Gruaud Larose v Chateau Palmer

Gruaud Larose vs Chateau Palmer - contrasting styles vintage Bordeaux

For a gala birthday dinner celebrating wife Linda's birthday with kids Ryan & Michelle, I pulled from the cellar two vintage twenty-five year old Bordeaux, Chateau Palmer and Chateau Gruaud Larose. For my bride's birthday, I know of no label that defines elegance more than the distinctive gold on black of the super second Margaux, Chateau Palmer with its smooth refined floral perfume laced fruit. And Gruaud Larose has emerged as a signature Bordeaux wine of Ryan and me as we've tasted several vintages together including our encounters with winemaker David Launay at the UGC events. What a contrast in styles with the muscular firm bold Gruaud aside the diminutive refined Palmer.

We still hold each of these wines in magnum and other large formats from each of the kids' birthyears as well as several other vintages in standard format.

At twenty-five years old from an average vintage, I was hopeful that the wines were still holding and up to the occasion. I opened and decanted them about 1:00 pm and returned them to the cellar before rebottling and recorking them for dinner. On initial opening they were both closed and withdrawn and both appeared to have lost some of the luster of their color. Even then, upon re-opening at the restaurant around 7:00 pm, over the course of the evening, it was still two hours before they really opened and started to reveal their full fruit and nuances of their breadth and depth.

Our celebration dinner took place at Cafe Absinthe in Wicker Park, Chicago, a French influenced American bistro. The picturesque trendy eatery is part Paris part Chicago with rustic brick walls revealing a faded painted billboard, high ceilings, wood floors and white tablecloths. While it sits at the high energy bustling corner of Damen, North and Milwaukee Avenues, the unconventional entrance is around the corner in the alley.

The menu is basic selection of four starters, chowder, four salads and less than a dozen entrees of beef, lamb, chicken, scallops, a risotto, salmon and breast of duck. The wine list is minimalist but they cater to BYOB interests. All the selections were imaginative, nicely presented, delicious and fairly priced.

The Palmer was a perfect complement to the Hudson Valley Foie Gras, the roasted beet salad with nuts and white pepper, and the chocolate lava cake. The Gruaud Larose was the perfect complement to my New York strip steak with red wine reduction and au gratin potatoes, the beef tenderloin and the lamb chops.


Chateau Palmer Margaux 1988

I purchased a case of this wine upon release back in the early nineties and this is the second to last bottle remaining.

Medium bodied, ruby/garnet colored, moderate acidity, the boysenberry and black raspberry fruits were accented by tones of cigar box, a whisper of eucalyptus and earthy leather, before giving way to a mouthful of bright floral perfume that lingered on the long finish of sinewy silky tannins.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=6045
 

Chateau Gruaud Larose St Julien 1988

We hold this wine in a dozen vintages dating back to early 80's including magnums from several vintages. We asked David Launay, winemaker about this vintage when we met him at the UGC Chicago tasting event and he advised we should start drinking it over the next few years.

Full bodied, dark garnet colored, lively acidity with firm core of black berry fruits accented by tobacco, leather and hints of cassis with moderate tannins on the finish.

RM 89 points.

More to come ....

Cameron Hughes Lot 500 Napa Cab

Cameron Hughes Lot 500 Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

Ironically, someone asked me just the other day if I knew of Cameron Hughes and I replied I did not. Then, just a few days later I discovered this wine and his brand. Cameron Hughes is another California based negociant, a broker who buys product from producers to remarket under its own private label. The wine may be excess inventory or may not meet the standards set by the producer to market under their own label, hence they'll release it for others to market under a different label so as not to diminish their brand. Naturally such agreements are done under confidentiality. In those circumstances the negociant will hint or tease about the source of such wines.

In this case the tag-line is, "An exceptional Cabernet from one of Napa's first 100-point producers," leaving one to conjecture whom the source might be. Of course the benefit to the marketplace is 'liquidity', no pun intended - the producer can monetize his otherwise un-marketable product (under their own label), although they could also release it in bulk for blending with other wines to be sold as a non-specified wine in another brand or label, or as part of a blend. Most larger producers have multiple labels to classify and sell product at the appropriate applicable price point, but boutique producer's don't have that capability, hence this market. The broker is able to fill a need in the marketplace and can build a meaningful business, and the consumer can get a quality, otherwise expensive label at a fraction of the price, if they're willing to forego the cache of the label brand. Often these releases offer extraordinary value. The challenge is that such releases are one-time opportunities that are short-lived and in limited quantity. And of course caveat emptor, buyer beware.

I wrote more extensively recently in this blog about this practice and another negociant broker, Ninety-Plus Cellars who has come on the scene in a big way with wide distribution of a large number of offers. Our discovery of their recent release of Lot 101 of their Columbia Valley Syrah was an extraordinary find.

Hence I took notice upon reading about this release. Their promotion says, "Lot 500 is our most important Cabernet release of 2013. It's our Centennial Lot that represents what we do best - source amazing wines and sell them at fantastic prices. Lot 500 was born in Oakville from the same vineyard that was one of the first Napa estates to receive a 100-point score from Robert Parker."

SavWay Fine Wine & Spirits in tony Hinsdale (near west suburb of Chicago) were promoting this as Groth product, extrapolating the teaser hint about the 100 point Parker producer. Indeed, the Groth 1985 Reserve Cabernet was the first California wine to be so annointed. Whether this is Groth or not, history shows there have been about forty such wines from but about a dozen and a half producers, a fraternity of the most exclusive producers of the most extraordinary wines. In any case, none of their releases would be found at or even near this pricepoint. Hence, even though this might be a shadow of the flagship or namesake label if released under its own brand, its a quality and distinctive wine at a good value offering a high QPR (quality price ratio). 

I almost don't want to release this before I go back and buy more before it is gone.

The negotiant's notes say "Dark black core with kiss of magenta at the rim. The youthful aromatics open up with dusty loam and blackberry fruit that give way to a very compelling and very pure blueberry essence. Hints of plum and rose petal shimmer in the background. The purity of expression at this stage is very exciting (the wine was bottled in late August 2013, so it’s just now emerging from bottle shock). Silky smooth, delivering highly polished textures across the palate, with bands of black currant and plum swirling about a densely packed mid-palate. Excellent length and depth, but the ultimate expression here is one of silky complexity, beautiful proportion, and balanced elegance. Classy juice."

I found this wine extremely vibrant and expressive, initially hot from alcohol - it needs to be decanted and left for an hour to open and settle to reveal its true nature and potential. Lively forward boysenberry and currant give way to a layer of caramel and hints of vanilla mocha on the long sinewy silky smooth gripping tannin finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1778513

http://chwine.com/

http://www.savwaywines.com/

WCC Family Dinner Features Cellar Select Birthyear Wines

WCC Family Dinner Features Cellar Select Birthyear Wines

For an impromptu family dinner celebrating two of three of Bill and Beth C's son's being home for a weekend/evening, we were honored to join in the special festive occasion. Beth was preparing lasagna so Bill and I chose some hearty wines that also happened to represent the boy's birthyears. Bill pulled out a magnum of 1989 Silver Oak Alexander Valley. I had contributed earlier a 1984 vintage Barolo picked up on a trip to Europe, waiting for a suitable occasion to feature that vintage. Ironically, I also brought another 1989 vintage wine, this from Benziger Family winery in Sonoma, ironic since Bill had already opened a bottle of Benziger for predinner tasting. 

Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1989

Served from a magnum, this was medium bodied with dark blackish purple color. Bill's notes from Cellartracker, "Plenty of fruit left in this but not much backbone. Was pleasantly surprised that this was still in OK shape. Medium purple color showed no signs of age. Took about an hour after decanting for the nose to reveal perfume and floral notes. Reminiscent of cherry and raspberry on the palate with a touch of oak but the tannins are gone, making this a bit thin."

WCC 86 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=41259

http://www.silveroak.com/

Benziger Family Winery Imagery Series Cabernet Franc 1989
There are several wines producers that offer artist label series, wines with a different label each vintage featuring original artwork from an artist, or more typically, each vintage featuring a different artist's work of art adorning the label. The most famous of these of course is Chateau Mouton Rothshild, one of the world's most noted wines. Their labels feature original artwork by world class artists produced specifically to adorn their signature vintage of Mouton Rothschild first growth Bordeaux. They are so distinctive that even empty or past drinking window bottles become collector's items in their own right. I've had fun over the years collecting or seeking out each vintage of Mouton's and have an image library of their famous line of labels in my wine Mouton wine label library on unwindwine.com.

This is not an attempt to compare Benziger wine to Mouton Rothschild in any sense other than the concept of an artist series of wine labels.

In the case of Benziger, their Imagery Series is an artist series of wines that feature artwork by a named artist adorning the label. Benziger then feature a special bottling of wine from a named grower and featured winemaker (s) with each bottle of the limited bottling is individually numbered. This bottling features 1989 Alexander Valley Cabernet Franc from Blue Rock Vineyards, and was crafted by Benziger winemakers and friends Bob Goyette and Bruce Rector.

The Imagery Series was created to offset Benziger's wines produced from their Glen Ellen estate with lot of specially crafted wines from boutique or varied producers who might otherwise sell their wines to be private labeled or blended into other larger production wines.

At twenty-five years of age, it was time to open this wine, on this occasion, it was serendipitously a birthyear tribute to Matt and Molly who were with home for the weekend and joining us for dinner for a gala family dinner.

Medium bodied with garnet rust color, this opened initially a bit lean and astringent but over the course of the evening revealed more and more black cherry fruit accented by spice, cigar box and hint of  earthy leather on the finish.

RM 87 points.

How ironic that I pulled this Benziger Family bottle from the cellar for Beth's lasagna dinner to find Bill had opened and was serving a Benziger Family selection for before dinner.

We visited the Benziger Family estate in Sonoma Valley Bill and Beth C during our Sonoma Valley Wine Experience back in 2008.  I had this 1989 vintage bottle in the cellar having purchased it at auction over the years. So it was fitting to bring a Benziger 89 for a family dinner with 89 birthyear son Matt visiting from out of state.

Benziger Family Winery Sonoma Valley Appellation Series Syrah 2009

Bill had already opened this and was serving it when we arrived so it was serendipitous that I brought another Benziger, notable in that we visited the estate together during our Benziger Family Winery - Sonoma Valley Visit in the Autumn '09. 

Bill's notes - "Popped and poured. Found this to be a bit flat and one dimensional with a focus on light fruit flavors...blueberry, blackberry. Expected more spi

This really opened with time and in many ways was the surprise of the evening by virtue of its improvement and value. Some white pepper became evident on the palate. The nose became highly floral and the fruit blossomed. Nice bottle of wine.
ce but it was lacking. Will see if this opens with another hour or so.

WCC 85 points.

I found it dark purple colored, medium bodied, a bit lean with a moderate black berry fruit accented by tones of white pepper with hints of spice.

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1482609

http://www.benziger.com/

Abbazia Barolo 1984

I purchased this bottle in a little neighborhood wine shop in London near Oxford Street and Ware Road back in the late 1980's. It had been lying down in our cellar for over two decades. With my penchant for having wines for special occasions and having kids born in three different years in the first half of the 80's decade, I presumed we'd have one of their friends from this vintage year to toast at some point.

With our wine collecting and tasting with dear friends the Connolly's becoming increasingly commonplace over the ensuing years, it was only fitting to bequeath this bottle to them as its the birthyear of their middle son, Drew. It was only a matter of time we'd likley end up drinking it for some occasion. With the bottle aging it was due and Bill pulled it when tonight's family dinner came together with Drew and Matt being in town from Tennessee. 

While this was lean and a bit austere, it had more life in it than I expected. Garnet colored, medium bodied, the nose was muted but after an hour or so the black cherry and cherry flavors emerged and predominated over a layer of leather, dry earth and hints of minty anise on a rather tight finish.

RM 85 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1791877

Mollydooker 'Carnival of Love' Shiraz 2011

Mollydooker 'Carnival of Love' McLaren Vale Shiraz 2011

You gotta love our Aussie friends and their sense of humour. 'Mollydooker' is the Aussie term afforded what in America we would call a 'southpaw' or a left handed person. Mollydooker are Sara and Sparky Marquis, the husband and wife winemaking team who happen to both be 'lefties'. They emerged on the American wine scene with Marquis Phillips and their whimsical 'Roogle' or half kangaroo half eagle character for the Australia - American joint venture with their US distribution partnership back around the turn of the century.

We still hold and savor several cases of a vertical collection of their early releases of 'S2' Cabernet and '9' Shiraz, as well as a few coveted bottle of their 'Integrity' flagship that Robert Parker awarded 99 points that put them on the map.

After several successful releases, they set off on their own and never looked back and have developed an extensive brand and line-up of labels, all with whimsical names and colorful cartoon characters (see select library below - a more complete library is on our winesite Aussie 'M' Mollydooker label library). Aside their flagship 'Velvet Glove' Shiraz which nears $200, their two premium labels in the $80 range are this one, and 'Enchanted Path', a Shiraz and Cabernet blend. Their line includes an extensive collection from an entry level Shiraz to Cabernet, Cabernet-Shiraz blends, Merlot - even a sparkling Shiraz.

The story of these wines according to the winemaker is: "Our whole family is involved in making our wines, and all the wonderful people who drink them become our friends, so we named this wine Carnival of Love, because the wines bring us together. If you look closely you will notice that the Lefty characters are all included in the label and when you join the Carnival of Love and the Enchanted Path together, the two labels form one beautiful continuous love story."

At these price points, these are not every day wines for us ordinary folks, but wines for special occasions. 'Carnival of Love' has become one of our family tradition wines which we serve at wife Linda's and family birthday parties, since Linda is a Lefty, and we happen to have three family birthdays in the span of several weeks. Hence, its that time of year so we picked up and opened the 2011 vintage of Carnival, as Linda loves these big opulent forward Shiraz' as much or even more than I do.

They continually win high acclaim with Carnival receiving 95-ish ratings consistently over the last five years; 2010, RP95, WS94, 2009; WS94, RP93, 2008; WS94, 2007; RP96, WS95, 2006; RP97, WS95.

This 2011 continues with a big powerful concentrated, dense, deep and complex wine, black inky purple in color, with super ripe blackberry and raspberry and layer of blueberry flavors that are a bit over the top for my preference, almost being raisiny and hint of herbs in their concentration, with tones of spicy cinnamon and clove, and hints of creme de cassis, mocha and black pepper on the smooth lingering sinewy tannin finish.  This is not for the faint hearted and needs a big steak, bold cheeses or dark chocolate to offset its in-your-face power.
 
RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1436687

http://www.mollydookerwines.com.au/


Some of the other Mollydooker labels ....

Mollydooker 'Scooter' Merlot

Mollydooker 'The Violinist' Verdehlo

Mollydooker Maitre'd
Cabernet Sauvignon

Mollydooker Two Left Feet

.... and one of our favorites, Blue Eye'd Boy, which we typically serve at blue-eye'd son Alec's home visits or birthdays, (when we're not serving Lewis Cellars 'Alec's Blend').

See more Mollydooker labels on unwindwine blogspot.

Snowden Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

Snowden Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

We met Scott Snowden during one of our first Napa Valley excursions back in the mid-nineties. It was shortly after Snowden was featured in the Wine Spectator "A Dozen to Watch" chronicling twelve emerging hot producers of Napa Valley wines. He was a lawyer and former judge before taking over the family wine business with his brother Randy and their wives. Their father had acquired the Napa Valley property to move his family out of the congestion of city life in Oakland where he was a professor at U Cal at the time.

Over the ensuring years we met with and featured each one of the twelve in our Napa Wine Experience dinners and tastings. On this day, we met Randy at Brix Restaurant and tasted his wines over lunch. Over the following years we collected Snowden Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon including this 2000 vintage offering. We still hold in our cellar a vertical of vintages of Snowden dating back to their early 1993 vintage.

I recall hearing him recounting his story of the design of their unique label design by his wife Joanne Ortega Snowden, whom if I recall correctly, also designed the labels for Marilyn Merlot at that time.

Tonight we enjoyed Snowden at home over a perfectly matched dinner of T-bone steak, rice pilaf, and asparagus spears.

Eric Snowden and all the recent press about his betrayal of our government aside, there is no connection between him and Scott or his brother Randy of Napa Valley wine fame.

The Snowden was dark ruby colored, starting to show a tinge of brownish rust color, however it didn't reveal any diminution of its bright vibrant cherry, currant and berry fruits, accented by a layer of eucalyptus before giving way to leather and earth with tones of anise on the tangy tight tannin finish.

RM 90 points.

Cellartracker listed the drinking window of this vintage through 2012 and based on tonight's tasting I revised it to 2016. My records show we still have two more bottles and I'm not feeling rushed to consume them. In fact, we still hold four older vintages and I chose this one tonight based on it having the 'expired' drinking window.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=220837

http://www.snowdenvineyards.com/

Ghost Pines Red Blend 2011 - the 'un-terroir' wine

Ghost Pines Red Blend 2011 - the 'un-terroir' wine

This is an eclectic blend from a variety of grapes from a diversity of locations across California. By design, the philosophy for Ghost Pine's wines is to allow the winemaker to "enjoy (s) the freedom to choose the best grapes he can find, regardless of AVA. Inspired by the free-form character of its namesake tree, Ghost Pines embodies the progressive spirit of California winemaking – “excellence has no boundaries.”'

This is the opposite of the concept of terroir, that sense of place associated with the grapes from a particular vineyard and its distinctive combination of climate, micro-climate, soil, terrain, sun, drainage - all the elements that contribute to the character of grapes from specific place. In fact it takes that sense of place and multiplies it times three, four, five or more. And then take all of that times four or five different grape varietals that are in the composition for this wine. The result is a big complex flavorful wine.

Ghost Pines is named for a historic vineyard purchased in 1964 by Napa’s historic Louis M. Martini Winery. Ironically, they then go against all the heritage or sense of that vineyard and emphasize their approach to produces unique wines by giving Winemaker Michael Eddy 'the freedom to choose the best grapes he can find, regardless of AVA (appellation of designated place where grapes are grown with common characteristics).

Wine folks refer to 'old world' and 'new world' wines - the old world being wine regions that have been producing wines for centuries; France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, as compared to new world where wines have been produced for years ... or perhaps decades; Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Austrailia, New Zealand, .... America. Ghost Pines would be the epitomy of new world thinking.

While old world wines may be 'narrow' and perhaps uninspiring, those producers have become masters at getting the absolute most out of their particular 'patch' of ground that is their vineyard. This includes learning over time precisely which grapes (varietals) grow best in that place, and best reflect through their output that sense of place - terroir. As such, they'll also select grapes that compliment each other and go best together as in combination to provide the best results in the blend. One grape for depth, one for breadth, one for increased structure, and complementary flavors.

At the end of the day, lets never forget, its all grape juice!

Those with discriminating palates that have the experience and discernment to parse all the elements and characteristics of a wine so as to even detect that sense of terroir, or the nuances of the different grapes in the blend, let alone the effects of the particular vintage, appreciate comparing one vintage of an Estate wine to the next. Indeed, Estate bottled means that the grapes in that bottle were grown on the property of the producer as identifed on the label.

The French famously put on their labels (left) "Mis En Bouteille au Château", roughly translated as bottled at the Chateau or Estate or property. Adding the words "Appellation Original Controllee", (AOC) go further to certify that that wine conforms to rigorous controls over the grapes, their origin within the Appellation, and how the wine was produced. In Italy, the similarly equivalent references are DOC and DOCG (Denominazione di origine controllata - "Controlled designation of origin") that are the controls that enforce the quality of the wine in a particular area or appellation.


All this said, Ghost Pines is the result of free-form selection of grapes from many locales, from many varietals, blended together into their wines. This is the case in bulk wine, oft called 'jug wines', but in this case, they're striving for 'contemporary' quality wine from the same approach.


The result is not necessarily sophisticated, polished, harmonious or 'integrated', all words that might describe how well the different components of the blend complement each other, it is complex, perhaps to a fault. But then again, its a $15 wine, that no man's land between 'jug' wine and a Meritage (trademarked branding for a Bordeaux blend composition in a non-Bordeaux sourced wine - the Bordeaux varietals being Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) or Bordeaux or other AOC wine.

By their own pronouncements they profess, "When our winemakers think about how to make a great wine, they start in the vineyard. And that vineyard has no boundaries. It may begin in northern Napa and end on the hillsides of Sonoma. It might stretch across mountains and valleys to Lodi in San Joaquin or meander down the Pacific Coast to Monterey. When the barriers of traditional appellations are lifted, a progressive group of winemakers sees no limit to the kind of wine they can make. Those winemakers, led by Ghost  Pines Vintner Michael Eddy, are turning out remarkable wines that blend the best of California's diverse appellations." 

In addition to this Red Blend, Ghost Pines also produce a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel and a Chardonnay.

You be the judge. Its all in the eye of the beholder. I think in the end, they produce a wine that provides high QPR - Quality Price Ratio, and perhaps that is what is most important to the consumer anyway. While not true to appellation conventions, look for Ghost Pines for imaginative, bold and interesting wines.

Even the producer speaks to a Dr Jekyll, Mr Hyde combination in the blend of grapes used for this wine. "The Ghost Pines 2011 Red Blend showcases the complexity and balance that the right combination of the right grapes can achieve. The Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in this blend act as the stoic Dr. Jekyll, while the Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Sangiovese are a classic Hyde: assertive, aggressive and maybe even a little disturbed."

The winemakers' notes for this wine describe, "Aromas of blueberry and blackberry pie are framed nicely by salted caramel, spice and truffle notes. Rich and full-bodied, this blend offers chewy tannins and a long, luscious finish."

I found this wine dark purple colored, full bodied, complex aromas and flavors of black and blue berry fruits, tones of cherry, graphite, spice and tea with a tight edge on the firm tannins lingering on the finish.

RM 87 points.

The blend is 48% Petite Sirah, 21% Zinfandel, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 9% Other.
The grapes are sourced from 56% Sonoma County, 23% San Joaquin County, and 21% from Napa County.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1591550

http://www.ghostpines.com/

Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio 2011

Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio 2011

Readers of this blog know we're big fans of 'big' full throttle forward fruit filled wines such as Australia Shiraz and California Cabernet Sauvignons. Next to Bordeaux, these are the next two largest regions in our cellar that together comprise sixty percent of our collection. The only Spanish wine out of the thousand plus selections is this one, which we collect annually. Ironically it's thirty percent Cabernet Sauvignon and is the result of collaboration between the Spanish Gil family and Australian Chris Ringland, producer of big Aussie Syrahs (Shiraz). Clio is 70% old vine Monastrell and 30% Cabernet grown in the Valle de la Aragona in the Jumilla appellation of eastern Spain. It is barrel-aged for 22-26 months in French and American oak. So it's not surprising perhaps that we love this wine. We're drinking this 2011 current vintage release rather than our earlier or earliest vintages as we normally would to see how we like it to judge whether we should buy more. It good and enjoyable but not as delectable as some of its higher rated vintages. We'll gather a few more to maintain our 'vertical' collection to taste and compare over the decade or so. 

Looking back over the last half decade, Clio has consistently received 90+ ratings from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: 2003 - 96 points; 2004 - 97 points; 2005 - 95 points; 2006 - 95 points; 2007 - 94 points, 2008 - 94 points, 2009 - 90 points. Our rating for the 2009 was 91 points. 


This 2011 Clio once again is big, full bodied, concentrated forward fruit flavored wine. Dark garnet colored, less polished than some recent vintages with a slight 'tinny' edge, the dark black and red berry fruits give way to cassis, anise, and a layer of expresso with moderate acidity, medium plus tannins and high alcohol on a long full finish.

 RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1721431

http://www.orowines.com/

Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Chicago 2014

Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGC) 2011 Vintage Release Tasting Chicago


The annual North American tour of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGC) producers introducing their 2011 vintage release was complicated by the blizzard that hit the eastern seaboard closing airports and disrupting over two thousand commercial airline flights. Many producers were stuck in New York or in connecting cities, trying to get to the next stop, our tasting in Chicago. 

This outstanding event offers a rare opportunity to meet the producers and actual winemakers as well as to taste their latest Bordeaux release. They have so much knowledge and insight they can offer great perspectives on the historic vintages as well as the nuances of the current release. 

This years event  resulted in more than we bargained for with the disruptions caused by the storm. 

We had volunteered to work the event but when we arrived at the classic Drake Hotel, where Chicago's gold coast meets Lake Shore Drive, we learned that as many as 35 of the Bordeaux producers were missing in action. Eighteen were scheduled to arrive at ORD (Chicago O'hare airport) at 1pm, past the start time of the tasting, leaving close to twenty somewhere 'in our great country' as noted in an email alert from the UGC logistics staff. Hence we were called to duty to serve, literally as well as figuratively, pouring the wines in place of the displaced producers. 

The impromptu serving team consisted of myself and wine buddies Bill C and Lyle F, Dean and Justin of the soon to be renamed Wine Shop in Evanston who had arranged for our conscription, John Hames and Diane Meyer of the American Wine Society, who had braved the midwest storms to drive up from Dayton, Ohio that morning, and a half dozen Binny's staffers culled from the local stores at the last minute. Like last year, the evening public tasting is sponsored by Binny's while the day session is for the trade and press.

Dean Noonan, Diane Meyer, John Hames, Rick
Diane standing in for Troplong Mondot

When the doors opened, no less than eighteen producers' stations were manned by stand-ins with several of us filling in two adjacent stations each. Rather than meeting the winemakers of Chateaus Gruaud Larose and Lagrange, (which we eventually did) to learn their perspectives on the latest release, I was standing in for them, prompting me to text my wine fraternity, "POURING Gruaud Larose at UGC Chicago". 

For close to two hours I was living a fantasy representing several of my cellar vertical selection wines, Gruaud Larose, Chateau LaGrange, Leoville Barton, rubbing elbows with the Directors of Chateau Branaire Ducru, Beychevelle and others. Bill C, upon learning our call to duty bolted for Pauillac and landed the role to pour our heralded favorite Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtess de Lalande. Lyle was serving Leoville Barton and Langoa Barton while Dean and Chris supported the depleted Margaux representatives, and others scattered about the room to fill in where needed. 

Aymar De Baillenx,
General Manager Chateau Beychevelle

Our segment of the wine universe gradually returned to order as the producers filtered in to the room throughout the afternoon, many breathlessly recounting adventures of planes, trains and automobiles in our winter storms.

How fitting perhaps that another weather complication added to what had already proven to be a challenging 2011 vintage. The 2011 season started with a hot, dry spring followed by a excessively hot and dry June that threatened some of the vines. July was cooler and brought some rain, August was cooler than normal but saw some heat spikes and spots of rain. Finally, September returned to more idealic conditions enabling the grapes to ripen but due to the uneven heat in July and August the ripening was uneven and some of the fruit lacked richness and body.

On the heels of two spectacular years, 2009 and 2010, widely hailed as among the greatest back to back vintages for the region, the market was still basking in near recent successes of 2005 and 2000. Several producers have placed 2011 below the great vintages of  2000, 2005, 2009 and 2010, but above 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.

'Pour boys', Lyle, Bill, Rick with UCG Oliver Bernard
and Frank Kronthal

The impact of the weather seemed to be inconsistent across the region with some affected more than others. As a classic region of the 'old world', Bordeaux producers have been dealing with the challenges of the harvest for centuries and have mastered how to wring the best product from the most challenging conditions.

Many of the wines were very good, meeting expectations of their brand, however a few  seemed a bit 'flabby', lacking the depth and concentration in the fruit, or with a tone of astringency in the tannins. The lesson is to taste or read up on the experiences of others before you invest in the vintage for collecting or holding more than a bottle or two for dinner or a tasting.

Dean standing in for
Malescot-St-Exupery

All in all, it should prove to be a good and respectable vintage with the highs not being as high, but the lows not being so low, as more polarized years. Hopefully, for us consumers, prices will fall back from the meteoric levels from the recent extraordinary years. 

If you happen to be a selective buyer/collector with finite resources, like me, I therefore focus on a select targeted set of labels, and invest in years of significance such as birth and anniversary years (see my Collecting feature in Wine Spectator - noted for my collection of birthyear wines for my kid's birthyears). If 2011 is a target year, there should be Bordeaux in your horizontal collection as it hopefully will provide good value, but be careful in your selections.

Due to our service for the first half of the event, our sampling was limited to a select targeted list of labels. 

Below are some highlights of the tasting results.
 
Pauillac showed well and met expectations of the appellation. 

Bill with representative
from Pichon Lalande

Château Lynch Bages - Dark inky purple in color with full body, aromas and flavors of black berry, currant and plum fruits with tones of cassis and spice with a layer of supple tannins on a lingering finish. RM 92. One of our favorites, we hold this wine dating back to the 1985 vintage as a one of our children's birthyear wine of which we're holding a 3L double magnum for a special occasion.
Blend Cabernet Sauvignon 72%, Merlot 20%, Cabernet Franc 5%, Petit Verdot 2%.

Château Pichon Longueville Baron - Dark purple, full bodied, concentrated black fruits with tones of cassis with a long chewy tannin finish. RM 92
We hold this wine dating back to the 1985 vintage as a one of our children's birthyear wine of which we're holding a 6L Imperial for a special occasion.
Blend Cabernet Sauvignon 62%, Merlot 33%, Cabernet Franc 3%, Petit Verdot 2%.

Château Pichon Lalande -  Dark garnet colored, full bodied, a bit tighter with concentrated black fruits, hints of graphite, tobacco, tea and spice on a balanced, integrated tannin finish. RM 91.
One of our favorites, we still hold this wine dating back to the 1978 vintage.
Blend Cabernet Sauvignon 55%, Merlot 35%, Cabernet Franc 5%, Petit Verdot 5%.

Jean-Rene Matignon
Technical Director of
Pichon Longueville Baron

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste - Dark purple, full bodied, fragrant red and black fruits with moderate silky tannins on lingering finish. RM 90.

Château Clerc Milon - Dark colored, full bodied, balanced black berry fruits with moderate tannins. RM 89. We hold this wine going to back to the eighties with some still as yet unopened wood cases.
Blend Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Merlot 36%, Cabernet Franc 11%, Petit Verdot 2%, Caremene're 1%.

Château d'Armailhac — Dark colored, medium to full bodied, black fruits with hints of cassis on a nicely integrated tannins finish. RM 89. I preferred the Clerc Milon while Bill C preferred the d'Armailhac.

St Estephe -

Château Phelan Segur - Dark garnet colored, full bodied, black berry and black cherry fruits with tones of black tea on a spicy smooth tannin finish. Blend of 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. RM 91.

The Margaux appellation appeared to have fared well with standouts being:

Dominique Befve, Lascombes GM
and Bill C

Château Lascombes — Medium bodied, smooth and polished with nicely balanced complex raspberry and berry fruits that exuded a ripe sweetness with silky tannins on the lingering finish. Rating: 91

Château Malescot Saint-Exupery - Full bodied, dark, concentrated tight core of ripe sweet black fruits with firm tannins on the finish. RM 90

St Julien, generally one of our favorite appellations and certainly the largest Bordeaux holding in our cellar, the 2011's seemed to reflect some of the challenges of the season with several offerings showing a slight astringency or moderation of complexity and intensity in the fruit. 

Patrick Maroteaux, Olivier Bernard,
David Launay, Rick

Château Branaire Ducru - Dark purple colored, medium bodied, a full fragrant bouquet reveals concentrated core of sweet, ripe, berry fruit due to the low yields, around 18% below 2010 with fine silky tannins on the finish. RM 89
Blend Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Merlot 22%, Cabernet Franc 5%, Petit Verdot 3%.  
It was a pleasure meeting and speaking with Co-owner Patrick Maroteaux who was very generous in sharing perspectives on the vintage year.

Château Gruaud Larose - Dark purple, medium bodied, sweet, black berry, black currant and cherry fruits, hints of tobacco and tea with slightly astringent tannins in the finish. RM 89
One of our favorites, we hold this wine dating back to the 1982 vintage as a one of our children's birthyear wine of which we're still holding a vertical of magnums for all four of their birthyears plus a 3L double magnums for some special occasions. Once again, this year, it was a pleasure meeting and speaking with winemaker David Launay.

Château Lagrange - Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, black berry and plum fruits with somewhat astringent tannins on the finish. RM 88

Château Leoville Barton — Dark purple colored, medium bodied, firm concentrated black berry fruits, hints of tobacco, cedar and leather on a firm tannin finish. RM 90.

Philippine Bignon
Chateau Talbot

Château Talbot - Dark purple, full-bodied with black fruits turning to a layer of cassis and hint of tobacco on a smooth tannin finish. RM 89. 
We hold this wine going back to the eighties. Speaking with Philippine Bignon, I asked about the Cordier connection and relationship to Chateaus Gruaud Larose and Meyney which used to use the Cordier branding. Cordier was her grandfather and the firm seold off those other properties. The family retains Château Talbot as the flagship, named for the birthplace, and resting place of her grandfather. 

Château Beychevelle — Dark purple colored, medium bodied, sweet black raspberry and berry fruits with firm tight tannins and bright acidity. RM 88.

Château Langoa Barton - Dark ruby purple colored, medium bodied, tight core of blackberry, black currant and black cherry sauce flavors turning to a layer of tea, tobacco and leather with a somewhat austere, astringently tannic finish. RM 87


Pessac-Leognan

Two generations of Bernards
of Domaine de Chevalier

Château Domaine de Chevalier — Dark inky purple, medium bodied, black currant and plum fruits with firm smooth tannins. RM 90 

Its always fun meeting and speaking with the personable Olivier Bernard, patriarch of the property and president of the UGC. Our write-up of last year's event talked of reminiscences with Oliver Bernard and his gala wine dinner co-hosted here in Chicago with Darioush. We continue to collect this wine with our selection going back to the early nineties. This year it was pleasure to meet his son who is also involved in the business.


Right bank  - Several seemed especially sweet, perhaps due to increased hang times to achieve full ripeness. Several top ranked well known right bank showed well with a few stand-outs:

St Emilion

Château Canon - Medium bodied, floral aromas with sweet red and black raspberry fruit accented with tones of kirsch and tobacco leaf with silky soft tannins on the smooth finish.  

Blend of 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 13.55% alcohol, aged in 70% new oak.  

RM 91Points

My earliest recollection of  Château Canon was from the 1983 vintage which I still remember as being a highlight of my holdings from that vintage back then.

Château Troplong Mondot

Medium to full bodied, complex ripe sweet black raspberry, black cherry and berry fruits with tones of spice, black tea and hint of dark chocolate with soft tannins on the smooth lingering finish. Blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, 14.5% alcohol.
RM 92 points.

Château Trotte Vieille

New label discovery of the event - owned by the négociant house Borie-Manoux since 1949, the company that also owns Château Batailley in Pauillac and Château Beau Site in St-Estèphe. Trotte Vieille (the trotting old lady) refers to the legend of an old woman who lived on the property in the 18th century. Her house was at the junction of two roads where the carriage stopped. Every time the carriage stopped outside, she trotted out to get the latest news. The property is located on the plateau east of St-Emilion and the 10-hectare walled vineyard is planted with Merlot (50%), Cabernet Franc (45%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (5%). Its vineyards contain a rare plot of pre-phylloxera vines.

Dark ruby colored, full bodied, firm full black berry, black currant fruits that turn to the spicy oak on the firm tannin finish. The unique blend is 50% Merlot, Cabernet Franc 48%, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. RM 90 point.

http://www.trottevieille.com/

Château Figeac — Dark ruby colored, medium bodied, tones of black currant, black berry with hints of anise and spice with smooth silky tannnins on the finish. 

RM 92

Readers of this blog may recall that Château Figeac is one of the signature wines in my collection commemorating #1 son Ryan's birth-year, 1982. We still hold a few remaining 1982's which we pull out for special occasions. It remains one of our benchmarks for comparison across the vintage years.


Pomerol 

Château La Conseillante -  Dark inky purple colored, medium bodied, floral aromas with full concentrated flavors of sweet ripe black berry and black raspberry with hints of coffee and spice with smooth silky tannins. Blend of 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc. RM 92

I first discovered this wine when in a tasting in New York City back in the eighties when I acquired a case of the 1983 vintage. I still fondly remember that wine and regret having consumed it too early without holding at least a few bottles to observe how they aged.







Sauterne showed well with several strong features:

Château Suduiraut -  Medium bodied, aromatic bouquet and flavors of citrus lemon and mineral turning to unctuous apricot and quince on a full finish. RM 92

Château Guiraud - Medium bodied, delicate apricot with hints of citrus and mineral on the soft refined finish. RM 90

Still in progress ... more to come ....