The Thursday night tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton had us tasting Right Bank Bordeaux vintages 2005 to 2009. All wines originated from Pomerol. Kind of. Except for one. George, the wine shop owner, was short one Right Bank wine for this vintage range, so he chose a Left Bank wine with the highest percentage of Merlot. He knows how to improvise.
Wines from the Right Bank are predominantly Merlot with varying amounts of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Amounts vary by vintage, depending on the growing season. The maritime influence on the climate of Pomerol is similar to that of the rest of Bordeaux, except that Pomerol is further from the ocean and therefore has a greater diurnal temperature fluctuation. Rainy spring weather is more common here and can be problematic during flowering, but weather late in the growing season tends to be drier.
Vineyards in Pomerol tend to be much smaller that those on the Left Bank of Bordeaux. As a result, production is reduced and prices can be high for well-regarded wines. Pomerol lacks the formal classification system put in place on the Left Bank of Bordeaux in 1855. That is not to say wines from Pomerol are not highly regarded. Think Château Petrus and Château Le Pin.
On to the tasting.
2005 Château Forcas Hosten – this Left Bank Bordeaux from Listrac had a complex nose, flavors of dark wood, spices and tobacco. Tannins were significant, but smooth and the finish was moderately long. This wine is 50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. To my taste, the tobacco flavors and tannins structure are reflective of the Cabernet Sauvignon in this wine. Very nice.
2006 Château Beauregard – the nose was fruit-forward with flavors of bright, red fruit. Tannins were significant and grippy. The finish was dominated by tannins and the fruit flavors were overwhelmed. The fruit flavors were a bit more evident with time in the glass. This wine may benefit from decanting. Maybe with time in the cellar the tannins in this wine will settle down and the fruit can shine through. This 17 hectare (43 acre) estate is planted in 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. The average age of the vines is 35 years.
2007 Blason de L’Evangile – there was a lot of everything in this wine. The nose was obviously fruit with a bit of cedar. Red fruit and cherry flavors with significant, grippy tannins and great acid produced a well-balanced wine. The significant tannins do not overwhelm the fruit flavors and produced a moderately long finish. This second label of Chateau L’Evangile is 70-80% Merlot and 30-40% Cabernet Franc. This was the favorite wine of the night.
2008 Château La Croix de Gay – the nose was a pleasant mix of fruit, mint and vegetal scents. Dark ripe fruit, nutmeg and cloves produced a complex flavor with very significant but very smooth tannins. The finish was long with both flavors and tannins. Although the tannins were significant, there was no bitterness in the finish. The estate is 12 hectares (29 acres) planted 90% Merlot, 5% each Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. This was my favorite wine of the group.
2009 Château La Croix de Gay – dark fruit, ripe cherries, plum flavors without the vegetal scents of the prior wine. Significant tannins and a long finish with both fruit and tannins. I detected a bit of vanilla in the background to complete the complex flavor profile. This was Pete’s favorite wine.
As a group, these wines exhibited bright, complex fruit flavors. Tannins were significant, sometimes grippy, sometimes smooth, never bitter. Overall, a really pleasant tasting group of wines. Tonight the flavors were about fruit. Last week the predominant flavors were cocoa, coffee and tobacco.
With regard to aging these wines or drinking them now, most taste good now. Some may improve with time, but who knows how much. As a group these wines are not as muscular, with fewer rough edges than the Left Bank group. With the exception of the Château Beauregard, which might benefit from further aging, all of the Right Bank wines tasted good now. These are the wines to drink while you are waiting for your Left Bank Bordeaux to age to perfection.
The less-favored vintage of 2007 tasted very good to our group on this night. Clearly the winemaker did an excellent job with a difficult vintage.
Next week we will be tasting wines from Chile. We will taste wines within a wide price range. Will the “big bucks” matter?
Cheers!
