Château with a brilliantly outstanding achievements; the unofficial sixth First Growth and once more...
a unique chance to experience a superb wine vertical tasting.
Jean-Philippe Delmas of Château La Mission Haut-Brion and Sarah Kemp – shared the podium.
A tasting of 8 vintages from 1995 to 2005 and two vintages Laville Haut Brion, each offering pleasure and finesse one after another...
First Flight: 2005, 2004, 2003, 2001, 2000
Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2005
Very closed but with a long, long nutty finish. So silky... somehow mix between 2000 and 2001. (19+/20)
Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2004
Farm, earthy, such a classical beauty... (18/20)
Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2003
This is quite strange... tannic bite,red fruit... (17/20)
Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2001
Cedar, tobacco, havana, very elegant and somewhat easy to drink... (18.5/20)
Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2000
Deep layered nose, very complex, long finish and such a elegance and complexity (19.5/20)
Second Flight 1999, 1998, 1995
Château La Mission Haut-Brion 1999
A big beauty, sweet nose, very approachable right now, very long finish, lasts for a minutes... (19/20)
Château La Mission Haut-Brion 1998
Open, concentrated and very precise. Round and well integrated with a marvelous nutty aftertaste... (19+/20)
Château La Mission Haut-Brion 1995
Dark core, minerally component, appealing and lean character. Very elegant but a little green (18+/20)
Third Flight: 2006 and 2007
Château Laville Haut Brion 2006
Big and fatty semillon... long and amazing.
Château Laville Haut Brion 2007
Just amazing white...
I had a chance to discover the exciting and much-praised cuvées from some of Champagne’s finest vintages...
with Essi Avellan MW, Finland’s first Master of Wine and editor of Fine Champagne magazine.
knowing your vintage...
let's the game begin...
Philipponnat Grand Blanc 2004
Nice one but not my favorite style of champagne.
Taittinger Vintage 2004
No toastines, delicate, withe fruits, fresh and vibrant (17 pts.)
Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs 1996
Toasty, baked apple, honey, nutty, creamy, long and fresh finish. Delicious wine (18.5 pts.)
Champagne Clos du Faubourg Notre Dame 2000
Closed, no oak, no malolactic fermentation, long and acid finish. Bone dry. After half and hour or so it start emerging with some woody-spicy nose and notes of mineral and flint (17.5 pts.)
Tarlant La Vigne d'Antan 2000
Closed and not my favorite style of champagne.
Chartogne -Taillet Les Barres 2006
Round, not so focus, volatile nose. Very young taste.
Pommery Cuvée Louise 1999
Mmmm... elegant and creamy, hints of gunpowder and flint, apple. Despite it's already fells an brilliantly evolved maturity, still extremely young. (19 pts.)
Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires 1995
Intense and very round. Nose of sweet, gunpowder, tropical fruits. Very long and a real sense of liveliness (19+ pts.)
Piper-Heidsieck Rare Vintage 2002
Deep color, still closed but one can feel the power and concentration of this strong and masculine and in the same time elegant wine. Needs aging of 10-20 years. (19 pts.)
Louis Roederer Brut Rosé 2004
Beautiful peach/salmon color, fresh and nervous, waxy, yeasty, autolytic nose... (19 pts.)
Billecart Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Rosé 2000
Quite Burgundian nose, complex, spicy and with a strong character. This need more time. (19 pts.)
Veuve Clicquot Cave Privée Rose 1989
Onion skin color, nose of an old Champagne, dry fruits, coffee, spices, once more Burgundian nose. Elegant, with long finis. Perfectly developed and integrated aromas.This is fantastic food wine (19.5 pts.)
One of California’s most famous wineries, Opus One was founded by Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild and renowned Napa Valley vintner Robert Mondavi.
Michael Silacci, wine-maker responsible for the last nine remarkable vintages...
Opus One 1979
Remarkable youth color. Leather, earth, farm yard, long smooth and silky. Balanced, elegant and integrated. Very very nice (17.5 pts.)
Opus One 1987
Woody-spicy, minty, eucalyptus, still still relatively tanic. Balanced and young even after 23 years! Very exciting wine (18 pts.)
Opus One 1991
Exuberant but still developing and work in progress...
Opus One 1995
Rich, robust, warm spices, bitter chocolate, very seductive (17.5 pts.)
Opus One 1997
Tick color, nutty, concentrated nose, almost sweet. Very rounded and long and pleasant finish.(18.5 pts.)
Opus One 2001
Beautiful, rich color, very complex nose, spicy, fresh, voluptuous and creamy texture...Just fantastic wine! (19 pts.)
Opus One 2005
Classic stuff but to much for my taste(17.5 pts.)
Opus One 2006
Big contrast to 2005. Exuberant but in the same time restrained. This has fantastic potential (18 pts.)
Once more a unique chance to experience a superb wine vertical tasting.
The rise Pauillac Fifth Growth Pontet-Canet is one of the success stories of Bordeaux and the owner Alfred Tesseron tells the story...
A tasting of 12 vintages from 1990 to 2008, a vertical tasting to remember.
Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Medoc, Pauillac
First Flight: 1990, 1994, 1999
1990 Chateau Pontet-Canet
Nice deep red color. Leather, earth... (88 pts.)
1994 Chateau Pontet-Canet
At the beginning closet but it has opened later. Floral, earth... tannins not well structured. Drink now. (89 pts.)
1999 Chateau Pontet-Canet
Good 1999. Complex nose, well integrated, sweet tannins, refreshing acidity, liquorice on the finish. Excellent and classic. (94 pts.)
Second Flight 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
2000 Chateau Pontet-Canet
Opulent but very closed. Need time but it will be perfect. (93 pts.)
2001 Chateau Pontet-Canet
Deep, dark, tobacco, blackberry aroma, a full bodied. Drink well now. (92 pts.)
2002 Chateau Pontet-Canet
Nice! Starting to open and it has superb earthy components. Very well balanced with silky tannins. (91 pts.)
2003 Chateau Pontet-Canet
This is amazing stuff. Fresh, fragrant... so atypical for the 2003 vintage. Full bodied. Need time. (93 pts.)
Third Flight: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008
2004 Chateau Pontet-Canet
Drinks well right now. Walnut, chocolate, coffee... Long and sweet tannins and good minerality. (90 pts.)
2005 Chateau Pontet-Canet
Almost violet. Beginning to close down and will stay like that for a long time. KEEP as this is going to be one of the most amazing wine one can have. (95 pts.)
2006 Chateau Pontet-Canet
Tasting 2005 and 2006, back-to-back, prompting the inevitable comparisons. Well made, but far a way from 2005. (89 pts.)
2007 Chateau Pontet-Canet
This is nice wine. Tannic but it will drink very well soon. (89 pts.)
2008 Chateau Pontet-Canet
Barrel sample. I can't access fully but it taste promising...
Alfred's good humor and sincerity is amazing and I'm looking forward for my visit to Bordeaux...
One can immediately recognize a strong masterclass, look at the stage... there isn't enough room for all representatives from the the châteaux in question.
Eric Perrin, Ch Carbonnieux; Gilles Maligne, Ch Fieuzal; Clément Bouriez, Ch Couhins; Karim Nasser, Ch Malartic-Lagravière and Laurent Lebrun, Ch Olivier. Of course Decanter publishing director Sarah Kemp is around.
In front of me, David Ornon, Ch Smith Haut Lafite and Andrée Ebersole, Ch Couhins-Lurton
I has been great experience and rare chance to explore the fascinating terroir of the Graves. Wines I've tested includes legendary Graves producers like for example Château Haut-Brion, Château La Mission Haut-Brion, and more.
First flight - red wine:
Château Carbonnieux Rouge 2003
Cedar-wood and earthy (mushrooms/wet wood). Nutty finish. (88pts.)
Domaine de Chevalier Rouge 2003
Cedar-wood, smoky pencil lead. very elegant. Light (medium) bodied and excellent minerality. (89pts.)
Château de Fieuzal 2003
Fresh fruit, graphite, pencil lead and toasted oak. Drinks very well now. Good acidity with creamy/rounded and smooth tannins. (89pts.)
Château Haut Bailly 2003
Tobacco, smoke and spice. Quite complex, fresh and elegant. Superb minerality on the finish, the hallmark of this château. (90pts.)
Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2003
Cedar-wood, concentrated, masculine, very silky and rip tannins, long and pleasant finish. Beautiful wine. (93pts.)
Château Pape Clément 2003
Floral, cedar-wood, hay concentrated, masculine, very silky and rip tannins, long and pleasant finish. Still young but a wonderful wine; I want a box of this wine... (94pts.)
Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2003
Dark ruby, smoke, flint-stone, red fruit, tobacco... lots going on and lot of flagrance. Concentrated but not over extracted, sweet and round finish. (92pts.)
Château Haut-Brion 2003
Flagrant, chocolate, tar, and tobacco. Smooth, rounded, silky and very very long finish. Outstanding! (94pts.)
Second flight - 2007 white and they have everything – the complexity, the richness and the finesse.
Château Bouscaut Blanc 2007
A vibrant nose and notes of smoky barrels. Bit grassy. (87pts.)
Château Couhins 2007
Gooseberry, fresh and lovely(88pts.)
Château Couhins-Lurton 2007
Citrus, grapefruit, mineral, fresh, fruity, long and lovely finish. (89pts.)
Château Latour-Martillac Blanc 2007
Clean nose, lively, floral. Fresh, slightly creamy but full of exuberant fruit;(91pts.)
Château Malartic-Lagravière Blanc 2007
In my opinion, this is fantastic wine for Asian food. (89pts.)
Château Olivier Blanc 2007
And this, in my opinion a perfect wine for seafood or fresh salads.(89pts.)
At the end, I been lucky enough to win a book on Grave signed by all representatives and an open invitation for visiting château at the beginning of June.
I'll exercise my rights :-)
I had a chance to taste twelve quite magnificent wines from different vintages and prestigious châteaux and almost everything was an extraordinary quality.
Speakers: Alexander Van Beek, Henry Lurton, Dominique Befve and John Kolasa.
I'm deeply concerned about the future of the...
nine wine ready for tasting, and the last ones, Château Rauzan-Ségla 2001, 1999 and 1998 coming bit later...
Château Giscours 2003
Rubi at the rims this wine already showing some aging... round but with some hotness (88pts.)
Château Giscours 2000
More color than 2003, open and more feminine (89pts.)
Château du Tertre 2000
A blockbuster wine... (87pts)
Château Brane-Cantenac 2002
...
Château Brane-Cantenac 2001
Cedar, chocolate and quite complex. Nice stuff (90pts.)
Château Brane-Cantenac 2000
Excellent wine and drinking nicely now, but wait... (91pts.)
Château Lascombes 2006
This is almost purple and creamy black fruit nose. Nice taste but cant access this wine at this time.
Château Lascombes 2005
This is fantastic... it is almost unbelievable how the Château Lascombes is improving the last 6-7 years... and 2005 is amazing; you can drink now or you can keep it next 20 years... (92 pts.)
Château Lascombes 2004
Just nutty at this point but I'm positive it will develop in a real beauty (89pts.)
Château Rauzan-Ségla 2001
This is one of the most beautiful Rauzan-Seglas I've tasted until now. Gorgeous flowers, cherries, currants, licorice, some restrained oak. Fantastic (93pts.)
Château Rauzan-Ségla 1999
Not as good as 2001 and also bit different in stile but still very good effort (88pts.)
Château Rauzan-Ségla 1998
Beautiful nose with tobacco, spiced wood, leather... this is fantastic stuff and I'm sad I should constrain my self and spit... Elegant and full of lust (90 pts.)
So I headed off for this year’s Decanter French Fine Wine Encounter on Saturday. For me, this was an opportunity to taste some of the best French wines as well as to talk about them with the producers.
On the way... the sun...
It has featured ca. 300 wines from various regions and producers in France.
Couple of halls at the Landmark Hotel in central London, were occupied with ca. 70 stands offering different blends and vintages. You name it, they’ve got it: Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Côtes du Rhône, Languedoc…
The event also included special Master Classes and I’ve attended Three Great Terroirs, Master class and tasted some of magnificent wines from three legendary chateaux, Chateau Palmer, Vieux Chateau Certan and Chateau Haut Bailly. All were presented with a range of exciting vintages, as well as a speaker.
Véronique Sanders, Thomas Duroux, Alexandre Thienpont and Sarah Kemp, the publishing director of the Decanter.
I’m pleased to share with you some of my tasting notes and remarks.
1995 Château Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Eye: Deep ruby
Nose: Chocolate, red currant and spices… very elegant…
Palate: Cigar box, cedar, dark fruit,. It is very rich, rounded on the palate …
Finish: Once more… ridiculously long and seductive finish…
Decanted: 2 hr.
Note: Amazing complexity and elegance. (95 pts.)
1999 Château Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Eye: Deep purple
Nose: Licorice and earthy-leathery notes… mmmm…
Palate: Very complex black fruit, tar... Perfectly rip tannins and soft french oak feels elegant and velvety. A full boded wine and in the same time so rounded and charming…
Finish: Long and charming …
Decanted: 1 1/2 hr. (96 pts.)
2005 Château Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Eye: Dark red
Nose: Some minerality, but it is very, very closed…
Palate: Creamy black fruit... also some spices…
Finish: Long …
Decanted: 0 hr.
Note: Today, I can’t rate this wine, but I feel that this is a Great wine and looking forward to taste it once more in the near future.
1998 Vieux Château Certan - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Eye: Dark red
Nose: Dark chocolate, pencil shavings and game...
Palate: Quite concentrated. The fruit aspect is very strong, but also some mineral flavors. Fantastic balance, almost as cashmere like on the palate. This is a complex vine…
Finish: Very long and almost seductive.
Decanted: ca. 1 hr.
Note: I’ll definitely buy this wine. (95 pts.)
2000 Vieux Château Certan - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Eye: Dark red
Nose: Cigar box and liquorices...
Palate: Quite forward, dark fruits and black pepper, round on the palate, balanced with good acidity...
Finish: Long and memorable.
Decanted: ca. 1 hr. (90 pts.)
2005 Vieux Château Certan - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Eye: Dark red
Nose: Floral…
Palate: Much better on the palate. Vibrant, round and balanced, but to young…
Finish: Very long and almost seductive.
Decanted: 0 hr. (90 pts.)
2001 Château Haut-Bailly - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Eye: Dark red and clear
Nose: Cigar box, and black berries …
Palate: Quite fresh and forward with very pleasant taste of black, almost juice like
Finish: Long…
Decanted: ca. 1 hr.
Note: I’m looking forward to taste this wine in about 5-6 year from now. I suspect it will be wonderful. (90 pts.)
2003 Château Haut-Bailly - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Eye: Dark red and clear
Nose: Cigar box, and black berries …
Palate: Quite fresh and forward with very pleasant taste of black, almost juice like
Finish: Long…
Decanted: ca. 2 hr. (89 pts.)
2005 Château Haut-Bailly - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Eye: Dark red and clear
Nose: Dark fruit purée with cream…
Palate: Walnut and coffee characters…. Concentrated, complex and marvelously silky on the palate…
Finish: Ridiculously long and pleasant finish… I’m talking about 40 – 50 seconds!
Decanted: 0 hr.
Note: I’ll go for it. (95 pts)
The 100-point Rating Scale
* Extraordinary (96-100 points)
* Outstanding (90-95)
* Very Good to Excellent (85-89)
* Good (80-84)
* Average (75-79)
* Below average (70-74)
* Avoid (50-70)
It is amazing how 2005 is deep, big and strong, and yet so balanced and silky…
In addition, I had a chance to talk with Oz Clarke :-) and during our discussion regarding Macedonian wine and why it is not promoted in Decanter, in a split of second, he managed to introduce me to Sarah Kemp and Steven Spurrier!
The champion of French wine, Steven Spurrier
This was a wonderful experience and I’m looking forward for more!
