The Medoc Cru Bourgeois wines, 2009
All communals were tasted blind at Chateau Beaumont (an Haut Medoc). The others I tasted from samples at my house, or from other tastings around the UGC week. In general, the cru bourgeois were interesting, with many wines that showed well and I thought punched above their weight. In 2009, many of the smaller wines produced their best effort for years, easily since 2005. I found that it was as you climbed higher the quality scale that the temptation to turbo-charge became too difficult to resist... until you got right up to the top again and the winemakers seemed to once again relax and have nothing to prove. Anyway, there should be some excellent value wines in this lot.
St Estephe
Chateau Le Crock
Owned by the Cuvelier family of Léoville Poyferré, with female oenologist Isabelle Davin. This has nice bright (60% Cabernet Sauvignon) fruit and a lovely deep nose. It rises on the finish, has some interesting touches of liquorice root and cassis. Promising. 91-92.
Chateau Segur de Cabanac
Owner Guy Dellon sticks to his elegant style here, with a more reserved nose on this wine, from a 7ha estate planted to 60/40 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot. Still a wonderful deep colour, this has more reserved tannins, and less obvious fruit. 89-90.
Chateau Meyney
Almost black in colour, very intense. Chewy tannins, plenty of black fruit, liquorice and coffee. It’s a bit over-extracted, it’s brooding, but not quite delivering. Sustainable winemaking on the 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot and 9% Cabernet Franc. 89-90.
Chateau Laffitte-Carcasset
Definite signs of over-extraction here. Trying hard, lots of coffee, oak, something interesting trying to get out of the 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, but overly harsh finish. 89.
Chateau Serilhan
Didier Marcellis continues to do good work at this estate, now in its second year with Hubert de Bouard as consultant. There is so much ‘matiere’ here. A good nose, very dense, very good croquant fruit, very enjoyable. This is richer in style again than it was in recent years, much more in keeping with the 2008. The whole structure needs to relax and let go a little, but clear quality here. 91-93.
Chateau Lilian Ladouys
Director here is now Vincent Mulliez from Chateau Bellevue in Haut Medoc, as owner Swiss owner Jacky Lorenzetti lives most of the time in Paris. This is another blockbuster colour, lots of extraction, starts off well, good attack, but bitter on the finish. They needed to let up a touch sooner. 89-90.
Chateau de Come
Softer tannins, some good fruit. Good texture, but doesn’t deliver on the finish, and needs more lift. Starts well, and there’s no doubt that this would be an appealing wine if it is well priced. The fruits continue to build in your mouth after the wine has gone, always a good sign. 90.
Chateau La Haye
Chocolate, rich, not as intense in colour, looks like higher merlot and/or softer extraction (this is vinified in stainless steel, and then moved into 1/3 new oak barrels). This is mocha rather than coffee, and has some freshness. 91.
Chateau Domeyne
Owned by Clare Villars of Chasse Spleen, with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon. Some lovely depth of fruit going on in this glass. Inviting nose, and inviting colour with a lovely reflective ruby purple. Pretty good. Red fruits, with some cassis leaf underneath. Wet stones, bracken and good liquorice. This is a big wine, but pretty. 91-92
Chateau Coutelin-Merville
Good deep colour, but this lacks fruit. All sinew, no fat, which sounds better on paper than in the mouth. A lift at the end saves it. 88.
Petit Bocq
Beautiful velvety red. This all look absolutely gorgeous and so far no overt the top alcohol, even if they are big wines. Very good indeed, blueberry and redcurrant, a good lift on the finish. Plenty of tannins but nothing harsh. Good (although we all know now that this has come out at an 18% price rise on last year!). 65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, unsual for Saint Estephe. 93.
Chateau L’Argilus du Roi
A rubier red than many from Saint Estephe, less dense, perhaps because of the 58% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon & 2% Cabernet Franc blend. Has lots of appeal, some nice fruit, but the finish is a little bitter. Owner Jose Bueno was one of the winemakers at Mouton Rothschild for 23 years. 89-90
Chateau Andron-Blanquet
These wines have such weight when they are being poured out, you can see the mouthfeel in the wine itself. Like this one also. Very good freshness, steely core of liquorice, and that has a good personality, stands out from the others, and has good balance. 60% cabernet sauvignon. 92.
Chateau Picard
Big tannins, very chewy and dense. Plenty of extraction, but with sweet black cherry fruit. This is a brooder, it’s big, will take ages to open up, and pretty masculine. Well-made, lacks some elegance for me personally, but hard to mark it down – doesn’t really put a foot wrong. Perhaps alcohol a touch hot? Owned by Maehler Besse. 91.
Chateau Beau-site
Casteja family, located next to Calon Segur. A ruby red colour, plum and damson, slightly more easy going than the previous wine. This is fresh 60% Cabernet Sauvignon fruit, good cherry on the palate. It is high in alcohol, and could be a little better balanced but modern and fruit forward. 91.
Chateau Tour de Pez
This is again a ruby red, Dorothy’s slippers. One that makes you wait for the fruit to arrive, and it’s not that generous, but it’s elegant, and it holds off from any over extraction. This is good. 92+
Chateau Clauzet
Exuberant, open nose. Lots of extraction, but well done. Heaps of vanilla oak also, this is modern, I don’t love it. Obviously well made, and expensively done, but it lacks some charm for me. 90
Chateau la Commanderie
Another nearly opaque wine that is tightly closed and not giving much away. A difficult one to judge, but it sits well in the mouth, and has some complex flavours coming through, with a pleasant minerality and freshness once you give it some time. Very dry though. 90.
Chateau Tour des Termes
Look at the colour of these things!!! Unbelievable amount of polyphenols in these wines. Here I think the extraction has been taken too far, and there is a bitterness on the finish, that strangles what is clearly good fruit. It either needs a long time to soften up, a triple decant. 89.
Chateau Pomys
This has rich extraction and sweet fruit. Had one bad bottle sample at the Cru Bourgois tasting, but tried it again later in the week, and really enjoyed it. Such is the gamble of en primeur!! 90.
Chateau Haut Coteau
Not a great finish. This is tight and pinched, and just didn’t work for me. 87.
Saint Julien
Chateau Moulin de la Rose
Gorgeous nose. Rich deep damson, and good freshness. Gooseberry, a lot of fresh, crispy fruit. Just lacks a little profundity on the finish. 91.
Chateau Glana
Owned by Gabriel Meffre, now working with his sons Ludovic and Julien, with Denis Dubourdieu as consultant. Rich, glass-staining purple colour. Well extracted tannins. They hold you tight, and I am waiting for them to kick in and dry out, but they don’t. This is a big wine, very meaty, but it delivers with lovely fresh fruit. 93+.
Chateau Lalande
I like this a lot, it has liquorice and rich black fruits. 92.
Pauillac
Chateau Plantey
Very big, well worked. Lots of coffee, lots of liquorice. Very masculine, definitely one for the boys. 50% cabernet sauvignon, 45% merlot, 5% cabernet franc. 90
Chateau Fleur Peyrabon
This has good freshness, and the flavours are interesting. There are good layers coming in here, and the tannins are softer and more rounded. More supple overall, I like this a lot. Owned by Patrick Bernard of wine merchants Millesima. 93.
Chateau Fonbadet
Owned by the Peyronie family, this has slightly chalky tannins, which can be good at this stage, and they build up to an insistent finish. Very dry, some good fruit, but could do with a little more roundness. 89-90.
Chateau Haut Bages Monpelou
Owned by the Casteja family of Chateau Batailley, and very different in flavour profile from all the others so far. Slightly sour cherry taste, doesn’t seem typical of the appellation – in fact, when I checked afterwards, this has nearly one-third of cabernet franc, which is certainly unusual for Pauillac. Has some weight, and the tannins are present, but not sure that I would choose a Pauillac if I am looking for these flavours. 89.
Chateau Tour Sieujean
This is onxy black in colour, very intense, also on the nose. Buckle up. The definition of wet stones and flint. That is all about extraction, and nothing about finesse. 70% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot. 88.
Chateau Bellegrave
Another deep colour. Good vanilla new oak nose, but with some freshness also. That has sweet fruit, good well integrated tannins and a nice weight, with a fresh lift at the end. Good. 92.
Margaux
Chateau le Coteau
Ripe red fruit, lots of vanilla oak. Sweet, slightly sickly even. Ripe blueberries, there is definitely some charm and weight to it, and ends well, but all over just a little overdone. 89.
Chateau Paveil de Luze
Chewier, meatier tannins. Seems more of a typical Medoc, and has good weight, but for me it lacks charm. A bit overdone and lacks some personality. Good, but misses its mark. Still nice coffee flavours, a nice pick-me-up. 90.
Chateau d’Arsac
Philippe Raoux delivers black cherry fruits, charcoal and wet stones. Some good depth of flavour and complexity. The mid palate falls away a little, but there is good minerality. 91.
Chateau Marsac Seguineau
Mocha, coffee beans, slightly bitter on the finish. This is okay, but not standout. 89.
Chateau Haut Breton Larigaudiere
Has a nice nose, good fruit., this seems a more classic Margaux, and there is some very nice red fruits. It’s good, maybe lacks a bit of complexity. But fresh, delivers. 63% cabernet-sauvignon, 31% merlot, 4% petit verdot and 2% cabernet franc. 90+.
Chateau La Tour de Bessan
Marie-Laure Lurton produces a soft wine with some liquorice and truffles. Doesn’t really follow through with the promise at the start. 90
Chateau Tayac
Lovely complexity. This is a good wine, very fresh. Like it a lot. 55 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 % Merlot, 5 % Petit Verdot 92.
Chateau Grand Tayac
Also owned by Vincent Mulliez of Chateau Bellevue, and again it is modern in style, with coffee, mocha and dusted chocolate almonds. But it carries this off – very pleasurable. 92.
Chateau Tour de Mons
Rich, big, good grip, it steals up on you and builds in complexity. A burst of black fruits and has a good fresh finish. Again, I am waiting for the tannins to overpower, but they don’t. 93.
Chateau Mongravey
This has the components of good fruit, big tannins, some freshness, but doesn’t come together as well. Needs to bed down, and could be interesting to retaste. 89.
Chateau La Galiane
Subdued nose, if only the palate was so subdued. Horribly over extracted. Perhaps this needs to be retasted, but it certainly misses the mark now! 84.
Chateau Pontac Lynch
Owned by Marie-Christine Bondon, with a blend of 40% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc. Good freshness, very rich extraction and flavour, like this one a lot. 92.
Chateau Deyrem Valentin
Classic Medoc flavours of blackberry and blackcurrant leaf, from owned Jean Sorge. Wet stones, a good dry finish (or a little too dry, but again in that classic Medoc way). Tannins are full. Could develop well. 50% Merlot, 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Carmanere. 91.
L’Aura de Cambon
This is not in fact a Cru Bourgois, but comes from the team at Cambon la Pelouse (that is CB). This has very rich fruit, but a real seam of freshness that is almost mouth-puckering, but end up being really rather pleasant. Lots of vanilla on the finish, that gives a sweet finish, something tells me there is a lot of new oak here. Overall, I like this, there is definite quality here – but not sure that it feels particularly typical ‘Margaux’. 90+
Moulis
Chateau Pomeys
Rich, well balanced good fruit. Not bad at all, ticks all the boxes. 91.
Chateau Biston-Brillette
This again has the good weight of fruit, has some lovely freshness, but it ends badly, with a note of overextraction. 88.
Chateau Malmaison
Okay, this is a more classic Moulis with some lightweight but appealing fruit. 88-89.
Chateau Duplessis
Another wine from Marie Laure Lurton), the fruit is very pure, with bright blackberries, good ripeness and some good freshness. Lacks some complexity and slightly dry finish, but overall good. 89+
Chateau La Garricq
This is interesting. There is good freshness and a good zippy attack. This would be an enjoyable wine to crack open without having to wait too long. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Petit Verdot. 89-90.
Chateau Lalaudey
Owned by Patrick Meynard since 2007, this has a good weight of fruit, and starts off well. Over-extracted though, so the finish is a little bitter – really a shame to waste this fruit. 87+.
Chateau Brillette
Owned by the Flageul family. Vanilla, cedarwood, really quite a good balance of flavours and freshness. Again, a touch of bitterness on the finish that suddenly kicks in. 88-89.
Chateau Granins Grand Poujeaux
Nice texture and colour of this wine, lovely gloopy alcohol as you pour it in to the glass. One of the tastiest in the Moulis line up. This has good weight, nice black fruits, some new oak, and well balanced. 45% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot. Very good. 92-93.
Chateau Dutruch Grand Poujeaux
Another good one – in fact I think the Poujeaux plateau was smiled upon this year! Plenty of good fruits, bracken and wet stones, and good tannins that don’t go too dry on the finish. It’s good, but not elevating. 91.
Chateau La Mouline
Less interesting. The fruit is lacking a little, and the tannins are not weighty enough either. Out of balance. 87.
Chateau Branas Grand Poujeaux
Interesting, definitely a personality and a stance. Its own style. Lots of liquorice and some candy. This tastes expensive. Has a dry finish. Wet stones, tobacco, cigar box. Good, a little oaked but quality. 91-92.
Chateau Guitignan
Rich, but over-extracted. Nothing majorly wrong here, but doesn’t excite – and the good wines in 2009 definitely do. 89.
Chataeu Myon de l’Enclos , Cuvee Emotion
Good overall flavours here, and some nice, well gripping tannins This has structure, and is all in all good, but again fails to really take off. Bernard Lartigue owner. 90.
LISTRAC
Chateau Cap Leon Veyrin
This has rich fruit, purple damsons, and some fresh papaya notes. Velvety texture, good solid tannins, slightly sweet perhaps and definitely high in alcohol, but good. 91-92.
Chateau Saransot-Dupre
Good sweet black cherry, but god that is high in alcohol, and it whacks everything else out of balance. Shame, because there are nicely worked tannins here, but the alcohol is the most prevalent flavour, and that is not what you want from a glass of wine. 87.
Chateau Donissan
Again, this has good fruit and some backbone of tannins, but again the alcohol takes over. 88.
Chateau Fonreaud
This is a chateau that I have increasingly enjoyed in recent years, and owners Jean and Marie-Hélène Chanfreau deliver again this year. Plenty of cedar and vanilla oak on the nose. This has a good balance, and in fact a good complexity of flavours, with plenty of fruit and a fresh finish. 91-92.
Chateau Forcas Hostens
Not successful, which is a shame because I know a lot of investment has been going on in recent years. Almost green tannins on this, and the fruit is hidden. 86.
Chateau Capdet
Plenty of extraction and some juicy fruit, but overall a bit disappointing. Still, at least there is some flesh too it - but it drops off at the end. 88.
Chateau Reverdi
Tastes stalky and very disappointing. 87.
Chateau Fourcas Dupre
Quite hot in alcohol, and doesn't seem to be able to break though that barrier to let the fruit out Don’t understand why Listrac is so different from Moulis?? 87.
Chateau Vieux Moulin
This is better, has grip, some nice fruit and some good fruit tannins. There is a mouth-puckering tannic finish, but it holds up, and it will develop very nicely. Good. 90+
Chateau L’Ermitage
Liquorice, dark bitter chocolate, lots of extraction This is big, and for me has ideas above its station, with major alcohol. Some will like this, but it’s not for me. 89-90.
Chateau Lafon
A softer colour. Slightly uneventful, but this has quite an appealingly soft moutfeel compared to many in this appellation. I think maybe Listrac has just tried to turbo-charge itself, and this one is more restrained, with a good soft aftertaste. Nice. 91.
Chateau Mayne Lalande
Owned by Bernard Lartigue, this has a good nose and is far more in balance than many in appellation this year, with good fruit, good freshness, a weighty mid-palate and keeps its length. This one is easily one of the best Listracs on show here. 93.
Chateau Lestage
Rich in colour, but not as black as some have been. A vey mocha-filled nose, smells very international. On the palate also, this is consciously modern, has a lot of good stuff going on, if a little try-hard. Probably good value though. 55% Merlot, 44^ Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. 90
HAUT MEDOC
Ch Beaumont, Haut Medoc
Nice black fruits, some good balance, but it is high in alcohol – just held in place by the well knitted tannins. There is potential here, and it is big – but honestly it is lacking in some elegance and freshness at the end. All of these wines have a reasonable finish. It’s undoubtedly a good year, but some winemakers think this is good just because it is big. 89-90.
Chateau Agassac, Haut Medoc
Very good. Lovely rich red fruits, some sweet vanilla oak. Lovely powerful structure, with great freshness on the finish. 50% merlot, 47% cabernet sauvignon, 3% cabernet franc , 25% new oak. 93.
Chateau Liversan
Some nice black fruits again, but a little thin on the mid palate. This is a Domaine Lapalu wine, and I often rely on them to deliver very good value, reliable claret. This is good, but falls just a little short. 88-89.
Chateau Peyrat Fourthon
Another really good one. Lots of ‘matiere’ here, extracted cleanly, giving plenty of structure. Very contemporary and international. Like it, but could do with more lift on the finish. 91-92.
Chateau du Moulin Rouge
Lovely good fruit, but the end is a little tough (incidentally, didnt this used to be a cru artisan?) This isn’t as good as some years – I preferred the 2005. But undoubtedly good value, and this should soften up and offer some early drinking. 89.
Chateau Doyac
Owned by Max de Pourtales. Bit over extracted, to the point that the finish is really quite unpleasant. Over worked. 87.
Chateau Cambon la Pelouse
This is often a reliable, unshowy wine, from the Maestre family, and it delivers again. Nice freshness, good balance, perhaps a little hot on alcohol, but there is plenty to hang on to, and lots of development potential. Always a good value wine. 90-91
Chateau Lieujean
A Domaines Lapalu wine, so hopefully again a good value pick. There is nice fruit, blackcurrant and cherries, and plenty of freshness. Not mind-blowing, and lacking a little mid palate, but overall good. 89.
Chateau Peyrabon
Pleasingly soft coffee aromas, with some richer mocha behind. Nowhere near as good as La Fleur Peybaron (this is the Haut Medoc version from the same winemaking team), but a good effort, with some charming fruit and no problems on the finish. 89.
Chateau Dillon
Tasted this also at the chateau, a few weeks before primeur. It’s pretty good, good component parts, nice sweet fruit, quite dense, not harsh tannins. 90.
Chateau D’Arche
A Maehler-Besse wine, that is a success this year. Good, dense fruit, pure coffee flavours, really sharp ground coffee beans. Well knit tannins, and plenty of them. Promising. 91-92
Chateau Caronne Ste Gemme
Olivier Dauga consultant. Very nice. Slightly over-worked and over-extracted, it’s quite chunky. But there is good dense fruit, and it all comes together on the finish. Hoping to go the distance. 90+.
Chateau du Taillan
This is a big wine, they have clearly pulled out all the stops. A little too big, too modern for me, really loses its typicity. But can’t really fault them for effort, and no harsh edges. 89-90
Chateau Paloumey
One of the better vintages that I have tasted at this estate. Still doest really lift off, but there is some delicacy among the big fruit flavours, and definite potential. 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot 90-91.
Chateau Charmail
Good length, soft fruits, nice structure and weight. Enjoyable. 90
Chateau Bellevue
Here Vincent Mulliez shows again that he is playing to an international crowd. There are big chewy tannins, veering towards opulence, but with dense plums and damsons to pad things out nicely in mid-palate, and rich tannins for it all to slide along on. Good development ahead, if lacks a touch of freshness. 91
Ch Larriveaux
Very good quality, nice dense fruit, rich tannins. 91.
Chateau Saint Paul
A wine that comes from vineyards close to Le Boscq in St Estephe, but just over the border in Haut Medoc (not far from Sociando Mallet). Dense, classic, enjoyable. 89-90.
Vn de la Cardonne
Not strictly a cru bourgeois, but from a cru bourgeois property, this is a 100% cabernet sauvignon wine made only in exceptional years. And can I say well done for providing me with the sample in a WIT tube. Very tightly knitted black fruits, the tannins are full, and it only just makes it into the non overdone category, but actually when you sit with this for a while, it is quite soft, and has a definite personality and style. Not very ‘Bordeaux’. Call Vn apparently because 1855 was not only the year of the Grand Cru Classification, it was also when Mendeleev started drawing the Periodic Table (and La Cardonne think of this as their first growth wine). 92.
And a few others...
Chateau Les Grand Chenes, Medoc
We ramp up the colour chart by about 10 shades of Pantone. This is richly extracted and terribly dense. It’s definitely got a presence, but this makes me feel I am over the limit just with one sip. 89.
Clos du Jaugeyron, Haut Medoc
An attractive bright primeur purple. This is so different from the turbo-charged 2009s. Still richly fruity, but with elegance and restraint, and utterly delicious, lip-smacking, mouth-watering levels of acidity. Just lovely. 93+
Ch Senejac, Haut Medoc cru bourgeois
This has lovely bright fruit, and really good definition of flavours. Successfully ripe without overdoing things. This is now (biodynamic?? Organic??) but same team as Pontet Canet. Good length, very crips fruit (this is the definition of ‘croquant’). Zips along. 92+.
Ch d’Escurac, Medoc cru bourgeois
This has a smooth and elegant nose, red fruits, nothing too overpowering. Slightly less successful on the palate, a little flat, but there are some pleasant fruits here, and this is a non-too-showy take on 2009. Tiny bit hot on the finish. 87.
Other very good Haut Medocs:
Chateau Cissac
Cha Malescasse
Chateau Trois Moulins
Chateau de St Gemme
Ch Montail d'Arsac (a lighter, fruitier wine, but very good)