TNs: Mainly Bordeaux

No Eurovision here but was a long weekend for us!

MAINLY BORDEAUX AT SSG - (16/5/2022)

The Las Cases was the clear WOTN, all the Las Cases training from a generous friend has clearly paid off as I don’t think I have ever been surer in guessing a Bordeaux. Was also a farewell for a friend so brought one of my favourite vintages of Magdelaine, and the Daniel Landi as I have seen many positive reviews across various sources but I have yet to try any from my stash. The Magdelaine showed beautifully but unfortunately I was left quite confused by the showing of the Landi.

  • 2011 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Blancs La Haute-Lemblé - France, Champagne
    Had the usual Bouchard signature of the interplay between ripe fruits and low dosage. Agree with the friend who brought this that this is his best cuvee but unfortunately this didn’t transcend the vintage. Very good still but missing the tension and cut of better vintages. (91 pts.)
  • 1990 Château Rausan-Ségla - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
    Very pleasant, it had the bright red and sweet fruit of 1990. Fully resolved tannins that melted in your mouth, probably on the gentle downslope. (91 pts.)
  • 1990 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
    Pristine cork, might have been a recent release. Fruit was a little overripe but yet still slightly vegetal, was also slightly fading and couldn’t keep up compared to the massive frame of the wine. Alcohol was most obvious on the finish among all the wines. (88 pts.)
  • 1995 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    Didn’t feel like the cleanest wine, fruit was muddled and fading. Don’t think that this was ever great in its lifetime. (88 pts.)
  • 1990 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
    All the training on Las Cases paid off, once I smelled and tasted this I immediately knew what this was from the slightly green note on the nose, together with the wonderfully elegant and silky tannins / texture. Similar notes to the previous time I had this, a remarkably consistent wine given its age. Clearly the best wine of the night and lucky to have had this three times in the last year. (96 pts.)
  • 2000 Château Magdelaine - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
    Gave this a couple hours of air and it really blossomed compared to the previous time that I popped and poured. I don’t care for Bordeaux aromatics most of the time but Magdelaine always has a wonderful dark-fruited nose that is both charming and haunting at the same time. Staunchly traditional without any excess, very good showing and the second favourite of the night. (94 pts.)
  • 2016 Daniel Gomez Jimenez Landi Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León Las Iruelas El Tiemblo - Spain, Castilla y León, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León
    This was actually slightly better on opening with more structure with less sickly sweet red fruit. Very distracting cough syrup note without much elegance, and seemed to lose its structure with air. Reminded me of a not very serious Bojo. Off-bottle or am I a luddite who doesn’t understand these new-school producers (which includes some Burgundy makers)? (86 pts.)
  • 2015 Domaine Nowack Champagne Cuis - France, Champagne
    Big step-up over the entry level that I tried previously. Less lean and felt more balanced with ripe green apple notes, the Sans Annee felt like it had no fruit at all. Nice salinity on the finish.

  • 2019 Claude Riffault Sancerre Les Denisottes - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre (14/5/2022)
    Much better than the 2017 I tried before, which alludes to my previous opinion that my preference for Loire whites lies on the younger side. More tension than the 2017, with a slight sweetness on entry. Good roundness and texture without any greenness for a SB but not overly ripe or tropical either. Very good, just not not as stunning as the best Sancerres. (90 pts.)
  • 2010 Château de Beaucastel Côtes du Rhône Coudoulet de Beaucastel - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône (14/5/2022)
    A little tired, the tannins were fully resolved and rather soft which made the wine a little flabby. Lots of plum and liquorice on the palate, this was verging on generic old wine territory. Based on previous notes this appears to be an off-bottle.

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1995 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Didn’t feel like the cleanest wine, fruit was muddled and fading. Don’t think that this was ever great in its lifetime. (88 pts.)

I’ve had several bottles of that over the years and I agree, it was never better than just decent.

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What’s strange to me is how much better the 1994 and 1996 were vs. the 1995, among older P-C’s.

Thank you, Mel. Good to see a scoring range of 86 to 96.

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