With the 2009 en primeur campaign winding down and our top ten biggest selling wines of the vintage now published, I decided to dash to Bordeaux to re-taste some our most successful 2009's and see how they have developed. I always think we taste them too early on in March/April and with an extra 4 months in barrel it would be fascinating to see how they have developed from our first, hurried look when we tasted nearly 300 wines in four days.
Jean-Charles Cazes pours his 2009's
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I haven't driven to Bordeaux from London for many years as it's so much easier and quicker to fly from Gatwick. But, with baggage and children on board I decided to give it a go by road with DJ Sammy at the controls of the I-pod and me behind the wheel. Leaving Wandsworth at 4.30 am in order to catch the 7.15 catamaran from Poole to Cherbourg, we made it to the banks of the Gironde at Blaye in exactly 11 hours, just in time to catch the car ferry across the river to the Medoc.
First appointment was at Lynch Bages where Jean-Charles Cazes poured samples of 2008 (the Echo de Lynch is going to be a delicious first vintage) and 2009. The Ormes de Pez 2009 was showing brilliantly. On this showing it was the best young vintage that I have ever tasted from this cru bourgeois and it certainly looks like the several hundred customers who spent £20 per bottle on this wine have a real bargain on their hands. It was certainly punching well above it's weight with a deep colour, huge blackcurrant nose and a rich, ripe fruit-filled palate, gorgeous! Then on to the Lynch Bages. This is clearly a great vintage here and it seems to be plumper than it was last time out with even more flesh on the mid palate and the tannins now more integrated. Undoubtedly the best vintage of Lynch since 2000 but it could well surpass that great wine and become a rival of the famous 1989 and 1990. A fabulous wine, without any shadow of a doubt.
Cos and his little brothers.
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The next morning we started in Saint Estephe at Cos d'Estournel. This is one of the vintage's most controversial wines, I am convinced that it is going to become a wine of legendary status. The colour remains black and glass-staining with amazing viscosity and density. Yet, despite the obvious power, it is beginning to knit together nicely. The tannins and acidity ensure that this is not simply a fruit bomb. The wine is finely balanced despite it's weight and the finish is so long that we can still taste it as we head down the road to Pauillac. "Awesome" say my teenagers. For the first time in their lives they may have finally used the word correctly.
Young Vintages of Pontet Canet line up in front of the vineyard.
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Another awesome wine soon follows. We are met at Pontet Canet by Melanie Tesseron who pours a sample of the 2009 into a decanter which immediately looks like it has been made out of black glass. The nose here simply wafts out of the glass with cassis and prune notes to the fore. On the palate it is incredibly thick but definitely not Jammy. Despite the fabulous concentration there is elegance and finesse. This really is a brilliant wine that the Tesserons are sure is the greatest Pontet Canet ever made. To prove the point the famous 2005 follows (and then the 2003 with lunch). We already know that these are great vintages here but the 2009 really is even better!
Barrels of 2009 Grand Puy Lacoste.
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Next stop is Grand Puy Lacoste. The Lacoste Borie is smooth, soft and supple. This should provide easy drinking soon after bottling. The GPL itself is very different in style and extremely serious. A deep colour, the absolute essence of cassis. Sweet yet structured and supremely elegant and classy. This is a fantastic Paulliac of great purity and balance that looks set to rival the great 1982 that was made here. The 2005, opened next (which I know is a great wine) seems to lack intensity in comparison. The 2007 (which is a lovely early drinker) has no chance in this company.
The Mighty Mouton 2009.
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We then call in at Mouton Rothschild where I am again absolutely bowled over by the Armailhac. I am convinced that this would blow away the 2005 and has to be the greatest vintage ever at this Chateau. What a nose! Classic cigar box and lashings of cassis. A brilliant expression of Pauillac and it seems even better than the very good Clerc Milon. Then on to another wine that definitely outperforms its 2005, the great Mouton 2009. What a stunning wine. This must be what the 1959 and 1982 tasted like from barrel. Multidimensional on the nose and palate, there is gorgeous sweetness and wonderful creme de cassis richness of fruit. Opulent, powerful and balanced by ripe tannins. One of the greatest young wines that I have ever tasted.
The Baron.
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At Pichon Baron's stunning circular winery we squeeze in a quick taste of another superb 2009. Not as obviously sexy as Pontet Canet or Cos, this is a wine of great class and breeding. Even after Mouton, it stands up well.
The Latour family.
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We then cross the road to Chateau Latour. There's a huge reputation to maintain here but this a property on top form. The Forts de Latour is outstanding, a wine of super-second quality that reminds me of the Pichon Baron. Intense black cassis fruit with a twist of spicy oak. Then Latour itself. It's not as exuberant and decadent as Mouton but it has a depth and precision that cannot be beaten anywhere. This is the ultimate expression of Cabernet Sauvignon, rich but dry, opulent yet sophisticated. A stunning wine with a finish that goes on and on. The 2000, 2003 and 2005 are all brilliant here but this will be the best of the lot. A nailed-on 100 pointer!
Barrels of 2009 Rauzan Segla.
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Our day is concluded at Rauzan Segla where John Kolasa has brought Saint Emilion to Margaux with a sample of his 2009 Canon. Super-sweet with plums and cream, this is an absolutely gorgeous wine that is without doubt the best Canon since 1982. It's not cheap but John knows that this is one of the greatest wines of his distinguished career (and that includes Latour 1990 by the way!). After a marathon day's tasting we finish off with wonderful Rauzan Segla. After 8 hours spent tasting some of the greatest young wines of my life, this doesn't disappoint. A wonderfully polished, supple and creamy Margaux.
It's hard to imagine a better day's wine tasting than this one. For my fifteen year old Sam it was his first day ever of tasting red wine. His first day of black teeth, lips and tongue. In case his Mum's reading this, yes, he did spit every last drop. He could be tasting wine for the next 50 years and never experience a day like today again. If you spent a bit more money on 2009 Bordeaux than you anticipated, relax, it'll be worth every penny.
