St Emilion & Pomerol

There are two things that are immediately striking about this region. The first is the village of St Emilion itself. A fairytale medieval village under laid by an enormous system of limestone galleries. The second is the wine contained in these cellars.

I would not have thought it possible to produce merlot-dominant blends with the rich fruit depth and structured but soft tannins that are achieved in these wines. Singularly extraordinary.

Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere

High profile producer of very dark wines in Gaffeliere. All wines tasted were 2000 barrel samples.

2000 Chateau d’Aiguilhe Very Good

80% Merlot and 20% Cab Franc from vineyards on the St Emilion Plateau.
Incredibly dark purple. Superb dark fruits on a rich nose and palate, with drying tannins, falling off just a little short on the finish. The second vintage of this less expensive label. One to watch.

2000 Clos de L’Oratoire Very Good

90% Merlot, 5% Cab Sauv, 5% Cab Franc.
Incredibly dark again. The nose is closed tight, but the palate reveals some very good plumy berry fruit and big, drying but fine tannins. I found this particular wine very difficult to judge at this stage of its development, but I suspect that it will become very good.

2000 Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere Excellent

60% Merlot, 40% Cab Franc.
Very dark purple again. The nose and palate are both quite closed at the moment, revealing only faint wisps of bright raspberry fruit. There is good fruit hidden somewhere in the palate, with slightly spicy characters and good length. A wine that will no doubt emerge as excellent after ten to fifteen years in the cellar.

2000 La Mondotte Excellent+

80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc from a single 4Ha clay/limestone vineyard yielding just 20-22 HL/Ha, resulting in a very special wine indeed.

Impossibly dark, even more so than the others. A very rich but closed nose, concealing very big fruit of all descriptions. The palate is simultaneously closed and huge. Proportions that I did not consider possible for a Merlot-dominant blend. The medium grained tannins are of appropriate dimension for such a wine, and the length is excellent. Leave it in the cellar for twenty years or more. To this day, I remain in ignorant bliss as to the price of this wine!

Chateau La Croix de Gay

A family producer in Pomerol since 1477.

1998 La Croix de Gay Excellent-

90% Merlot, 5% Cab Sauv, 5% Cab Franc. 35HL/Ha.
Medium red-purple. A beautifully fruity nose of rich cherry, raspberry and plum. The palate has the same fruit, with oak-derived chocolate and vanilla hints. The finish is good, medium length with medium levels of finely structured tannins. The oak is currently a little disjoint. Needs up to a decade to come together.
$53

Chateau Canon

Prestigious St Emilion producer.

1998 Chateau Canon Premier Grand Cru Classe Excellent

Old vines. 80% Merlot, 20% Cab Franc. 60% new oak.
Dark purple-red. The nose is superb, with licorice, oak and cassis. Faint musty hints quickly blew off, giving way to a very rich, fruity palate with excellent, fine, soft tannins, full acid and good length. Drink in 5-8 years.

Chateau Figeac

Together with Cheval Blanc, the largest estate in St Emilion. Its gravelly vineyards have been in the family since the second century, and today produce wines with the largest percentage of Cabernet on the right bank. Basket pressing and 18-24 months in new oak ensure that the fruit shows at its best.

1989 Chateau Figeac Premier Grand Cru Classe Very Good+

35% Cab Sauv, 35% Cab Franc, 30% Merlot. Good vintage.
Tasted from a half bottle.
Glowing red-purple with browning edges. A complex but elegant nose of medicinal hints and soft, integrated fruit. The palate is similar, boasting quite full, medium grained tannins. Length is good, but the tannins are a little overwhelming on the finish of an otherwise gentle wine. I couldn’t help but wonder whether it might have aged a little more consistently in a full sized bottle. After time in the glass it opened up beautifully to richer fruit depth and chocolate hints. It still probably needed longer to open up fully.

Chateau Angelus

Progressive producer in St Emilion.

1999 Chateau Angelus Grand Cru Classe Excellent

75% Merlot, 25% Cab Franc. 20 months in 100% new oak.
Very dark red-purple. Rich berry fruit is the feature of an intense nose. The palate opens out into excellent plum and raspberry fruit with hints of cassis, together with liquorice and vanillin oak. Tannins are quite big, but very good, with medium grained texture. The length is also excellent, although the finish is slightly woody and tannic. I am told that its drinking window is 2005 to 2020.

Sauternes

Just one afternoon and two wines were enough to sell me out on Sauternes forever. Admittedly, not just any two wines. But the regional style was clear.

The micro-climate and geography of this area contribute a complex array of factors that encourage the onset of Botrytis Cinerea and consequent concentration of fruit. The producers go to every length possible to bring out this concentration, and the results are absolutely superb.

Chateau d’Yquem

The most meticulous attention to detail produces one of the finest wines in the world. No cost is spared in this pursuit. 115 Ha on varying soil types produces complexity. A mere 6-8 HL/Ha produces concentration. Grapes harvested one at a time at a minimum of twenty degrees baume produces consistency. The harvesters may return to the same vineyard up to eleven times. There are multiple sorting and culling stages before the fruit is pressed in both pneumatic and then vertical basket presses. Fermentation is followed by three and a half years in 100 percent new oak. And then only the best barrels are kept for the final blend, a reasonable percentage being sold off as generic Sauternes. The rest is bottled on premises and stored for a further one and a half years. No more than 110 000 bottles are sold in any vintage.

1996 Chateau d’Yquem Absolutely Exceptional+

80% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc. Current release; good vintage.
Glowing golden-yellow. My host claimed that this wine was rather closed at the time. By ordinary standards, I found it anything but closed. Amazingly complex, with nothing less than marmalade, apricot, lemon, orange and lemon butter. Despite all this, an elegant wine – not too sweet or syrupy. The acid balance was excellent, and the intensity and length were incredible. A five minute finish. Remarkably, no oak characters, despite three and a half years in new oak. Drink it in twenty years, but don’t be afraid to leave it for one hundred. I have no doubt that it will evolve to become sensational.

Chateau Suduiraut

Premier Cru producer with similar production procedures to d’Yquem, albeit less rigorous. Grapes are picked in part bunches and ageing occurs in 70% new oak for 18-22 months.

1996 Chateau Suduiraut Excellent+ to Exceptional-

Glowing golden-yellow. Again, the nose was apparently closed. I found it to be rich and intense with citrus, marmalade and apricot, albeit more understated than d’Yquem. The palate was a bright burst of manderine, honey and faint perfumey, floral notes, followed by a soft, lighter finish of toffee. Very smooth mouthfeel with good acid. Elegant but complex, and superior to any Australian sweet wine that I have experienced. Drink in 10-15 years.
$67

The Medoc

These wines hardly require an introduction. While their price may be prohibitive to most of us, the quality is superb across all levels. The right bank may accuse the left of being more concerned with profits than quality wines, but there is certainly no shortage of the latter. Second, third, fourth and fifth growth wines are well worth seeking out, as are the second and third labels produced under many of the top growths.

The wines of the Medoc are deserving of their reputation, and the 2000 vintage is all that it has been talked up to be.

Chateau Lynch Bages

Fifth growth producer near Pauillac whose wines transcend their classification.

1997 Lynch Bages Very Good-

73% Cab Sauv, 15% Merlot, 10% Cab Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. 70% new oak. An early maturing vintage; not the best example of the style.

Medium red-purple. Ripe red berry fruit is the feature of an intense nose and palate. The palate goes on to include slightly dusty/musty secondary characters, finishing with soft, medium grained tannins and medium length. It is recommended to drink from now to ten years, but personally I would err on the earlier side.

Chateau Latour

The absolute top of the tower! Across its range, producing some of the most spectacular red wines in France, indeed anywhere in the world. All of the 2000 barrel samples showed incredible complexity and fruit intensity. Extensive renovations to the premises promise great things to come.

Chateau Latour’s focus has been on ripe tannins, moving away from the priority on higher potential alcohol of twenty years ago. The result is wines that are better balanced and more approachable when young, albeit shorter lived.

2000 Pauillac Excellent-

64% Cab Sauv, 36% Merlot. 20% new oak, 80% 2 year old.
Deep purple-red. A rich but slightly closed nose of cassis and blackberries. After 30 minutes it opened up significantly to ripe fruit with raspberry nuances. The palate is an excellent reflection, with bright raspberry fruit and cassis overlaying an excellent acid structure. The tannins are soft, medium grained but full, and the length is medium to good. A very pure, fruit-driven style which can be drunk from now to five years time.

2000 Les Forts de Latour Excellent+

65% Cab Sauv and 35% Merlot from the youngest vines in the clayey grand cru vineyards. 40% new oak.
Deep purple-red. The excellent bouquet is very rich with dark fruits, liquorice, cassis and berry fruit. Quite closed at first, although it opened up nicely with time to include oak-derived chocolate and vanilla aromas. The palate was similarly closed at first, but revealing ripe plumy/pruney fruits surrounded in a superb acid and tannin structure. Excellent length. I would label this wine as fruit-impressive, rather than simply fruit-driven. In any case, drink it in 10-15 years.

2000 Chateau Latour Absolutely Sensational!

77% Cab Sauv, 16% Merlot, 4% Cab Franc, 3% Petit Verdot from the oldest vines in rocky and gravely vineyards. 13-14 months in 85% new oak, in a trend to move away from the 100% new oak of years passed. This sample was tasted three months before fining and blending, but is apparently very similar to the final blend.

Very dark purple-red. The nose was closed at first, and yet incredibly rich and complex with cassis, tobacco, vanillin oak, faint varietally correct leafiness, and a liquorice aroma that is apparently a Latour trademark. Half an hour really drew the nose out, opening to much more intense fruit and a dash of prune. Very concentrated fruit aromas.

The palate is a similar contradiction. While still closed, it displays an explosion of intense fruit. Big, mouth filling and medium grained tannins. Big vanillin oak is second only to the huge fruit. Apparently the oak is more prominent and the fruit a little more closed than it was a few weeks previously. Minutes of length. Leave it alone for twenty years.

1995 Chateau Latour Excellent+

From a 375mL bottle. Great vintage.
Dark red-purple, almost with hints of browning. A very big nose of toasty tobacco and faint earthy and medicinal hints. A similar palate, toasty, with hints of black olive and wisps of smoke. Big and full, medium to coarse grained tannins and excellent length. Drink in fifteen years.

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

1997 Grand Cru Classe Very Good

55% Cab Sauv, 30% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc, 10% Petit Verdot. 18-22 months in 60% new oak.
Medium purple-red. An intense, fruity nose with secondary characters of dusty mushroom that are becoming familiar to me with this vintage. Fairly light, medium grained tannins and good length. Again, the vintage has produced a wine that is not particularly impressive.

Chateau Mouton Rothschild

Very prestigious estate, requiring no introduction!

2000 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Exceptional+

86% Cab Sauv, 14% Merlot from vines of average age 45 years (minimum 10 years) in gravely and sandy vineyards. 85% new oak. This sample still has six months to go in barrel before fining.

Very dark purple-red (fining will lighten it slightly). An incredibly rich nose of intense cassis and berry fruit, with liquorice and vanillin oak. The palate is likewise superb, displaying full and intense cherry and raspberry fruit. Plenty of oak is engulfed by very ripe, juicy and powerful fruit. The structure is great, with full acid and medium grained, mouth filling tannins. Drink in 15-20 years.

Chateau Pichon-Longueville de Baron

A highly regarded, longstanding producer with an impressive modern production facility. The 2000s tasted are barrel samples, and all others are from 375mL bottles. New wood aromas in the tasting room made bouquets a little difficult.

2000 Pibran Excellent

50% Cab Sauv, 45% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc. One year in 20% new oak and 80% 2-3 year old.
Very dark purple-red. Cassis is dominant on an intense and fruity nose. The palate has cassis, blackberry and blackcurrant fruit with excellent tannins and acid, and good length. This fruit-driven style is enjoyable now, but will live 10-15 years.

2000 Les Tourelles de Longueville Excellent+

50% Merlot, 45% Cab Sauv and 5% Cab Franc from 3-15 year old vines. Also one year in 20% new oak and 80% 2-3 year old.
Very dark purple-red. The nose was very closed at first, but opened remarkably to intense cassis and blackcurrant. The palate has superb, rich and bright cherry/berry fruit underlaid by plenty of deep oak characters. Tannins are big in extent and medium grained in structure, and length is very good.

2000 Pichon Longueville de Baron Exceptional+

70% Cab Sauv, 25% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc. This wine spends 15 months in 80% new oak and 20% one year old. The sample tasted has three months remaining in barrel before it is fined. It differs from the final blend in that it has seen barrels from only one cooper. As is common in France, the final wine is a blend of barrels from ten coopers.

Incredibly dark, purple-red. At first, the nose was very rich with complex and intense fruit. But with time it just kept on opening up, to levels of intensity and concentration that I have never imagined to be possible. The power of the sweet fruit and cassis are quite extraordinary. The palate is similarly incredible, at first with superb blackcurrant fruit and plenty of oak, then evolving into concentrated, sweet cassis. Big, mouth-filling tannins and excellent length finish off a superb wine. Exceptional+ is a conservative rating.

1999 Pichon Longueville de Baron Excellent+

58% Cab Sauv, 37% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc. 15 months in 70% new and 30% 1 year old oak. A poorer vintage; the Pibran and Les Tourelles not particularly good.

Deep red-purple. Intense berry fruit with hints of chocolate, developing into the tobacco realm with time in glass. Very good tannin structure and length.

1998 Pibran Very good

70% Cab Sauv, 25% Merlot and 5% Cab Franc from a good vintage.
Medium to deep red-purple. A closed nose shows the beginning of some nice secondary, developed characters. The palate is fruity, with cedar and spicy oak on the finish.

1998 Les Tourelles de Longueville Excellent-

60% Merlot, 30% Cab Sauv, 10% Cab Franc.
Dark red-purple. At first the nose was quite closed, but with some coaxing it surrendered a nice blend of secondary and primary aromas including cassis and faintly medicinal, developed characters. The palate has some reasonable fruit and nice secondary complexity, but it will take a number of years of solitary confinement for these to be released.

1998 Pichon Longueville de Baron Exceptional-

75% Cab Sauv, 25% Merlot.
Dark to very dark red-purple. A very good nose of tobacco and cedar. The fruit is quite closed on the nose at the moment, and no length of time in glass would persuade it out. The palate is a different story, with excellent, ripe berry fruits supported by good acid, excellent tannins and a good finish. Give it ten years to pull itself together.

1996 Pichon Longueville de Baron Exceptional

80% Cab Sauv, 20% Merlot. The 1997 was light and developed, and the 1995 was corked, but the 1996 made up for them both. An excellent vintage.

Very dark red-purple. An excellent nose was not reluctant to reveal wonderful secondary characters; a little medicinal, smoky and faintly leathery. In time, the fruit began to come through, together with hints of chocolate and tobacco. A similar palate, with slightly meaty/savory flavours. Leave it for another 8-10 years.

Cos d’Estournel

Impressive St Estephe estate producing excellent, long-lived wines. Tastings are from barrel.

2000 Les Pagodes de Cos Very Good

70% Merlot, 30% Cab Sauv from 10-20 year old vines. 12-14 months in 55-65% new oak.
Very dark purple-red. An intense but closed nose of rich fruit depth and plenty of oak. The palate boasts the same big oak and somewhat closed blackcurrant and plum fruit. Big dusty tannins and good length. Needs a decade in the cellar.

2000 Cos d’Estournel Excellent to Excellent+

60% Cab Sauv, 40% Merlot from 20-35 year old vines yielding 40 HL/Ha. 18-20 months in 80-100% new oak.
Inky, incredibly dark purple-red. Cassis and liquorice are the highlights of a rich but closed bouquet. The palate follows in form, with closed dark berry and cherry fruit a little overcome by big vanillin oak. Firm, full, dusty tannins support a finish of good to very good length. A wine that will no doubt increase in rating given time to fully open up. Needs 10-15 years to come together.

Chateau Margaux

1997 Chateau Margaux Very Good+

80% Cab Sauv, 10% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 2% Cab Franc.
Medium red-purple. A ripe, but not particularly rich, fruity nose precedes a palate driven by soft red berry fruit and soft tannins. No secondary characters yet, except perhaps faint coffee and tobacco hints on a long finish.

Pessac-Leognan

Chateau Haut Brion

Top Graves producer, now surrounded by the suburbs of Bordeaux. A very progressive approach, exemplified in such initiatives as custom built fermentation tanks with sloped bottoms, experimentation within their own cooperage, and extensive research into new clones. The elegant but powerful house style is exemplified in Haut Brion’s philosophy that:

A good wine should have everything, but nothing more.

1999 Haut Brion Excellent

60% Merlot, 30% Cab Sauv, 10% Cab Franc. Good vintage.
Dark purple-red. The nose is rich but closed. Reserved, but disclosing a very big potential. The palate is only slightly more giving, with excellent, intense blackberries, liquorice, and suggestions of cassis. Rich, ripe and fruity. The tannins are full and medium grained, and the structure is excellent. A long finish is quite tannic. Wait at least 6-7 years before visiting this one; I’m told it will survive up to 20-30.

St Joseph &
Cote du Rhone