Scores of Left and Right Bank Chateaux have released their prices on to the eager market place over the last few weeks. Many have been snaffled up.
We have been offering those we most particularly admired and relished from our extensive tastings, the minute they have come out. Gazin and Batailley literally flew out the door and have now sold out all over the world. Our firm favourites both in terms of quality and value, Chasse Spleen, Puy-Blanquet and La Tour Carnet have been released at reasonable prices and we recommend them to you unreservedly
But be prepared ... The next few weeks may get nasty! This has simply been the calm before the storm - no, make that a tornado - which will hit just as soon as the plane loads of Chateaux owners, Brokers, Negociants and Merchants return from Vinexpo Hong Kong this weekend.
The tasting, wining and dining over there this week will have no doubt fuelled the markets' thirst for THE vintage and that, together with the press coverage, hyperbolic quotes and soaring scores means we can be sure the most sought after wines, once released, will be fought over hard, fast and potentially expensively.
Bordeaux is good at this game ... They have us all watching and waiting and I have a feeling a few of the Chateaux owners are rather enjoying themselves!
We will of course keep you posted, but if you want a case of something extraordinary and rather magical this year, be prepared to jump in immediately - Bordeaux will wait for no man this year.
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Tuesday, 1 June 2010
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Last but by no means least, we made our way around the prettier roads of the Right Bank
Thursday 1st April
Last but by no means least, we made our way around the prettier roads of the Right Bank, starting in Libourne at the Moueixs, then on to Pomerol via Chateau Cheval Blanc, and to Chateau Beausejour Becot for the Saint Emilions.
Once again, some exceptional wines to taste - just a bit harder perhaps, more traditionally Primeur in their rawness, but unquestionably special. I could have stayed at the Moueix tasting all day to be honest. Their line up including Chateaux Magdelaine, Belair Monange, Certan de May, Trotanoy, Lafleur a Pomerol and Lafleur Petrus showed poise, balance and a lightness of touch which some others in the later UGC tastings that day perhaps lacked. Their Hosanna is breathtaking. Look out for their Chantallouette Pomerol and Puy Blanquet Saint Emilion - we'll offer these very soon; they're cracking and should offer good value in what will no doubt be an over heated market.
Continuing our belief in the second wines of the Grands Chateau this year, Petit Cheval, little brother of Cheval Blanc, is beautiful - all bouquet and sweet Cabernet Franc - delicious.
The Pomerols did it for me this year - over the Saint Emilions. They were all winners with Chateaux Gazin and Clinet leading the way with supreme style, class and concentration. The Saint Emilion Merlots have soaked up their oak rather quickly and are at this very early stage, massive and a touch flashy - lashings of spice, liquorice and heat; appealing to some maybe, not my bag right now but I feel sure they will calm down over the next couple of years and once bottled will be supremely regal, juicy and exuberant. The charmers for me were Chateaux Figeac, Clos Fourtet, La Dominique, La Gaffeliere, Pavie Macquin and Larcis Ducasse (STAR quality)
Our team trip ended at Pavie - always big powerful wines, this year is no exception. I rather liked them.
I consoled myself at Chateau Ausone once the others left to catch their plane. I felt I'd come full circle in the day, returning to the lightness of touch and quintessence of Merlot we had glimpsed at Moueix, up in the birds nest perch of Ausone where Vaulthier's Chateaux de Fonbel, Moulin St George, Chapelle d'Ausone and Ausone itself are remarkable and oh so very long on the finish.
Black teeth and tired gums today, but still plenty of magic and merlot to die for.
Clare Tooley
Last but by no means least, we made our way around the prettier roads of the Right Bank, starting in Libourne at the Moueixs, then on to Pomerol via Chateau Cheval Blanc, and to Chateau Beausejour Becot for the Saint Emilions.
Once again, some exceptional wines to taste - just a bit harder perhaps, more traditionally Primeur in their rawness, but unquestionably special. I could have stayed at the Moueix tasting all day to be honest. Their line up including Chateaux Magdelaine, Belair Monange, Certan de May, Trotanoy, Lafleur a Pomerol and Lafleur Petrus showed poise, balance and a lightness of touch which some others in the later UGC tastings that day perhaps lacked. Their Hosanna is breathtaking. Look out for their Chantallouette Pomerol and Puy Blanquet Saint Emilion - we'll offer these very soon; they're cracking and should offer good value in what will no doubt be an over heated market.
Continuing our belief in the second wines of the Grands Chateau this year, Petit Cheval, little brother of Cheval Blanc, is beautiful - all bouquet and sweet Cabernet Franc - delicious.
The Pomerols did it for me this year - over the Saint Emilions. They were all winners with Chateaux Gazin and Clinet leading the way with supreme style, class and concentration. The Saint Emilion Merlots have soaked up their oak rather quickly and are at this very early stage, massive and a touch flashy - lashings of spice, liquorice and heat; appealing to some maybe, not my bag right now but I feel sure they will calm down over the next couple of years and once bottled will be supremely regal, juicy and exuberant. The charmers for me were Chateaux Figeac, Clos Fourtet, La Dominique, La Gaffeliere, Pavie Macquin and Larcis Ducasse (STAR quality)
Our team trip ended at Pavie - always big powerful wines, this year is no exception. I rather liked them.
I consoled myself at Chateau Ausone once the others left to catch their plane. I felt I'd come full circle in the day, returning to the lightness of touch and quintessence of Merlot we had glimpsed at Moueix, up in the birds nest perch of Ausone where Vaulthier's Chateaux de Fonbel, Moulin St George, Chapelle d'Ausone and Ausone itself are remarkable and oh so very long on the finish.
Black teeth and tired gums today, but still plenty of magic and merlot to die for.
Clare Tooley
Thursday, 1 April 2010
I am writing this on Thursday - the day after an extraordinary day in the Medoc visiting the stellar caste of individual First Growth and 'Super Second' Chateaux.
I didn't sleep well at all last night - I simply couldn't shut my eyes and close down my mind on what was probably the most enjoyable and fascinating Primeurs tastings I have ever done.
Wines with the WOW factor, exciting, vibrant, gentle giants, pure pleasure, exquisite definition, style, class, elegance ..... I shouldn't go on. It shows a lack of imagination perhaps to use such superlatives - but I'm not the only one. Ask Abi and the team - we were all bowled over, over and over again by what we tasted.
It poured down all day, the roads in the Medoc are flooded, the vineyards awash, a miserable miserable day to be out on the roads. But we ploughed on and what we found at the Chateaux made up for the muddy misery!
We covered Mouton, Lafite, Latour and Margaux. Oh boy - Mouton is a velvet gloved boxer, Lafite a charming powerhouse, Latour a wild and wildly exciting child and Margaux a timeless flawless beauty. We also visited Cos d'Estournel (an exotic dragon), Montrose (elegance in a glass), Leoville Lascases which left us all reeling with the pleasure of it, and Pontet Canet - fresh, classy, vibrant and exciting.
They were all, apart from Montrose, immensely approachable now, generous, giving, textured like velvet, creamy tannins, vibrant fruit.
We were particularly struck by the second wines of the great Chateaux this year - Carruades, Fort de Latour, Dame de Montrose, Pagodes de Cos - we loved them, they stood on their own and sang beautifully.
I will assemble more 'serious' notes next week, but will end this blog by saying yesterday was unique, it has marked me and will remain with me for a very long time. I believe we had a taste of Magic in a Glass.
Clare Tooley
Visit laithwaites.co.uk
Wines with the WOW factor, exciting, vibrant, gentle giants, pure pleasure, exquisite definition, style, class, elegance ..... I shouldn't go on. It shows a lack of imagination perhaps to use such superlatives - but I'm not the only one. Ask Abi and the team - we were all bowled over, over and over again by what we tasted.
It poured down all day, the roads in the Medoc are flooded, the vineyards awash, a miserable miserable day to be out on the roads. But we ploughed on and what we found at the Chateaux made up for the muddy misery!
We covered Mouton, Lafite, Latour and Margaux. Oh boy - Mouton is a velvet gloved boxer, Lafite a charming powerhouse, Latour a wild and wildly exciting child and Margaux a timeless flawless beauty. We also visited Cos d'Estournel (an exotic dragon), Montrose (elegance in a glass), Leoville Lascases which left us all reeling with the pleasure of it, and Pontet Canet - fresh, classy, vibrant and exciting.
They were all, apart from Montrose, immensely approachable now, generous, giving, textured like velvet, creamy tannins, vibrant fruit.
We were particularly struck by the second wines of the great Chateaux this year - Carruades, Fort de Latour, Dame de Montrose, Pagodes de Cos - we loved them, they stood on their own and sang beautifully.
I will assemble more 'serious' notes next week, but will end this blog by saying yesterday was unique, it has marked me and will remain with me for a very long time. I believe we had a taste of Magic in a Glass.
Clare Tooley
Visit laithwaites.co.uk
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
The team blew in from the UK this morning in a gale force storm which has shaken the Medoc all day, drenching the thousands of visitors from around the world who have arrived to taste the long-awaited 2009 vintage wines
Not the best of weather conditions to taste such young wines - no, they don't make us taste them outside (!) - but there are those who believe air pressure, too high or too low, plays a great part in 'dumbing' down or 'troubling' young wines, therefore not allowing them to show at their best ......
It might indeed explain a few of the glaring disappointments from today's tastings which I will not name (yet) in deference to the weather.
However, the majority of the wines I've tasted today have been a real joy and a real pleasure. Seriously classy claret, great definition of individual appellations and Chateaux themselves, worth the hype.
We started right up in Pauillac at Chateau Batailley which hosted this year's Pauillac, St Julien and St Estephes's UGC tasting. No real surprises in the 'stand-out' wines, in no particular order: Gruaud Larose, Lagrange, Langoa Barton, Leoville Baeton (oh so seriously classy!), Leoville Poyferre, Talbot (major crowd-pleaser this year), Clerc Milon, d'Armailhac, Lynch Bages (fabulous), the two Pichons, Lafon Rochet and Phelan Segur ...
Not much there I didn't like actually!
Blown on down to Margaux where as usual there were a few more 'gaps' in quality but also some absolute beauties: Durfort Vivens (not that we're biased), Brane Cantenac, Cantenac Brown, Desmirail, Giscours, Marquis de Terme, and Abi's and my favourite, the wonderfully exuberant and super appealing Kirwan.
The Listrac, Medoc, Moulis tasting, held at Chateau Cantemerle was most definitely a step down however. I was surprisingly hard pushed to get excited over these (hard to believe I know) although Poujeaux, Cantemerle, La Tour Carnet and La Tour de By saved the day.
And finally the unctuously sweet sweeties of Sauternes..... Rieussec is outstanding, truly seriously outstanding, Suduiraut refreshingly classy with hints of apricot and honey, La Tour Blanche ridiculously sweet and Doisy Daene quirkily different.
We have made individual Chateau appointments and are being ushered in to the the cellars of the First Growths and 'Super Seconds' tomorrow - irreverently known as the 'too posh to pour brigade' as they do not show their wines at the general tastings preferring to make their customers trek right up to the cellar door to taste ....
Actually, I can't wait. If today's anything to go by, tomorrow will be a real treat.
Clare Tooley
Visit laithwaites.co.uk
It might indeed explain a few of the glaring disappointments from today's tastings which I will not name (yet) in deference to the weather.
However, the majority of the wines I've tasted today have been a real joy and a real pleasure. Seriously classy claret, great definition of individual appellations and Chateaux themselves, worth the hype.
We started right up in Pauillac at Chateau Batailley which hosted this year's Pauillac, St Julien and St Estephes's UGC tasting. No real surprises in the 'stand-out' wines, in no particular order: Gruaud Larose, Lagrange, Langoa Barton, Leoville Baeton (oh so seriously classy!), Leoville Poyferre, Talbot (major crowd-pleaser this year), Clerc Milon, d'Armailhac, Lynch Bages (fabulous), the two Pichons, Lafon Rochet and Phelan Segur ...
Not much there I didn't like actually!
Blown on down to Margaux where as usual there were a few more 'gaps' in quality but also some absolute beauties: Durfort Vivens (not that we're biased), Brane Cantenac, Cantenac Brown, Desmirail, Giscours, Marquis de Terme, and Abi's and my favourite, the wonderfully exuberant and super appealing Kirwan.
The Listrac, Medoc, Moulis tasting, held at Chateau Cantemerle was most definitely a step down however. I was surprisingly hard pushed to get excited over these (hard to believe I know) although Poujeaux, Cantemerle, La Tour Carnet and La Tour de By saved the day.
And finally the unctuously sweet sweeties of Sauternes..... Rieussec is outstanding, truly seriously outstanding, Suduiraut refreshingly classy with hints of apricot and honey, La Tour Blanche ridiculously sweet and Doisy Daene quirkily different.
We have made individual Chateau appointments and are being ushered in to the the cellars of the First Growths and 'Super Seconds' tomorrow - irreverently known as the 'too posh to pour brigade' as they do not show their wines at the general tastings preferring to make their customers trek right up to the cellar door to taste ....
Actually, I can't wait. If today's anything to go by, tomorrow will be a real treat.
Clare Tooley
Visit laithwaites.co.uk
Monday, 29 March 2010
The week we’ve all been waiting for. Bordeaux 2009 En Primeur tastings have begun
The team from the UK are coming out to join me tomorrow, flying in the face of BA strikers, pens and palates at the ready.
I couldn’t wait, so visited Chateau Teyssier this afternoon to taste Jonathan Maltus’ striking range of Saint Emilion Grand Cru wines. Jonathan has cannily acquired over the years, parcels of Grand Cru vineyards from all over the appellation, which he brings back to vinify at Chateau Teyssier near Vignonet. He crafts them separately, creating and bottling single vineyard wines. In true Burgundian rather than Bordelais fashion, Jonathan majors on terroir, definition and expression.
I found his 2009s serious; seriously good, seriously concentrated, seriously elegant, seriously grown up.
With a predominance of Merlot in all of them apart from his Cabernet Franc rich Le Dome, the wines are deeply coloured and appealingly aromatic. They are remarkably fresh on the palate, succulent but not sweet, structured but not tough. The finish is long and very pure.
There is a distance of only 100 metres between his Grand Cru vineyard parcels Le Carre and Les Asteries. Same tiny volume production, same winemaker, same barrels, same cellar. But the taste sensation is miles apart! The soil structure in each parcel of vines is very different, the layer of clay over limestone being much deeper in the former than the latter. As a result Le Carre is gentler, more generous now, floral and very smooth. Les Asteries shows much more minerality, structure and backbone.
Le Dome, 80% Cabernet Franc, is a show stopper this year; super ripe without a hint of sweetness, velvety textured, extremely smooth.
Jonathan also produces a small volume of Bordeaux blanc, his Clos Nardian, which is refreshingly elegant and lightly polished.
A classy way to start the week.
Visit laithwaites.co.uk
I couldn’t wait, so visited Chateau Teyssier this afternoon to taste Jonathan Maltus’ striking range of Saint Emilion Grand Cru wines. Jonathan has cannily acquired over the years, parcels of Grand Cru vineyards from all over the appellation, which he brings back to vinify at Chateau Teyssier near Vignonet. He crafts them separately, creating and bottling single vineyard wines. In true Burgundian rather than Bordelais fashion, Jonathan majors on terroir, definition and expression.
I found his 2009s serious; seriously good, seriously concentrated, seriously elegant, seriously grown up.
With a predominance of Merlot in all of them apart from his Cabernet Franc rich Le Dome, the wines are deeply coloured and appealingly aromatic. They are remarkably fresh on the palate, succulent but not sweet, structured but not tough. The finish is long and very pure.
There is a distance of only 100 metres between his Grand Cru vineyard parcels Le Carre and Les Asteries. Same tiny volume production, same winemaker, same barrels, same cellar. But the taste sensation is miles apart! The soil structure in each parcel of vines is very different, the layer of clay over limestone being much deeper in the former than the latter. As a result Le Carre is gentler, more generous now, floral and very smooth. Les Asteries shows much more minerality, structure and backbone.
Le Dome, 80% Cabernet Franc, is a show stopper this year; super ripe without a hint of sweetness, velvety textured, extremely smooth.
Jonathan also produces a small volume of Bordeaux blanc, his Clos Nardian, which is refreshingly elegant and lightly polished.
A classy way to start the week.
Visit laithwaites.co.uk
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
One week to go before the Bordeaux UGC opens its doors to the world’s wine trade. Countdown has begun.
It’s 21 degrees here this afternoon, the spring sun is shining and the air is already heavily scented with the mimosa blossom which is now out in full golden glory.
It’s going to be an extraordinary week; I can’t remember EVER feeling this excited about the Primeurs tasting week in the two decades I’ve played this game. Perhaps it’s because I live here now. Perhaps it’s because I’ve had a chance to taste some wonderful 2009 vintage wines already. Perhaps it’s because I know how proud the Bordelais are of their region and their wines and receiving the world and its wife this coming week is a real highlight for them. Whatever the reason, I know we’re in for an absolute treat.
This will be a campaign for the fittest and toughest only mind you. Allocations will be squeezed, prices will climb, some Chateaux will panic and may end up doing ‘n’importe quoi’, others will be wise and shrewd and play a long-term game. Nail-biting and strategy aside, the wines themselves will THRILL us.
Here’s one I prepared earlier … and am really proud to be able to bring exclusively to LW customers. You may remember last year we created a special Cuvee with St Emilion Grand Cru Chateau Tertre Daugay. We called it ‘L’Epiphanie’ to mark what a gratifying moment we had working with them on something so unique. Well, I’ve been over to the other side of the river, the Left Bank, to find its perfect partner and can now announce the birth of ‘L’Epiphanie de Durfort Vivens’ from the 2nd Grand Crus Classes Margaux Chateau Durfort Vivens.
The property overlooks Chateau Margaux itself and was actually the 2nd wine of Chateau Margaux in the 1960s. Its vines are intermingled with Chateau Margaux’s own vines. Its other prestigious neighbours are Chateaux Palmer and Rauzan Segla. When I visited the property back at harvest time, I was immediately struck by the quality:
I went to the Medoc and Margaux this morning to spy on the Cabernets. Gonzague Lurton of Durfort Vivens - one of my most trusted Left Bank Crus Classes producers for his honesty, twinkle and intelligence - is also all smiles and black teeth. His Merlot is in, 15 degrees alcohol in some Cuves, and he has started his young Cabernet.
His tasting room overlooks Chateaux Margaux, Palmer and Rauzan Segla vineyards so a perfect window on what his neighbours are doing this year - and it appears everyone is enjoying their own rhythm, setting their own pace, there are no weather constraints and the fruit is healthy. Leoville Barton finished last week; others are just beginning. The vigneron is master of his own harvest this year ..... rare here.
Gonzague Lurton generously opened his doors last week and invited me to select our own wine from the Chateaux’s barrels and create our own premium cuvee. Our Cuvee will be treated in exactly the same way as the Chateaux’s own first wine, the same ageing in the same types of barrels, the same lavished care by the Chateaux winemaker with our own Mark Hoddy’s presence, in the same cellar.
The Chateaux’s own blend by the way is outstanding. I’m privileged to be amongst the first to taste it.
I wouldn’t dream of pretending ours is better, just different. Our Margaux ‘Epiphanie de Durfort Vivens’ is compellingly aromatic, lusciously fruit-filled and creamily tannic. I hope you’ll enjoy drinking it in time as much as I’ve enjoyed working on it. Watch out for our release.
7 days to go, and counting, before the world starts tasting …..
Visit laithwaites.co.uk
It’s going to be an extraordinary week; I can’t remember EVER feeling this excited about the Primeurs tasting week in the two decades I’ve played this game. Perhaps it’s because I live here now. Perhaps it’s because I’ve had a chance to taste some wonderful 2009 vintage wines already. Perhaps it’s because I know how proud the Bordelais are of their region and their wines and receiving the world and its wife this coming week is a real highlight for them. Whatever the reason, I know we’re in for an absolute treat.
This will be a campaign for the fittest and toughest only mind you. Allocations will be squeezed, prices will climb, some Chateaux will panic and may end up doing ‘n’importe quoi’, others will be wise and shrewd and play a long-term game. Nail-biting and strategy aside, the wines themselves will THRILL us.
Here’s one I prepared earlier … and am really proud to be able to bring exclusively to LW customers. You may remember last year we created a special Cuvee with St Emilion Grand Cru Chateau Tertre Daugay. We called it ‘L’Epiphanie’ to mark what a gratifying moment we had working with them on something so unique. Well, I’ve been over to the other side of the river, the Left Bank, to find its perfect partner and can now announce the birth of ‘L’Epiphanie de Durfort Vivens’ from the 2nd Grand Crus Classes Margaux Chateau Durfort Vivens.
The property overlooks Chateau Margaux itself and was actually the 2nd wine of Chateau Margaux in the 1960s. Its vines are intermingled with Chateau Margaux’s own vines. Its other prestigious neighbours are Chateaux Palmer and Rauzan Segla. When I visited the property back at harvest time, I was immediately struck by the quality:
I went to the Medoc and Margaux this morning to spy on the Cabernets. Gonzague Lurton of Durfort Vivens - one of my most trusted Left Bank Crus Classes producers for his honesty, twinkle and intelligence - is also all smiles and black teeth. His Merlot is in, 15 degrees alcohol in some Cuves, and he has started his young Cabernet.
His tasting room overlooks Chateaux Margaux, Palmer and Rauzan Segla vineyards so a perfect window on what his neighbours are doing this year - and it appears everyone is enjoying their own rhythm, setting their own pace, there are no weather constraints and the fruit is healthy. Leoville Barton finished last week; others are just beginning. The vigneron is master of his own harvest this year ..... rare here.
Gonzague Lurton generously opened his doors last week and invited me to select our own wine from the Chateaux’s barrels and create our own premium cuvee. Our Cuvee will be treated in exactly the same way as the Chateaux’s own first wine, the same ageing in the same types of barrels, the same lavished care by the Chateaux winemaker with our own Mark Hoddy’s presence, in the same cellar.
The Chateaux’s own blend by the way is outstanding. I’m privileged to be amongst the first to taste it.
I wouldn’t dream of pretending ours is better, just different. Our Margaux ‘Epiphanie de Durfort Vivens’ is compellingly aromatic, lusciously fruit-filled and creamily tannic. I hope you’ll enjoy drinking it in time as much as I’ve enjoyed working on it. Watch out for our release.
7 days to go, and counting, before the world starts tasting …..
Visit laithwaites.co.uk
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