Jeroboams - En Primeur Bordeaux 2010

Thursday – Day 4
The Right Bank

Thursday and another wonderful morning in Bordeaux.

Today our schedule took us to the Right Bank and our first proper look at the wines of St Emilion, Pomerol and their satellites. A mixture of Chateau visits and UGC tastings made for a busy day so we headed off nice and early to the first appointment at Jean-Pierre Moueix in Libourne. A very civilised way to start, tasting some of the most sought after and least available wines of Bordeaux. Due to the small scaled nature of the Pomerol appellation many of these wines are only made in minute quantities that make the production on the left bank look positively huge. None-the-less this was a great pleasure with a virtually complete set of knock-out wines. Devine offerings from La Providence and Hosanna, a super serious effort from Certan de May, possibly their best wine since the brilliant 1982 and then the big guns. Trotanoy and La Fleur Petrus took the tasting experience to a completely different level, the fineness and elegance of these wines was sublime, the texture hugely inviting and the finish graceful, these were clearly wines of real distinction. To say this was anything short of a masterclass in Merlot production would be simply untrue. A joyful experience and our bench mark for the Right Bank had been well and truly set.

Back in the car, we discussed the greatness of our previous tasting experience on the short ride to St Emilion and our next visit at Chateau Pavie. Fully aware that having just tasted the epitome of elegance and fineness we were about to embark on tasting the other end of the spectrum with the structured and hugely powerful wines of Gerard Perse. Well what can I say other than this year was clearly a triumph for the Perse stable from top to bottom. The Pavie Decesse and Bellevue Mondotte were exceptional, hugely powerful and masculine but with excellent harmony and integration. A wonderful pair from both the Monbousquet Rouge et Blanc. The red, beautifully aromatic with seamless texture and a depth beyond its price point. A favourite of ours that had just booked its spot on the list of must buys from the Right Bank. We finished as always with the main event, Chateau Pavie, a wine that seems to have less of a following than its quality and status deserve. Without doubt this was a monumental effort, a wine of true pedigree and breed. 1st Growth quality indeed.

The morning progressed with great haste and brilliant showings of both Chateau Angelus and its second wine, Carillon de Angelus followed. With increasing excitement about the quality we had seen so far on this bank we headed of to see the wines of Chateau Cheval Blanc. One of the easiest estates to locate on the right bank, you simply locate the big yellow cranes on the skyline and head in their general direction until you stumble upon the building sight of the new Chais. Cheval Blanc is one of the grandest and most beautiful estates on this side of the river and more often than not a joy to taste. A wonderful Petit Cheval and like many of the 2nd wines this year the quality seems to have improved greatly compared to previous vintages. Finishing with the Cheval Blanc set a new bench mark for this side of the river. A wonderfully fragrant wine of real focus and sophistication. Complex and multi-layered this showed real class. A truly aristocratic wine.

Just when we thought the calibre of wines could not improve any further we found ourselves in the cellars of Vieux Chateau Certan, with the charming and hugely unassuming Alexandre Thienpont. A lovely man who seems almost unaware of the beauty and joy his wines give to world. When asked about pricing he was very clear, “I want my wines to be enjoyed by those who love and appreciate Vieux Chateau Certan.” With this kind of quality that statement will just about encompass every oenophile the world over. Last year was a sensation at this tiny Pomerol estate….this year if you can believe it was potentially even better. A wine of real nobility and gravitas. The only problem being that with production at only 3,400 cases this year it will be extremely difficult to secure an allocation. Our advice is simple….grab some if you can.

With a short break in our schedule we headed across appellations to Chateau Barde Haut to taste the wines of Helene Garcin and enjoy a spot of lunch. As always Helene had produced a delightful collection of wines with notable performances from Chateau Branon (one of the best examples from Pessac) and Clos l’Eglise (Pomerol). Having re-fuelled in the glorious sunshine (the run of good weather seemed like it would never end) we headed off to our last Chateau visit of the Right Bank at Chateau Ausone. The high quality on display so far continued with a sublime offering of Ausone’s 2nd wine Chapelle d’Ausone followed by the monumental Grand Vin with its typically fragrant perfume and layered texture. Presence and power married perfectly with elegance and beauty. Bravo.

Two UGC tastings to go and our picture of the Right Bank would be complete. Having seen the cream of the crop and been hugely impressed, now it was the time for the contenders to show their hands. First stop La Couspaude for the St Emilion UGC. Tasting conditions by now had become increasingly difficult with temperatures outside approaching the mid 30’s and in a tasting room full of people fresh air was firmly the order of the day. Like many of the appellations we had tasted to date it was again a case of the usual suspect performing extremely well. Wines that impressed and ones to keep an eye on include, Beausejour Becot, Clos Fourtet, Canon la Gaffelliere, Larcis Decasse and the standout amongst many…..Chateau Figeac.

Happy to have escaped the rising temperatures of the tasting room we headed off to our last appointment of the day, and thankfully much more suitable tasting conditions, the UGC Pomerol tasting at Chateau la Pointe. With only 8 wines on show (such is the tiny scale of this appellation) we navigated the room (and spittoons) with relative ease. Delicious wines from Le Croix de Gay and our hosts Le Pointe, a serious effort from Gazin, but clear standouts were La Conseillante and Clinet, who appear to have continued their rivalry from last year for wine of the Pomerol UGC. A tough call as to which Chateau produced the better wine this year as both showed hugely contrasting styles. Conseillante, much more feminine with its seductive texture and superfine tannins. Clinet, more the masculine style with its dense powerful rich fruit. Both exceptional wines in their own rights.

The Right Bank now complete and with a much wider view of the vintage as a whole we headed back to Chateau Clement Pichon for the final time to prepare ourselves for the a relaxing final day in Sauterne and Barsac.