Bordeaux 2011: Vintage Report
Last week saw us head down to Bordeaux, with the rest of the wine trade, to taste the 2011 vintage. After the back to back successes of 2009 and 2010 there were lower expectations for the wines this year. The vintage was affected by a peculiar growing season; summer in April and May and spring like conditions in August. Yields were significantly reduced and a lot of work had to been done in the vineyards to ensure a clean crop of grapes.
Overall the vintage can be described as a far more classic style of Bordeaux with lower levels of alcohol and less upfront, concentrated fruit. The general consensus among producers was that the vintage most resembled 2001 and 2004 and we can see many similarities with both these vintages. As many drinkers will know the 2001’s are delicious now and the 2004’s are coming on well so this is not a bad comparison. As always in this type of vintage there were successes and failures so it’s important to do some research or to take some advice before buying. We felt the most successful appellations were, Pauillac, St Julien and Pomerol, although there were some excellent dry white produced in Graves and in general this was a very good year for both sweet and dry whites.
So far so positive but here comes the ‘but’, none of the above matters a jot if the wines are released at unrealistic prices. After the price hikes in ‘09 and ‘10 the chateau will need to reduce prices significantly in order to encourage any of us to buy. In terms of the magnitude of reductions in our view they need to be released at 40-50% below last year’s prices, this would put the wines at a similar price level to the current prices of 2001 and 2004 which we believe is justifiable.
So as usual it’s a wait and see game, in the meantime here is a list of our favourites, which assuming prices are right, we would recommend to our clients:
St Julien
Ducru Beaucaillou
Leoville-Barton
Langoa-Barton
Gruaud-Larose
Clos du Marquis
St Pierre
Pauillac
Grand Puy Lacoste
Lynch-Bages
Pichon-Lalande
Pichon-Baron
Latour
Pomerol
Conseillante
Vieux Chateau Certan
St Emilion
Cheval Blanc
Angelus
Pavie-Macquin
Graves/Pessac-Leognan
Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc
Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
Sauternes/Barsac
Rieussec
Doisy-Vedrines
Suduiraut
Guiraud
Other wines worth a mention: Calon-Segur (St Estephe), Montrose (St Estephe), Brane-Cantenac (Margaux)
Thursday, 12 April 2012
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
2010 Rhone En Primeur Trip
Last week I travelled to the Rhone in search of top producers for our first major Rhone En Primeur Offer. My task was to try and find a few select producers who are really outperforming in their appelation. Below are the producers that we are delighted to be offering this year:
First stop in Cote Rotie was Clussel Roch. The Roch family are extremely modest about the quality of their wines, however I could tell from their faces and the way they described the wines that they were extrememly proud of their 2010s. 100% organic since 2002, they are forward thinking however without the overoaked modern style. Their wines certainly impressed me, almost a Burgundian style. The fruit was very pure and fine. Madame Roch said that the main difference that she notes between 2010 and 2009 is the fine balance that 2010 has. Her opininion was that the 2010s will age longer, while the 2009s will offer more pleasure in the shorter term.
Next up was Domaine Rene Rostaing. Monsieur Rostaing apologised for the way he was dressed as we was in his overauls, like his personality Rostaing's wines are very aristocratic. He describes 2010 as 'classique' and how right he is. Whether it will be better than 2009 he says it's impossible to say, however his view was that 2010 are more serious wines and have the potential for longer ageing.
Stephane Ogier was next. His wines need no introduction. Our Ogier offer will be out a bit later than the others and quantitys are very limited.
Domaine du Colombier has been a firm favourite of mine for quite a few years now. Florent and the team make excellent Crozes-Hermitage which are simply deliscious and in my opinion offer excellent value. We will also be offering their Hermitage which is a wine capable of ageing as well as a classed growth Bordeaux. He was very keen to show me the different oak barrels that he uses and the varying effects that they have on the wine. He prefers not to have oak dominating, keeping the purity and the freshness of the wine.
Clos de Cazaux make exceptional Gigondas and Vacqueyras. The Vache family make some of the best value wines in the Southern Rhone and its a delight to be able to offer them this year!
Final stop was Font de Michelle. Guillaume Gonnet is always extremely friendly and his wines certainly impressed me this year. With a substantial part of their estate in and near La Crau, they have some of the best terroir in Chateauneuf du Pape. We will also be offering Chateau de Beaucastel.
Please do e-mail us if you would like to recieve our Rhone 2010 offer info@hsliquid.com
First stop in Cote Rotie was Clussel Roch. The Roch family are extremely modest about the quality of their wines, however I could tell from their faces and the way they described the wines that they were extrememly proud of their 2010s. 100% organic since 2002, they are forward thinking however without the overoaked modern style. Their wines certainly impressed me, almost a Burgundian style. The fruit was very pure and fine. Madame Roch said that the main difference that she notes between 2010 and 2009 is the fine balance that 2010 has. Her opininion was that the 2010s will age longer, while the 2009s will offer more pleasure in the shorter term.
Next up was Domaine Rene Rostaing. Monsieur Rostaing apologised for the way he was dressed as we was in his overauls, like his personality Rostaing's wines are very aristocratic. He describes 2010 as 'classique' and how right he is. Whether it will be better than 2009 he says it's impossible to say, however his view was that 2010 are more serious wines and have the potential for longer ageing.
Stephane Ogier was next. His wines need no introduction. Our Ogier offer will be out a bit later than the others and quantitys are very limited.
Domaine du Colombier has been a firm favourite of mine for quite a few years now. Florent and the team make excellent Crozes-Hermitage which are simply deliscious and in my opinion offer excellent value. We will also be offering their Hermitage which is a wine capable of ageing as well as a classed growth Bordeaux. He was very keen to show me the different oak barrels that he uses and the varying effects that they have on the wine. He prefers not to have oak dominating, keeping the purity and the freshness of the wine.
Clos de Cazaux make exceptional Gigondas and Vacqueyras. The Vache family make some of the best value wines in the Southern Rhone and its a delight to be able to offer them this year!
Final stop was Font de Michelle. Guillaume Gonnet is always extremely friendly and his wines certainly impressed me this year. With a substantial part of their estate in and near La Crau, they have some of the best terroir in Chateauneuf du Pape. We will also be offering Chateau de Beaucastel.
Please do e-mail us if you would like to recieve our Rhone 2010 offer info@hsliquid.com
Monday, 21 March 2011
Gruaud Larose 1996
We had a fantastic dinner at the Red Lion in East Chisenbury (www.redlionfreehouse.com )on Saturday evening. As always the food and service were brilliant and we are lucky that they occasionally let us bring a bottle or two for a very reasonable corkage fee. I had not tried a bottle of Ch Gruaud Larose 1996 for a year or two and it has blossomed into a really delicious wine. All of the angularity has disappeared leaving soft plummy, blackberry fruit alongside herb and liquorice notes. There is a real complexity on the palate and a lovely velvety mouthfeel. The wine really opened up in the glass and as is so often the case with the best bottles the last mouthful was the best and left you wanting more!
One thing worth noting is that this wine receives a relatively disappointing Parker Score (89) which means that its price has not escalated to the same extent as some other wines from the vintage. In my view this is one of the occasions where Parker has got it slightly wrong, so making the wine a relative bargain!
One thing worth noting is that this wine receives a relatively disappointing Parker Score (89) which means that its price has not escalated to the same extent as some other wines from the vintage. In my view this is one of the occasions where Parker has got it slightly wrong, so making the wine a relative bargain!
A new rosé for summer
Choosing our summer rosé is always a good day for me, it signals that we are finally edging out of winter and into Spring and Summer. This year was no different and on a sunny Wednesday in march we collected together 15 potential bottles and a few palates that we trust to chose which wine our clients would be quaffing during (what will hopefully) be the long hot summer ahead! Unusually for a blind tasting there was absolute agreement on the best and worst wines that we tried. We will spare the blushes of the loser but we are delighted to announce that the winner is Domaine Terrasse de Lalande 2010 Domane Lalande. A light and delicious rosé with a real strawberry character and a lovely fresh finish that is extremely moreish. The wine will be available for delivery from the middle of April and we will be offering at the very reasonable £7 per bottle.
Monday, 14 February 2011
Pontet Canet at St John
Lunch at the excellent St John today where they have a very fair corkage
policy (£15 per bottle). I brought along Pontet Canet 2001 which was
delicious. Still inky black and tasting very young there is a lot of
structure but some really juicy black fruit as well and a lovely balance.
Pontet Canet has really been on form since the mid 90's, although its no
longer the bargain it used to be, I still believe it represents real value
for money!
Michael
policy (£15 per bottle). I brought along Pontet Canet 2001 which was
delicious. Still inky black and tasting very young there is a lot of
structure but some really juicy black fruit as well and a lovely balance.
Pontet Canet has really been on form since the mid 90's, although its no
longer the bargain it used to be, I still believe it represents real value
for money!
Michael
Monday, 31 January 2011
The Medoc Marathon: Team Langoa Barton
Last year after a few too many at Le Cafe Anglais I was asked by Damien Sartorius (son of Lilian Barton) to run the Medoc marathon with him representing Chateau Langoa-Barton.
Although I do play real tennis twice a week, enjoying both my food and wine I was slightly nervous about the task of running over 26 miles! Nonetheless the opportunity to do something like this does not come up very often.
The Barton's were terrific hosts. There was a team dinner the night before where we basically tried to eat as much pasta as we could. Monsieur Sartorius brought out some old vintages of Leoville and Langoa, it pained me to have to turn it down but I knew one drop and I would want more.
Much to my suprise I managed to make it around the course. The majority of people 'running' stopped at each Chateau to drink wine - you can imagine the amount of people stopping at Lafite! The hill up to Cos in the 30 degree heat will remain in my memory forever.
The finish was straight into a beer tent and live music in Pauillac (slightly different to the finish at the London marathon). Quick shower and change and it was party time in Pauillac.
The next day Monsieur Sartorius pulled out all the stops. We had endless amounts of perfectly cooked steak and he opened some 1988 Leoville which was drinking very well. He explained that it has taken quite a long time for the '88 to come around (much like the 2008s will). We then had Langoa 1999 which was very elegant and then some La Tour Blanche to wash it all down. We spent the rest of the afternoon passed out by the pool.
A trip that I won't ever forget...
Christopher
http://www.leoville-barton.com/
Although I do play real tennis twice a week, enjoying both my food and wine I was slightly nervous about the task of running over 26 miles! Nonetheless the opportunity to do something like this does not come up very often.
The Barton's were terrific hosts. There was a team dinner the night before where we basically tried to eat as much pasta as we could. Monsieur Sartorius brought out some old vintages of Leoville and Langoa, it pained me to have to turn it down but I knew one drop and I would want more.
Much to my suprise I managed to make it around the course. The majority of people 'running' stopped at each Chateau to drink wine - you can imagine the amount of people stopping at Lafite! The hill up to Cos in the 30 degree heat will remain in my memory forever.
The finish was straight into a beer tent and live music in Pauillac (slightly different to the finish at the London marathon). Quick shower and change and it was party time in Pauillac.
The next day Monsieur Sartorius pulled out all the stops. We had endless amounts of perfectly cooked steak and he opened some 1988 Leoville which was drinking very well. He explained that it has taken quite a long time for the '88 to come around (much like the 2008s will). We then had Langoa 1999 which was very elegant and then some La Tour Blanche to wash it all down. We spent the rest of the afternoon passed out by the pool.
A trip that I won't ever forget...
Christopher
http://www.leoville-barton.com/
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