This week we moved to Pauillac which is located between St. Julien and St. Estephe and is considered by many to produce the best wines in Bordeaux. Three of the five classified first growths are in Pauillac, Château Lafite, Château Latour and Château Mouton-Rothschild. There are also fifteen additional classified vineyards in this appellation. The wines are generally bigger and more tannic with great acidity which allows them to be aged for many years. We only tasted four wines this week as they tend to be more expensive.
Before the tasting started, though, we had a little treat. Leslie brought a Ricotta Torta she had made from a recipe she picked up on a trip to Umbria. George decided we needed some wine to drink with it so he opened a bottle of the 2009 Grand Bateau, a Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon blend we had back in the third Bordeaux tasting in February. It went very well with the torta and got us ready for the rest of the wines.
The fifth growth 2008 Chateau Clerc-Milon was a dark ruby color with a dark fruit and smokey nose. The flavors were dark fruit and tobacco with moderate tannins. This wine was very pleasant to drink now and should evolve over the next several years. This was the second favorite wine of the group.
Next we had the 2008 Lacoste-Borie which is the second wine of Grand Puy Lacoste. Dark ruby with a complex floral and dark fruit nose and flavors of dark fruit, tobacco and a little vanilla. The tannins were significant and grippy and there was good acidity. With the complex nose and flavors this was the clear favorite of the group.
Our third wine was the 2008 Chateau d’Armailhac, a fifth growth. Like the previous wines the color was a dark ruby. The nose was closed but there were complex flavors of dark fruit and spices. With the grippy tannins, good acid and complex flavors with a light body, this would be a good wine to cellar and try in a few more years.
The last wine for the evening was the 2008 Chateau Lynch-Bages, another fifth growth. There was dark fruit and licorice on the nose of this dark ruby colored wine. Complex dark fruit and spice flavors with plenty of tannins. There was a nice long finish with plenty of flavor and tannins. This wine would do well to cellar for a few more years.
Overall these wines wine more intense and tannic than the other areas we tasted from Bordeaux this year. They were all good wines that you can keep around for a few years if you want to.
