BLOG.CLASSOF1855.COM: Vinexpo 2011 – Part 2: The 2010 Bordeaux Vintage
Vinexpo 2011 – Part 2: The 2010 Bordeaux Vintage
As I
mentioned in Part 1, the 2010 Bordeaux tasting was the highlight of Vinexpo for me and
really one of the main reasons I went to the event. I have enjoyed fine wine
from every region of the world and it doesn’t matter if it’s great Burgundy,
Syrah/Shiraz, Brunello, or Riesling, I always come back to Bordeaux.
The
tasting itself was filled with exuberance from châteaux serving their wines, as
well as those tasting the wines. It had a joyous party-like feel to it and somewhere around 130 châteaux were present. Not many of the wines being served
were actually bottled yet but were served from bottles with handwritten labels
so most of what was poured into our glasses were actually barrel tastings. That’s really what blew me
away: the fact that these wines were so young but drinking so well already,
with such balance, purity, and complexity was a remarkable achievement to me!
Standouts
for me from the 2010 vintage:
Château
Lynch-Bages was the best vintage I have ever tasted from this estate and I’ve
enjoyed a considerable amount of them. Here was spectacular depth and purity of
fruit as if I could taste all the separate elements of the Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Verdot (the typical Left Bank Bordeaux
varieties). Beautiful tannins and a long and layered finish were just frosting
on the cake so to speak. I’m positive this will come together over the years
and be one of the best ever from this estate.
Château
Pichon-Longueville Baron was a huge mouthful of gorgeous black fruit and polish
but with enough acidity to keep it all framed and in balance; too often this
much ripe fruit makes a wine flabby but not so in this case. I have had many
vintages of both Pichon Baron and Pichon-Comtesse de Lalande and usually find
the Lalande to be the better of the two, but for ’10, the Baron to me was
clearly better. By the way the Lalande is not shabby either.
Wines
from Pauillac led the way in terms of flavor, complexity, polish, and finish,
to wit: Châteaux Lynch-Bages and Pichon-Longueville Baron
Wines
from Margaux exhibited the classic and remarkable aromatics that only Margaux can produce – one of the
standouts was Château Rauzan-Ségla, which had a higher blend of Merlot (35%)
than many Left Bank wines, and was one of the best ever this château
Wines
from St Julien (Château Gruaud Larose and Châteaux Léoville Barton and Léoville
Poyferré were standouts for me) and St Estèphe were also very fine and kind of
in between the wines from Pauillac and Margaux in terms of flavor, nose, complexity
and finish; nearly all were great quality, very delicious and balanced for
being so young but also have enough stuffing to age well
Pessac-Léognon
and Graves were very structured and were much more like barrel tastings than
the other appellations I tasted that day. I am very fond of this appellation and
although they didn’t show as well at that moment, I think they will age better
than many 2010 wines from the other Bordeaux appellations unless the alcohol
levels of finished wine goes beyond 15%. The standout here for me was Château Latour-Martillac (and their whites are truly sensational too)
The
Right Bank’s St Emilion wines were spectacular showstoppers with rich ripe fruit, finesse,
and depth of flavor, all with great precision and balance. There were too many
standouts here to list but Château Angélus was perhaps the most memorable. Pomerol
wines too were great with Château La Conseillante being the standout for me.
Not surprisingly Château Pétrus and Château Le Pin were not present. Why?
Because they don’t have to be.
Not to be forgotten for a second are the wines of Sauternes and Barsac.
I believe the 2010 vintage will produce some of the best ever from these
appellations. These wines were almost across the board stunning in their depth,
complexity, balance, and finish. Botrytis was kind to the fruit in this vintage
and all the right weather conditions converged to produce some amazing wine,
even though much of the fruit was not able to be picked until late October. With
the excellent acidity and sugar balance, these wines should age very well and
develop into something very special. Outstanding for me was Château Sigalas Rabaud,
which is a First Growth Sauternes that I had never tasted before, possibly due
to limited US distribution. I found upon my return that what little there is in the US is priced so low, it’s like stealing. This wine was very pure and had a phenomenal nose of
apricot, pear, pineapple, and almonds with a long and ever-changing finish.
Wow!
These are but
a few of the wines that really knocked me out but there is a lot more to get
into on the next segment of this journey. Specifically, I’ll share some
important information about the Mèdoc and Haut Mèdoc because America is missing
out on some real treasures that are actually affordable. More soon!
David
Boyer
Photo: I snapped this photo standing in front of
Château Pichon-Longuville Baron. Really, how lucky can a person get?
7/31/2011 1:54 PMDennis Tsiorbas wrote:
David Boyer, thanks ever-so-much for the beautiful photograph (Stark, yet rich and detailed, like the wines can be), the massively enticing, though daunting accolades and depictions of the French wines, which you have reported on. I say daunting, because French wines seem so complex and prolific, not to mention, often they are very expensive (I buy all my own wines). I have tried some inexpensive French wines, and for the most part, have not been disappointed. You often mention the excellent acidity. That reminds me of the time, in retrospect, I did an analysis of my then favorite wines, and what (If I could ascertain) the acidity was; as was manifest; I tend to like Red wines in the area of 6.0 or higher. I'm not sure what that means yet, but I tend to think the structure of a wine with a higher acid level conforms to my palate. Well, sitting at the your feet, I remain enrapt. Sincerely, Dennis Tsiorbas Reply to this
8/1/2011 5:21 PM
David Boyer wrote:
Dennis, thanks for the always kind comments. That photo was for me was the shot of a lifetime. It had been raining, alternating with sunshine, all morning in Pauillac so the sky at that moment was brooding and ominous, a perfect backdrop for the subject matter. The photograph still looks 'unreal' to me, like it was processed (it wasn't) or a frame from a CG animated film (it's not).
French wines are certainly a study in and of themselves but are certainly worth the pursuit in my opinion. I agree that they're generally expensive but I've got more information coming that may shed some light on that perception. I buy all of my wines too and the First Growths are certainly not cheap these days. I think that many times people tend to drink French wines too young and they're compared to the ready-to-drink California wines upon release so, the perception is that the expense isn't justified compared to the quality. Most (but not all) French wines will benefit with age if stored at the proper temperature but that takes patience, a big bank account, or sometimes both.
Acidity is a tricky subject and there are volumes written about it. 0.6 is about average for table wine and it seems that number aligns with most people's palate. In reds it so important to have a good balance of acidity, otherwise the wine is just flat or flabby as we say. Sadly with the global heat issue, winemakers are often adding tartaric acid after fermentation to make up the loss from heat in the vineyard and I am finding more wines that are not well integrated in this respect - they're really disjointed. But acidity, like all things wine, comes down to personal preference. I tend to like a bit more raciness in my whites especially because they tend to be livelier and fresher tasting to me with a bit more acidity.
8/2/2011 10:18 PMDennis Tsiorbas wrote:
David, I'm not sure, but I believe you are a rare man to bestow your time on a lowly wine buff; however all that time and your thoughts are much appreciated. I'm 61 years old, but when I was a 20 years old, a young man interested in bird watching, three elderly ladies took me "under-their-wings" and helped me to gather the beautiful experiences of almost four hundred different birds; now something new (Wine) has captured my imagination and it is just about as difficult to differentiate as a Blackpoll and a Black and white warbler. This very evening, three of us novices experienced our first Posecco wines (Caposaldo and Santa Margrerita), which was wonderful to us all; they were very similar, but I thought that there was a slight edginess (Positive) to the later. As to your comment on acidity, the "average" information is helpful in understanding my own palate, and makes so much sense. Thanks again, Dennis Reply to this
8/5/2011 1:22 PM
David Boyer wrote:
Dennis - hey I'm just a regular guy and love wine like you, and I'm not far behind you in age. I'm always up for talking about wine with people that appreciate it, plus you have a good amount of knowledge. It's cool that you got into bird watching; they're indeed fascinating creatures and I've known other people that found it to be a great pursuit.
I have had Prosecco a number of times and generally liked it. All of them were dry, made in the frizzante style, and quite charming, although like every other wine, there can be marked differences in quality. I view the Italian DOC/DOCG designations with very little meaning in terms of quality wine, so it really comes down to individual producers I think. But the Italians certainly know how to make great wine.
David Boyer, thanks ever-so-much for the beautiful photograph (Stark, yet rich and detailed, like the wines can be), the massively enticing, though daunting accolades and depictions of the French wines, which you have reported on. I say daunting, because French wines seem so complex and prolific, not to mention, often they are very expensive (I buy all my own wines). I have tried some inexpensive French wines, and for the most part, have not been disappointed.
You often mention the excellent acidity. That reminds me of the time, in retrospect, I did an analysis of my then favorite wines, and what (If I could ascertain) the acidity was; as was manifest; I tend to like Red wines in the area of 6.0 or higher. I'm not sure what that means yet, but I tend to think the structure of a wine with a higher acid level conforms to my palate.
Well, sitting at the your feet, I remain enrapt.
Sincerely,
Dennis Tsiorbas
Reply to this
Dennis, thanks for the always kind comments. That photo was for me was the shot of a lifetime. It had been raining, alternating with sunshine, all morning in Pauillac so the sky at that moment was brooding and ominous, a perfect backdrop for the subject matter. The photograph still looks 'unreal' to me, like it was processed (it wasn't) or a frame from a CG animated film (it's not).
Reply to this
David, I'm not sure, but I believe you are a rare man to bestow your time on a lowly wine buff; however all that time and your thoughts are much appreciated. I'm 61 years old, but when I was a 20 years old, a young man interested in bird watching, three elderly ladies took me "under-their-wings" and helped me to gather the beautiful experiences of almost four hundred different birds; now something new (Wine) has captured my imagination and it is just about as difficult to differentiate as a Blackpoll and a Black and white warbler.
This very evening, three of us novices experienced our first Posecco wines (Caposaldo and Santa Margrerita), which was wonderful to us all; they were very similar, but I thought that there was a slight edginess (Positive) to the later.
As to your comment on acidity, the "average" information is helpful in understanding my own palate, and makes so much sense.
Thanks again,
Dennis
Reply to this
Dennis - hey I'm just a regular guy and love wine like you, and I'm not far behind you in age. I'm always up for talking about wine with people that appreciate it, plus you have a good amount of knowledge. It's cool that you got into bird watching; they're indeed fascinating creatures and I've known other people that found it to be a great pursuit.
Reply to this