again. It's still loamy but some soft red fruits are entering the mix, and it had the right weight and complexity for pairing with a serious meat dish (lamb chops with roasted Mediterranean vegetables). One wouldn't mistake it for a classed growth, but for my palate it has no equal at that price point from North America.

Tim, thanks for the suggestions. I have been wanting the answer to the same question and I completely agree with Tim.But can anybody tell me what wine to invest in?

Robert, when you say "invest", do you mean a financial investment for resale, hopefully at a profit or laying down for your own future enjoyment? If it's the former, there are a limited number of blue chip estate names and vintages, mainly from Bordeaux and Burgundy, which are suitable investment vehicles. That is unless you are into the difficult game of identifying future blue chips before they become expensive, like Sassicaia and Grange were a few decades ago.

2000 Haut-Batailley Pauillac.

As usual, I was invited to the Devine Wines annual staff Xmas party..I help out with tastings etc.
This red was quite delicious..silky, no tannins, blackcurrant nose and I noted "warmth". Savoury, spice, I thought smells like nature. Raspberry, cherry tobacco....very nice experience, thanks to Dirk for bringing up from his cellar.