AN EXCITING WEEK IN BORDEAUX

I spent a week in Bordeaux between the 7th and 15th October 2007, visiting several chateaux and taking first look at 2007 vintage.

Monday, the 8th October 2007

I went to Haut Brion/LMHB for tasting of both reds and both whites in vintages 2006, 2005 and 2004. 15 minutes by bus 45 from Bordeaux' center. But it took me quite a while to find the busstop where I could get on this bus.

Among reds both 2005 clearly stood out. I have a feeling that 2005 LMHB will be better than 2000 LMHB. This was otherworldy wine with 45 second lingering aftertaste. Sensational! 2005 Haut Brion was fantastic too, but less aromatic and rich as 2005 LMHB.
2006 LMHB was massive and tannic and not that silky as 2005. I simply don't understand how Robert Parker can say this wine is better than 2005 LMHB. Still it's a high class wine. 2006 Haut Brion was more elegant and a bit lighter than 2005. High class too.
Both 2004s reminded a lot of their respective 2006, but fruit here was slightly less ripe. Still high quality here.
Among whites, if I had to choose between 2006 Laville HB and 2006 Haut Brion, it would be the latter for the money. More concentrated, richer and more sophisticated. Both 2005 are better than their respective counterparts in 2006 and 2004. Both in 2005. and 2004, Haut Brion white is better than Laville HB. Simply magnificent wines.
For both properties harvest finished on Friday the 5th October, just few hours before heavy rain hit Pessac and caused some flooding. They are satisfied with what they got in, but confessed that 2007 certainly won't be the another vintage of the century.

Tuesday the 9th October 2007

Off to Haut Medoc and first visit was Latour, 1.Cru giant. They were in the middle of harvesting Cabernet Sauvignon, but had of course time and patience to "entertain" us. We tasted 2006 Pauillac and 2006, 2005 and 2004 Latour. 2006 Pauillac was very round, gentle, with nice ripe fruit and tasty. Perfect restaurant wine.
2006 Latour, which I didn't taste during primeur week in April this year due to enormous amount of people from wine trade filling up the schedule, was similar in style to 2004 (elegant style, refined, rich and with splendid balance) but had more tannin and seemed more powerful. 2005 stole all the headlines here - multidimensional, rich, stayed long on the palate, over 30 seconds long aftertaste and incredibly balanced. Wow! Yes, once again vintage 2005 is really something wonderfully fantastic!!

Pontet Canet was next stop. Also here, harvest of Cabernet Sauvignon was in full "flowering". Since Alfred Tesseron got the full responsibility for it, Pontet Canet made great strides to improve quality. And it has succeeded with aplomb. We were welcomed by Melanie Tesseron, a very energetic young woman. She is the daughter of Gerard Tesseron, one of three Tesseron brothers, and she spoke an error free British-English. We tasted vintages 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003. 2005 vintage was a fantastic effort and maybe the best vintage they have made in last 55 years. Fabulous texture, incredibly rich, soft and sophisticated, fabulous balance, really sticked to the tongue and with incredibly long finish. A real threat to 1.Growths!! 2006 was a great effort too, but concerning depth, richness and purity, not really a match to 2005. Marvellous quality anyway. 2004 appeared as fine as 2006 with its aromatic touch. 2003 was probably weakest wine of these four vintage we tasted. I don't mean by saying weakest that this 2003 was poor. It had the very special hallmark of hot vintage - mirabelle plums. Splendid wine, powerful and intense, and with fine balance. But IMHO the three other tasted vintages are better.

Then we went to Le Peyrat restaurant in Saint-Estephe for a lunch. This restaurant is mostly frequented by local people and truck drivers. It was almost full when we arrived, we ate our not so tasty lunch under great deal of noise, which didn't really suited my driver. We got out quickly and ended drinking delicious cup of coffe at Lavinial caffe in village of Bages.

Then off to Château Paloumey, a Cru Bourgeois, in village of Ludon. This visit was my driver's idea and refreshing in some way. 2005 Paloumey imo was not that interesting, OK, intense spicy raspberries, full-bodied, but a bit short on the palate. Maybe it was because it has closed down after bottling. Proprietors other property, La Bessane in Margaux, tasted in vintage 2003, was quite a revelation. Fine, round, juicy, very tasty and with no signs of overheated fruit. It contains 60% of Petit Verdot!!

Our last stop was Palmer. Also here they were harvesting Cabernet Sauvignon. Palmer's marketing director, Bernard de Laage welcomed us and we tasted Palmer in vintages 2006, 2005 and 2004 plus Alter Ego 2006. The latter was as impressive as in April 2007 with its plenty of ripe berries, very fine concentration and very fine length on the palate. 2005 vintage is a real treat here - deep and rich, thick flavor which reminded of grappa, multidimensional and with fantastic balance. Aristocratic with the vengeance. I found 2004 to be very aromatic, intense and catchy on the nose. Fresh, vivid, aromatic and aristocratic on the palate, long aftertaste. Fabulous effort from Palmer in this vintage. 2006 was still in chains of tannin, but it was obvious, that you have to be patient with this wine. It has a great potential.

Wednesday the 10th October 2007

I went to Saint-Émilion and my first visit was office of Jean-Luc Thunevin. I tasted vintages 2006, 2005 and 2004. It seems obvious that Jean-Luc Thunevin is fully focused how to make Valandraud better and better. 2005 is a cherry pick with fabulous intensity of black cherry aroma, blueberries and blackberries. Incredibly rich, fat and deep. Immensely great wine for the vintage and it really had a soil character in it. Wow! No sign here of "vin de garage!!" 2006 tasted even better than in April this year with beautiful composition, ripe fruit, splendid balance, and great concentration and length. One of the best wines in Saint-Emilion in this vintage, that's for sure. 2004 was a slightly less concentrated and slightly less rich version of 2006 vintage, but in every way a splendid wine.

Then off to Tertre Roteboeuf, this remarkable property in Saint-Emilion. I've known Francois Mitjavile for 20 years and I'm maybe a bit biased about his wines. How many of you have heard of Bob the guru's sudden stop of writing about wines since 2004 vintage? Robert Parker says, that he's been banned from visiting Tertre Roteboeuf, after giving low scores to Francois Mitjavile's 2003, 2002 and 2001 vintages. But the story Francois tells me is completely different. I won't however go any further into this discussion. All I can say that 2005 vintage is a Miss Universe with not only great look, but also great intelligence and style. This is real magic!! 2005 Roc des Cambes is a fantastic effort too! 2006 versions of both wines were of course not as hedonistic as 2005, but great quality wines in every way. I also taste two old vintages of Tertre Rotebouf, 1987 and 1981. Both still going strong, fresh, round, tasty, raisiny and subtle.

Francois Mitjavile drove me then to Lafleur, and it was first time he and Jacques Guinaudeau ever met. They seemed to get along pretty well! I only tasted 2006 Lafleur, which was hugely aromatic nose of dark berries like blueberries and blackberries, full-bodied, refined and having large amount of ripe tannin, with lovely balance and multilayered. Great wine.

So to Lafleur's neighbor, Le Gay. I met its Argentinian winemaker, Marcello Pelleriti, since 2001 vintage. He makes wine at Catherine Pere-Verge's Argentinian property, Monteviejo, and her other property in Pomerol, Montviel. He only comes to Bordeaux for the time of harvest and vinification (2 months). His fine skills were evident as we tasted the old styled, jammy and already mature 1999 and 2000 vintages of Montviel, and then fresh, aromatic and well-structured 2001 and 2005 vintages of same wine.
Le Gay 2005 was a revelation, thick, full of black cherries, stunning structure and length. Delicatesse!

Friday the 12th October 2007

Quick visit to Château Nairac in Barsac and tasting of vintages 2005, 2004 and 2003. I'm extremely fond of 2003 vintage in stickies in general, because I saw birth of this vintage in September 2003, so it stands pretty close to my wine heart. All can say is, if you have already bought or have the possibility of buying Nairac 2003, you will simply discover one of the greatest sweet wines of the vintage. With the mind-boggling 12.7% of residual sugar (I'm pretty sure, that no other property in Sauternes & Barsac have had this level of residual sugar in their wines) and acidity, that fully corresponds to this sensational level of sweetness in fantastic way, this is simply otherworldy wine. I'm not that sure if d'Yquem will be a match for Nairac 2003, which by the way is even better for sure than Nairac's highly praised 1997. Two different styles, however. 2005 vintage was a revelation and will surely be better here than 2001 vintage. Fantastic purity and botrytis. 2004 - lighter version of 2004 with not quite that rivetting botrytis and structure.

Saturday, the 13th October 2007

I invited my friends who live in Bordeaux, for dinner at my favourite restaurant in Bordeaux, Jean Ramet. Classic, extremely tasty and delicate French cooking, with lot of style and plenty of flavors. Jean Ramet is influenced by Japanese cooking and you can taste, how well he incorporates Japanese "ideas" in his dishes. My friends and I shared Clos Floridene white 2005 and red 2004 from same property. Both were excellent wines, particulary white, and therefore kudos to Denis Dubordieu, who owns this property.

Simply a must place to have an excellent and intimate dinner when you are in Bordeaux.

How did this restaurant lose its one Michelin star - I really don't know! I wonder if these rewievers fom Michelin really did take their time to assess the restaurant when eating at there, because it really deserves one star!

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