Another six wines from Bordeaux to taste this week. One white (from the 2009 vintage), where the grapes could be from anywhere in Bordeaux and five reds, most from the right bank and one from the left bank. Why is it important which bank they come from?
Let me digress for a minute, my questions is always, what do you mean by left? Looking upstream or looking downstream? In Bordeaux, left is the south bank of the Gironde River, so it is left when looking downstream (or out to sea). Red wines from the left bank generally consist of a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon with a little Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and maybe Merlot blended in. On the right bank, particularly in Pomerol and Saint Emilion, where four of these wines come from, the major component will be either Merlot or Cabernet Franc or a combination of the two with possibly a little Cabernet Sauvignon blended in.
Our first wine was the white, the 2009 Grand Bateau was 75% Suavignon Blanc and 25% Semillon. The color was dark yellow. The nose was mainly minerals with just a bit of vegetal notes. The flavors were of minerals and flowers with clean crisp flavors and good acid. The finish was medium long. Many in the group thought the flavors were characteristic of Sauvignon Blanc, but it did lack that grassy nose and flavor that is so characteristic of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in particular. This is a much more pleasant version of most Sauvignon Blanc. The addition of Semillon gives this wine a rounder flavor.
Next, we started on the reds with a 2008 Chateau Poujeaux. While this is a left bank wine from Moulis-en-Medoc, there is a significant amount of Merlot in this wine. It is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 43% Merlot along with 4% Petit Verdot, so it fit in fairly well with the right bank wines we would be tasting. This wine has a dark ruby color and a rich ripe fruit nose, and flavors. The tannins were big, grippy and slightly bitter. There was a bit of smoke flavor along with green pepper. We have really liked this wine over the years, but this year it is not a winner for us. The tannins are a little bitter. Maybe this will change over time as the tannins drop out.
The second wine to taste was the 2008 Chateau de Fonbell, a Grand Cru Classe from St. Emilion. Unlike the left bank where the classification have remained unchanged (with one exception) since 1855, on the right bank they review the classifications every ten years or so. With a dark ruby color and a closed nose, the flavor had a burst of cedar with dark fruit and big grippy tannins. The finish was fairly long.
Third, we tasted the 2008 Chateau Pavie Macquin, another Grand Cru from St. Emilion. The color was very dark ruby with a very evident dark fruit nose. The flavors tasted of ripe cherries with a bit of vanilla. Once again, the tannins were significant and grippy. This wine was more fruit forward than the previous wines, with plenty of tannins, making it likely this wine would age very well.
Next we tasted the 2008 Chateau La Croix de Gay from Pomerol. This was our favorite of the reds. The color was very dark ruby with a stinky nose initially, that blew off to yield tobacco scents. The flavors tasted of ripe dark fruit, plums and a bit vegetal, like green peppers. Tannins were significant, grippy, but a bit smother. The flavors in this wine were more complex with very significant, but pleasant tannins. Most thought this wine would age very well also.
The last wine we tasted was a 2008 Chateau Petit-Village. Like the others it was a dark ruby color. The nose was stinky followed by flavors of ripe dark fruit, vanilla and a bit of mint. There were significant, grippy and drying tannins. The flavors were very complex with very pleasant tannins.
This wine tasting was all about tannins. We tasted bitter tannins, grippy tannins, drying tannins and smooth tannins. I don’t know if George intended this to be a wine tasting about tannins, but these wine provided a great range of tannins. Tannins and complex flavors are a marvelous combination. This Bordeaux tasting gave me just what I was hoping for. Every year, I look forward to tasting these big, complex wines with plenty of tannins. Of the three Bordeaux tastings this year, this group of wines provided the best example of big tannic wines. Yum!
The other thing we really like about wines from Bordeaux is the alcohol level is rarely above 13%. It is so nice to be able to enjoy the flavor and complexity of these wines with a relatively low alcohol level. They pair better with food than high alcohol wines do and you needn’t worry about getting sloshed after one glass of wine! It’s a win-win!
