Day 2 part 2

The Rothschild connection.

Mouton

Our first lunchtime appointment was at Mouton, where the cellars are being modernised. Because of this and the rain we were bizarrely transported by electric golf buggies from the car park to the tasting room. It must have been all of 200 yards and at one point I wondered whether we were on our way to EuroDisney?

However, this is no Mickey Mouse operation. Waiting for us were Mouton’s MD Herve Berland and winemaker Philippe Dhalluin, both of whom were looking confident and relaxed. And so they might. Le Petit Mouton was fresh and aromatic, with good acidity, classic dark fruit and medium body. Armailhac was in the same mould, but had more lifted aromas, sweet creamy fruit and superb length with a touch of spice. Clerc Milon was also elegant, fresh, firm and with lovely fruit as well as more minerality. The finish was long and complex.

And what about the star of the show? For me, Mouton was terrific. Blackcurrant fruit, layered texture, cashmere tannins and superb delineation, poise and polish. Very classical too in terms of structure with just 13.1% alcohol. I gave it 18+. For me it wasn’t quite as good as Margaux but still very, very good.

As I was leaving, I took the opportunity of asking Herve Berland what he thought about the market for the forthcoming campaign. His comments were fascinating and insightful. His first point was that the Asian markets would be very important in this campaign and in particular he was confident that mainland China would definitely be in the market, a first for the mainland Chinese. The second point he made was that the chateaux do need to take note of the fragile economic climate. In fact he was almost at pains to emphasise that this will be factored into the price. To me, this was interesting because he was one of the few Bordelais who was willing to talk about the all important issue of price. Let’s hope he is right on the money.

Assuming he is, how will the campaign develop? This year the problem may be more to do with getting hold of the top wines rather than how much they will cost. Not least, because the chateaux will drip feed a miniscule amount of wine on the first tranche – in order to test the market and also to be seen to be fair and reasonable.

If I was in their shoes I would be tempted to sell the minimum and wait to see what develops. So I expect a long drawn out campaign with multiple tranches. I also think that the most prosperous chateaux may well release less wine this year simply because it will be in their interests to hold it back and sell it subsequently at a higher price. Either way, it will be an interesting few months as the wines emerge from April onwards.

Finding Lafite

Then it was off to Lafite, or rather Duhart Milon in Pauillac where Lafite’s winemaker Charles Chevallier was showcasing his perennially impressive wines. One minor problem was that nobody seemed to know precisely where Duhart was situated in the village. Fortunately, we found it quite quickly – but I imagine that there are some who are still looking for it.

Nonetheless, the tasting room was full with about 40 or so tasters as you would expect. But what I did notice was that there wasn’t a single Chinese buyer present, something which took me by surprise given the level of demand coming out of Asia for anything with brand Lafite on it. So the question remains: will the Chinese buy en primeur for the first time? We’ll have to wait and see. However, even if the Chinese don’t buy, there will be a host of speculative investors who will happily fill the link into the Chinese market. You can bet your house on that.

And let’s not forget the wines! Carruades was again almost indecently delicious and almost invited you to drink it rather than spit it out. The purity of cassis fruit was utterly beguiling and the tannins were barely noticeable. It easily merited 18 out of 20. It will sell like hot cakes, particularly if they price it keenly which seems to be the rule rather than the exception for Carruades.

If Carruades was reassuringly good, Duhart was a revelation. This property is on the up and Charles Chevallier and his team have done a terrific job this year. ‘One of the reasons why we are holding the tasting at Duhart was to raise its profile,’ he told me. So they are clearly repositioning it for the future but the wine is starting to speak for itself. This 2009 was outstandingly good and I think will really turn some heads this year. It is definitely one to watch. On the nose and palate, it is simply sublime and I rated it 19 out of 20.

So where does that leave Lafite, the headline act? The answer is firmly in the spotlight. Once again, Chevallier has produced a quintessential and classical Lafite that could be another legend in the making. The fruit is ‘à point’, the tannins are so svelte that you can hardly perceive them – except perhaps on the finish, where they make their presence finally felt. And the balance of acidity, fruit and structure is all that you would want – and more.

This wine doesn’t attack your palate, it seduces it with a slow building crescendo that envelops your senses. It’s a bit like Ravel’s Bolero - and almost as long. How do you score such a wine? Easily, you give it a perfect 20 points.

Sadly, the next chateau we are going to has an almost impossible act to follow. And tomorrow morning, I’ll tell you how it (Pontet-Canet) fares as well as Montrose and Leoville-Las-Cases. One of them gets another perfect score so tune in tomorrow to find out which chateau it is. See you then….

Day 2
Rive Gauche….

It’s Tuesday and that means we’re heading off to the Left Bank. This also necessitates an early departure time of 7.30am from where I am staying courtesy of a very dear friend at his Chateau de Sours in the Entre Deux Mers. Believe me, these are the most comfortable beds in Bordeaux! The bad news is the weather. After yesterday’s glorious sunshine, it’s raining stair rods and blowing a gale. Will it affect the way the wines taste with the change in atmospheric pressure? The bio-dynamic prophets might convince me but we’ll have to wait and see.

Either way, it promises to be another busy day. And where better to begin than with the brilliant and genial Paul Pontallier at Chateau Margaux. Today, he tells me, he’s expecting 700 visitors. Yesterday, he had 450.

So there’s no time to waste and we get down to tasting the wines.with Philippe Bascaules his Export Director, who I also know well.

First is the Pavillon Rouge and once again, I am struck by the wonderful approachability of this ever improving second wine. Philippe compares it to the 82 and 90, which were also extremely forward early on – and still aged exceptionally well.

It’s wonderfully elegant and complex. Both Paul and Philippe rate it as possibly their best ever Pavillon and I am inclined to agree and give it 19 points. They even think it’s as good as some Margaux vintages of the 90s, which shows you how far Margaux’s second wine has come.

On the evidence of what I have tasted so far, many of the second wines are proving quite exceptional in 2009. I am convinced they will provide plenty of drinking pleasure – and, critically, great value too. I think a lot of the smart money will snap them up. I’ll certainly be buying them this year.

I’m also struck by the relatively modest alcohol levels and balance of both the Pavillon and the Grand Vin, which are just 13.4% and 13.1% respectively – unusually low for the vintage. ‘We had some very low yields and some really exceptional lots this year, explains Paul. ‘Plus we kept the levels of Merlot down in the final blends. Selection was also key. We have a lot of old vines on great terroirs which is a huge advantage.’

Paul is modestly effusive about his Chateau Margaux 2009 and who can blame him. ‘I think it is the most elegant – but also the most dense, concentrated and tannic ever produced at Margaux.’

And yet, both wines have this wonderful silky softness and freshness, together with fabulous fruit. There is a density but without any heaviness. It remains a quintessential Margaux – elegant, refined and beautifully balanced. I gave it another 19 out of twenty.

Last but not least, we also taste Pavillon Blanc – Margaux’s magnificent 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Only 15,000 bottles have been made – just over 1,000 cases. For me, it didn’t have the opulence of 2006 or 2008, but was more tightly focused and fresher. It was also more minerally too with a bit more sinew and will certainly age and improve. Again, another terrific success.


Cos d’Estournel

From Margaux, we headed north to St Estephe to taste the wines of Cos d’Estournel, run by my ever-enthusiastic long time friend Jean-Guillaume Prats. (I remember doing my first ever tasting in Hong Kong in 1992 at the Seibu store in Pacific Place). I couldn’t help thinking that Margaux would be a tough act to follow, but I also hoped and felt that Cos would be up to the challenge. And so it proved.

We arrived in weather that I wouldn’t wish to fly through, and were welcomed into Cos’ brand new chai, which looks like something out of a James Bond movie. If you get the chance to see it, don’t pass it up. Architecturally, Cos is one of the most exciting and arresting Bordeaux Chateaux with its exotic Indian and Asian design.

As for the wines, St Estephe and Cos in particular produce much more masculine wines than those of Margaux,. Les Pagodes de Cos had terrific richness and power with hints of leather, black fruit and a lick of cream. Again the tannins are out in force, but they’re ripe and completely integrated. I gave it 17 out of 20.

Similarly, the Grand Vin was a notch up in power, depth and concentration. (For instance, the alcohol is 14.5% on the Cos and the tannin index was almost off the scale at 99!) The result is a deeply coloured, massively tannic and broad-shouldered wine but which also manages to carry off great integration and balance and remain true to the Cos terroir. It really broods on the palate with promise of being a real vin de garde. So much so that Jean-Guillaume reckons it could last as long as the 1870!

Nature gave us everything in 2009, said Jean-Guillaume. We have ripe tannin, wonderful fruit and great acidity.’

Well, that’s it for now because my next stop is a spot of tasting at Batailley where the UGC tasting is being held. It’s usually a bit of a bunfight, but they normally do a good lunch. Then in the afternoon, it’s a stellar line-up of Lafite, Duhart, Las-Cases and Mouton. So there’s plenty more to come.