The wines of Bernard Magrez
Part 4: Portfolio tasting

Here was a chance to taste a wine range of wines from the Bernard Magrez portfolio. Some I really liked - especially the Priorat and the wines from Uruguay and Argentina. [The excellent Bordeaux wines from Latour Carnet, Fombrauge and Pape Clement are dealt with elsewhere in this series.] Others tasted a bit over-done, with super-ripeness and a lack of definition. A common theme was quite high alcohol levels, a by-product of the stylistic decision to pick late. In some cases, these wines might have been helped with a little alcohol reduction, or picking a bit sooner.  

Magrez-Aruga Koshu Isehara 2007 Japan
Rounded, pure and fruity on the nose. The palate is very fruity with a citrussy edge and a hint of pithiness. Some sweetness filling out the mid-palate. Attractive fruit with a touch of mandarin. 87/100

Château Grands Chênes 2006 Medoc, Bordeaux
Attractive, chocolatey, spicy nose with some roast coffee notes alongside the sweet dark fruits. The palate is supple and bright with nice berry fruit. Ripe and quite supple with a spicy, roasted edge. Very bright. 90/100

Si Mon Père Savait 2005 Côtes du Roussillon, France
Rich, sweet and lush with a liqueur-like edge to it, and sweet, soft, smooth raspberry and blackberry fruit. Verging on the super-ripe; finishes spicy. 88/100

Mon Seul Rêve 2005 Côtes du Roussillon, France
Mostly Syrah, with the balance Grenache and Carignan. Fresh, sweet and pure with a super-sweet, liqueur like smooth lushness. A little jammy, but still retaining elegance. 89/100

La Passion d’un Vie 2004 Côtes du Roussillon, France
Roasted, slightly herbyu, meaty edge to the nose, which has some animal notes. The palate has a soy sauce richness to the dark fruits, and some more of that liqueur-like character. Ripe, sweet, meaty and a bit unusual. 87/100

Casa Magrez de Uruguay 2005 Uruguay
Pure, focused fruit on the nose. The palate is lush, pure and quite elegant with sweet blackberry fruit. Super-smooth structure and lovely purity. Really ripe and supple. 92/100

La Bienvenida 2004 Mendoza, Argentina
Sweet, pure, focused nose with some lush blackberry fruit and floral aromatics. Just a hint of soy sauce, too. The palate is concentrated and lush with pure, sweet dark fruits and some elegance alongside the focus and presence. Very ripe (15.5% alcohol) but still in balance, just. 91/100 

Herència del Padrí 2005 Priorat, Spain
45% Samso (Carignan), 37% Garnacha, 9% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Lush, sweet, aromatic nose with liqueur-like red fruits as well as some spice and earth notes. Very typical for Priorat, showing nice purity and focus. The palate is sweetly fruited with fresh red fruits and some spicy, earthy depth. A bit of minerality and smooth yet firm structure. Real potential. 93/100

Temperencia 2005 Toro, Spain
Sweet, open, lush jammy raspberry and cherry fruit nose with a spicy edge. The palate is sweet, concentrated, open and approachable with soft jammy fruit and firm tannins which are masked by the sweetness of the fruit. Very ripe: almost a late-harvest style. 89/100

Bernard Magrez Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Napa Valley, California
Manual harvest, hand destemming. 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. 4000 bottles made, 16% alcohol. Very sweet, aromatic blackcurrant fruit nose with a lovely floral lift. Lively aromatics. The palate is very ripe and sweet with high alcohol apparent, but also lovely pure, focused fruit. Ripe and sweet, and quite delicious, but the alcohol is a bit of a problem. Lovely purity, though. 92/100

Also in this series:

Wines tasted 11/08  
Find these wines with
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