TAG ARCHIVES: Bordeaux2010

There have been so many new releases from Bordeaux that it has been completely impossible to keep up with them, and no chance to do justice to them. What a pity wines with a story like Pedesclaux, Marquis d’Alesme and Marquis de Terme could not have given us a chance to shine a light on them. Also out is Tour Carnet, at a level which seems reasonable amongst its peers, and Réserve de la Comtesse from the returning to form Pichon Lalande.

As it is after ten more releases yesterday and about twenty this morning, we also have Talbot – which I thought was showing the (positive) influence of consultant Stéphane Dérenencourt whose second vintage in charge this is, and is probably the best Talbot I have tasted en primeur. Langoa Barton, which goes from strength to strength and is one of the great Saint Juliens in a slightly more approachable style than its very grand brother Léoville Barton. And we also have the release of Jonathan Maltus’ Le Dome and other single vineyards wines and finally, (which feels like the last straw!) Léoville Poyferré, which will be offered first to last year’s buyers but get you orders in. Please also refer to the recent releases page which we try to keep as up to date as possible.

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A raft of relatively minor releases – Grand Corbin, Blanc de Lynch Bages (described by Neal Martin a ‘very fine indeed’), Carbonnieux red and white, La Fleur Cardinale, and then getting more serious: Jean-Philippe Janoueix’s La Confession, a very well made saint Emilion which rates a score of 92-95 from Robert Parker. Malartic Lagraviere in Pessac-Leognan scores well in red (92-94 RP) and white (18.5 Steven Spurrier). Echo de Lynch Bages, the newly renamed (in 2009) second wine of Lynch Bages, which like its big brother gets better and better.

Then we start getting into the really big boys, Giscours, at £500 is certainly pushing up the level for its reputation here – it is a nicely fresh style and rates 17.5 from Jancis and 92-95 from Robert Parker.

Pontet Canet and Calon Segur are both also out, but with the amount released down both these hotly demanded wines are on allocation. If any stock remains after last years’ buyers we will go next to those who have wish-listed, so get you order in now.

The second wine of Cos d’Estournel Pagodes de Cos has also been released. As was remarked by Jean-Guillaume Prats when we tasted (and he obviously said the same thing to Robert Parker) this is a better wine than many examples of Cos from the ’70s and ’80s – which you can take as a way of preparing the market for this price.

This afternoon sees the arrival on the market of last year’s runaway sucess Haut Bergey, as well as Phelan Segur, Larrivet Haut Brion, and many more. It is very hard to do justice to them all when they all come out at once, but they should not have waited so long.

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The morning’s big news is the release of 2010 Château Gruaud Larose at £530 per case in bond. This is up on 2009 (which looked a bargain at the end of the campaign by comparison to wines like Lynch and Pontet Canet), but it is also ‘the best Gruaud I have tasted en primeur’ (my note), and ‘the finest Gruaud Larose since the 2000 and the 1990’ according to Robert Parker.

Claire Villars’ Château Haut Bages Liberal is also out this morning. This is up around 12% on 2009, but as a top-performing ‘secondary’ Pauillac, it offers good value relative to its neighbours. "The finest Haut-Bages-Liberal I have tasted in many years" acording to Robert Parker. De Fieuzal red and white are also out. De Fieuzal Blanc is up around 18% on the 2009 release price. It has some cracking notes including an 18 from Jancis and the remark that it is ‘one of the great dry whites of the vintage’ from Robert Parker. Offered in six-bottle cases. De Fieuzal red is up around 10.5%. This makes it into Robert Parker’s list of the ‘Top Performers of the Vintage’, but he rather ruins the effect by saying the 2008 may be better.

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The Château owners are rather boxing them selves into a corner by continuing to wait to release their wines. The reason today seems to be a holiday in China. A couple of second wines with good pedigrees have followed the Pomerol Château Beauregard (same price as last year) onto the market today. Les Hauts de Pontet Canet is up 33% on the 2009 release price, while Parde de Haut Bailly is up a more modest 7%.

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Château d’Armailhac, made by the Mouton team, is out this morning. It is up just over 17% on the 2009 release price. The wine is well-regarded, and reputedly selling fast in Bordeaux – offered subject to stock remaining.

We also offer today the excellent Pomerol from Jean-Philippe Janoueix, Château La Croix Saint Georges, which represents good value in an appellation that was highly successful on 2020, and where other top wines will be much more expensive.

Finally, for this mail at least, we have the modern but classical Saint Estephe Château le Boscq, which has a very good following as a relatively early drinker.

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As attentive readers of earlier blog posts like this one about the ‘tango of en primeur’ will know, we are avid fans of Denis Durantou, maker of Chateau l’Eglise Clinet. Denis also makes a line-up of considerably less expensive but great value wines from the surrounding appellations, and these are offered today. Montlandrie, Cruzelles, Saintayme, and La Chenade all come strongly recommended, although my own favourite in the 2010 line-up was the Montlandrie, which is really the epitome of the Castillons I keep saying are brilliant value this year. When I said this to Denis he quickly re-shuffled the order of the bottles in the tasting, and said "this is how I rate the terroirs of my properties". The new order had Montlandrie second only to l’Église Clinet itself, and above Cruzelles and even La Petite Eglise.

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The French (and Bordelais in particular, it seems) being not respecters of English bank holidays, we do have a few releases today, but seeing as I’m at Seaview and should be watching my son sail, I’m going to keep this short. Ferrière is the pick of the bunch here, even if I am sad they could not keep the price down, but this is a much more serious wine than du Tertre. Meyney seems to have divided opinion – read all the notes but I did not particularly get it. Both Larmande and Clos Puy Arnaud (the latter another of these top-performing Castillons I keep mentioning), could offer good value.

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Château Poujeaux has followed Chasse Spleen onto the market at the same price. Château Bernadotte, the ‘entry-level’ wine from the Pichon-Lalande stable is out this morning too. This offers good value in a tight, classical but glossy style. Château Rol Valentin comes recommended by me – and see Jancis’ note too as it is very similar – a real, racy wine despite its ripeness and elevated alcohol level. Michel Rolland has released his ‘home’ property, the excellent Fronsac Fontenil. Finally Cap de Faugères is another good value wine from the underrated Castillon area, this one under the same ownership as Chateau Faugères (Saint Emilion).

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Chasse Spleen is out this afternoon, up around 7% on last year.

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Bravo again to Francois Despagne for this year’s Château Grand Corbin Despagne which is a Saint Emilion which just tastes real, remarkably unforced, and unites the English palates: "Good juice and flow, it tastes like real wine" L&S, "Proper wine!" Jancis Robinson, "very pure and precise" Neal Martin, "Splendid wine with extra depth and purity of fruit" James Lawther (Decanter). It is offered at the same price as last year, and comes recommended.

Château du Tertre is possibly slightly pushing its luck – it is no better than the 2009 (but probably very close in quality), but offered around 11% more than last year. But it’s hard to find a Cru Classé Margaux for less, and it offers solid value in a big, round, slightly sweet and smudgy style.

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