BORDEAUX 2013 – 2014 – 2015 1/2

 At a rather disappointing tasting in Brussels where the millésime 2013 was presented, an event organized every year by the Union des Grands Crus Classés de Bordeaux, I found my taste not agreeing with the title of Grand Cru Classé. Numerous properties didn’t have the quality to deserve that title and should have considered disqualifying their wines or to put them in bulk wine. But there is of course the subject of money, and having lost already some of it in the previous year(s) makes this hard.

 Before this tasting I already had the possibility to taste the bottled second or third wines from some of these “big and famous” châteaux present at the tasting. Not to generalise, but if the decision had been up to me I would not have dared putting my name on those labels.

 At the tasting I did however taste some good to great wines (none exceptional) from different Châteaux and this was one of my reasons to go back to Bordeaux. After a long six years of absence from the French scene, and since everyone was talking of the remarkable quality of the millésime 2015 and also even a good 2014, it was time to return, together with my wife, who is also a great wine taster (and with an even better nose than mine).

I don't say the lesser quality "château-wines" are bad but as said for me not Grand Cru Classé quality and of course this means they will be ready to drink faster and at affordable price in restaurant.

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Here is an overview of the few days we spent in the Bordeaux region

 Our first visit was Château La Croix de Gay where we met with Chantal Lebreton-Raynaud, a friend of us for numerous years already, a friendship that started with her parents.

 The Château was already a small property and it has become even smaller now since both parents died, and half of the property was sold off by her brother Alain Raynaud.

 The property itself is situated in the heart of Pomerol, and for their wine La Fleur de Gay, the vineyard is on the same level as, and touching, the vines of Château Petrus.

 The quality of the wines made by father Noël Raynaud was very good, even great, for both the La Croix de Gay and La Fleur de Gay, and at an affordable price. 

 Now Chantal is sole owner of the estate and she renewed both the buildings and all the equipment, such as the fermentation and barrel cellar with the system of gravity, to make good to great wines.

We tasted:

• Château La Croix de Gay 2013: even for friends like Chantal, I have to remain honest, as I already said this is not one of the greatest wines. I don't say the wine is bad but rather an easy to drink wine on restaurant at good price.

• Château La Croix de Gay 2015: nice presentation and colour, very fruity in the nose, good attack, soft tannins, also fruity in the mouth and enough body or content. A rather “easy” wine that’s best to drink sooner than later.

• Château La Fleur de Gay 2015: an even nicer wine, deeper in colour, a wine that offers so much more in every aspect, a very good wine.

 Sadly enough Chantal forgot to prepare us a sample of the year 2014, and since the wine was “worked”, she said it was impossible to taste it correctly.

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 Next stop: Clos Fourtet, Premier Grand Cru de St Emilion.

 This is one of my favourite St Emilion wines owned by the Belgian family Cuvelier, right in the centre of the medieval city of St Emilion.  

 Sadly enough winemaker Mr Tony Ballu had too much to do and didn’t have very much time for us, but we did meet him and were able to taste the 2014 and 2015.

 

Mr Tony Ballu, winemaker

We tasted:

• Clos Fourtet 2014: what a surprise, a great wine full of fruit and body, even when the wine was still a little bit closed. Good imbedded tannins, savoury and great aftertaste, a typical Bordeaux year that I like very much.

• Clos Fourtet 2015: great colour, a full basket of black fruit in the nose, a soft attack with smooth tannins, and the taste too is full and fruity, it feels like there is a pot of jam in there. I’m a little bit in doubt whether the wine will last like the 2010, I’m putting him a bit like the millésime 2000, which is not one of my favourites because it’s to sunny and soft. My favourite at this estate for now is the 2014.

 During the tasting of the Union Des Grands Crus Classés in Brussels, the wine of 2013 was one of my favourites, full of colour and very fruity with enough content.

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 A terrible lunch in St Emilion followed at restaurant “Le Bistro du Vignoble”, which has a good report at Trip Adviser, but I’d advise everyone not to enter there. Best to buy a sandwich, or even, if possible, don’t eat in St Emilion, or only at great tables.

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After lunch we had an appointment with Sylvie Pourquet-Becot, the sister of Beauséjour Becot, at Château Grand Pontet.

I have no idea how they manage the appointments, because even with a written confirmation nobody was present at the Château. One has to make their conclusions.

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 Next we went to Château Soutard owned by the group AG2R, that also manages the estates Château Larmande, previously owned by Mr Mèneret, a once famous name in the Bordeaux region, Château Cadet Piola, who I think goes in the Soutard wines, and Château Grand Faurie La Rose all on the right side of the bank, where we had an appointment, after a mix-up and misunderstanding with e-mails, with the new Brand manager Caroline Rihouet.

 We have already known Château Soutard for a very long time, first with the old comte De Ligneris, and later also with the son François De Ligneris. Later with the take-over by AG2R and managed by Mrs Claire Thomas-Chenard. 
 Today she is replaced, but she deserves to be mentioned for her great work at all the properties. She was the one who made these wines great, it’s a pity she is not mentioned on the website.

We tasted both Château Larmande and Château Soutard.

• Château Larmande 2015: beautiful colour and presentation, lots of fruit, a bit of jam and soft tannins, lacks a bit of body and content, but nonetheless a nice wine. Should be better.

• Château Soutard 2015: great colour and presentation, a full basket of black fruit, nice complex nose full attack of ripe fruit with soft velvety tannins and character, great wine. Thanks to the help of a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

• Château Larmande 2014: a nice wine, lacks a bit of content, but with a good presentation in the nose and the mouth. Good millésime.

• Château Soutard 2014: tasted from a sample taken from the steel tanks, ready to be bottled in June. Very nice colour, fruity in the nose, great taste, with a beautiful body and aftertaste, for me this is a great wine.

• Château Soutard 2013: tasted at the end in the wine shop and as tasted in Brussels, a very nice wine, a winner to have in a restaurant because of the lower price setting. Good wine but not great.

Afterwards we had a nice dinner at restaurant “Le Bord D’Eau” in Libourne/Fronsac. Recommended.

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 We had to leave the hotel early, after a rather short night, because of the traffic in and around Bordeaux and on the Rocade - to the left bank of the Gironde - the Medoc region.

 Our first stop was at Château Prieuré Lichine Grand Cru Classé with Lise Latrille, a good friend already for many years.

 Originally, in medieval times, it was a monastery until in 1951 it came into the hands of Alexis Lichine, then called the “pope of wine”. He was a great wine-maker and a pioneer in the region, but now it is owned by the group Ballande.

We tasted:

• Château Prieuré Lichine 2015: good deep red fruit, soft tannins and very smooth, good content and aftertaste. Very good wine.

• Château Prieuré Lichine 2014: nice ripe fruit, savoury and velvety in the mouth, good tannins and acidity, good content and length. Very good wine.

• We also tasted Confidences de Prieuré Lichine 2011, good, soft; Les Clochers de Prieuré Lichine and Le Blanc de Château Prieuré Lichine 2014: 60% Sauvignon blanc and 40% Semillon, very good white wine.

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 After lunch we had an appointment at Château Lagrange, St Julien Beychevelle, a winery since 1983 in the hands of the Suntory group.

The estate is the largest in the region in the hands of one tenant, and exist of a total of 157 Ha of which 118 Ha are planted with vines.

 We were happy to see Matthieu Bordes again, Director General and a good friend for many years. Before him we also knew the previous directors Marcel Ducasse and Mr Eynard.

It is a big winery but, for me, the wines still have a lot of personality with great flavors, things I like a lot in wines.

Here is a picture of the dirt, leaves or rotten grapes that are rejected by the sophisticated focal selection machine. Without this all this "dirt" goes into the fermentation tank together with the grapes and eventually into the wine... Yuck !

We tasted:

• Château Les Fiefs de Lagrange 2015: good starter with lots of fruit, good in taste and length, beautiful second wine.

• Château Lagrange 2015: great colour, very dark red mature fruit, soft attack with smooth tannins and a long aftertaste. A little concern with the content, is there enough? One should drink this already now.

• Château Lagrange 2014: beautiful colour, ripe fruit with lots of nice tannins, great body and content, savoury and long lasting aftertaste. A wine to my heart, typical Bordeaux style, I think this wine will last longer than the 2015.

• Château Lagrange 2008: a beautiful wine, still very young with great taste, a real typical “Bordeaux” St Julien style wine.

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 After this we went to visit a winery we never visited before, Château de Camensac in St Laurent de Medoc, in the Haut-Medoc region, but touching de boundaries of St Julien Beychevelle and the soil of Château Lagrange. 

It is a 5° cru Classé of Medoc in the Wine official Classification of 1855.

 The Château was bought in 2005, by Jean Merlaut - from Château Gruaud-Larose - and his niece Celine Villars-Foubet - owner of Château Chasse Spleen in Moulis.

 In 2014 Claire Thomas-Chenard joined the team as director of the estate. She’s well known for her work at Château Larmande and Château Soutard, which I mentioned earlier, and this was the reason we went. We know this lovely lady Claire since she joined Château Larmande in I believe 1998, and later Château Soutard, and we saw the wines she made growing.

We tasted:

• Château de Camensac 2015: beautiful dark red presentation, a lot of dark red fruit, such as blackberries, soft fruity attack and soft tannins, medium body structure with a good and soft aftertaste.

• Château de Camensac 2014: nice dark red colour, great nose, good fruity attack with very nice tannins, good body and length. A beautiful wine. I think this wine will survive the 2015, like the Lagrange 2014.

• Château de Camensac 2013: mediocre wine, good enough though.

A beautiful end to a nice day and an appointment to meet her (Claire) again on Thursday.

Time for dinner.

The second part of our Bordeaux report can be found here.