Bordeaux
2009
A quick report: cask samples of 27 leading wines
April
21, 2010: Just back from Bibendum's Bordeaux tasting, which included
a number of cask samples of the much lauded 2009 vintage. Here are
my notes on some of the wines.
Please
note: these are cask samples and may not be representative of the
final blend. I've not written an essay on each wine because of the
imprecision that comes with tasting such infant wines, which is also
why the scores are given as a range, out of 100 points.
This
is a very attractive, ripe vintage that for me, based on this very
limited sample, seems perhaps better than 2005 (whatever
‘better’ means). The wines tend to be more midweight, and
Bordeaux is a region that specializes in ageworthy, midweight reds,
not blockbusters. ‘One or two have tried to make big heavy
wines,’ said Christian Seely when I asked him about this, ‘but
they missed the point of the vintage.’ At its heart, this is a
classic Bordeaux vintage, more in the mould of 2000 than 2005, which
produced more structured, difficult wines.
Château
Pontet Canet 2009 Pauillac
Beautifully dense and taut with backward dark fruits, good
tannins and some minerality. Lovely stuff. 94–96
Château
Pichon-Longueville Baron 2009 Pauillac
Dense, focused and structured with lovely fruit. Concentrated
with some new oak showing, as well as lovely structure. Serious
effort. 93–95
Château
Figeac 2009 St Emilion
Lovely focused blackcurrant nose with nice chalky edge. Dense,
structured palate with lovely finish. Savoury and quite serious.
93–95
Château
Petit Village 2009 Pomerol
Beautifully seductive with lovely sweet ripe fruit supported by
incredibly soft but dense tannins. A forward, ripe wine but it's in
balance. Very impressive. 93–95
Château
Angelus 2009 St Emilion
Very supple and bright with lovely density of precise, vibrant
dark fruits backed up by firm yet smooth tannins. Great balance.
93–95
Domaine
de Chevalier 2009 Pessac Leognan
Supple, elegant style with good acidity, primary fruit and nice
tannins. Structured and fresh, in a midweight style. 92–94
Château
Malartic Lagraviere 2009 Pessac Leognan
Rich, structured and dense with lovely fruit. Elegant with lots
of presence, made in a ripe but well balanced style. 92–94
Château
Talbot 2009 St Julien
Nicely structured with some density and chunky tannins. Very
attractive in a midweight style with attractive red berry and dark
cherry fruit. 92–94
Château
Beychevelle 2009 St Julien
Youthful, chunky and nicely structured with firm tannins under
the vivid fruit. Juicy and bright, in a midweight style. 92–94
Château
Pibran 2009 Pauillac
Likely to be one of the bargains of the vintage. Beautifully
intense and rich with lovely fruit and good structure. Stylish.
92–94
Château
Montrose 2009 St Estephe
Very sweetly fruited and joyful. Open, nicely proportioned with
chalky tannins and pure fruit. 92–94
Château
Haut Bailly 2009 Pessac Leognan
Primary, intense fruity nose. Vivid, youthful and intense on the
palate. Quite tannic with sweet fruit. 91–93
Château
Aiguilhe 2009 Cotes de Castillon
Very ripe and aromatic with sweet, pure red berry fruits. The
palate is lively, vivid and intense with lovely acidity and chalky
tannins. Likely to be one of the bargains of the vintage. 91–93
Château
Gruaud Larose 2009 St Julien
Midweight, ripe and juicy with nice sweet fruit. Supple and
quite elegant with some tannins. 91–93
Château
Haut Batailley 2009 Pauillac
Chunky and spicy with nice tannins and some oak. Robust and
structured. 91–93
Château
Lagrange 2009 St Julien
Very primary and fruity with supple, midweight, vibrant fruit.
Nice tannins. 90–92
Château
Branaire Ducru 2009 St Julien
Vivid colour. Very primary, midweight and elegant. A bit chalky.
Nice precision. 90–92
Château
Meyney 2009 St Estephe
Seductive savoury style with nice fruit and distinctive chalky
tannins. 90–92
Château
Grand Puy Lacoste 2009 Pauillac
Slightly reduced. Overt red fruit on the nose. Spicy and firm on
the palate. A tight, slightly reduced sample. 90–92
Château
Beau Site 2009 St Estephe
Tight, firm and a bit spicy. Nice depth. Some reduction here and
evident new oak. 90–92
Château
Troplong Mondot 2009 St Emilion
Very ripe, sweet and bold and extracted, with noticeable oak,
but nice structure here. Just in balance. Nice. 90–92
Château
Grand Puy Ducasse 2009 Pauillac
Vibrant fruit. Midweight, supple with nice chalky tannins.
89–91
Château
Lafon Rochet 2009 St Estephe
Supple, fresh with good fruit and nice chalky tannins. 89–91
Château
Phelan Segur 2009 St Estephe
A lighter style. Very pretty bright sweet fruit and some
structure. 88–91
Château
Tronquoy Lalande 2009 St Estephe
Sweet, ripe, juicy and vibrant. Joyful primary fruit. Attractive
and supple. 89–91
Château
Berliquet St Emilion 2009
Sweet and ripe with nice primary fruit and some structure. A
pretty wine. 88–90
Château
Pavie Macquin 2009 St Emilion
Very ripe with an almost minty edge to the nose. Sweet, lush and
oaky: overblown, tannic and quite extracted, with some reduction to
boot. 86–88
Wines
tasted as 04/10
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