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+--- Thread: 2008 UGC Bordeaux Tasting Notes (/thread-6271.html)
- TheEngineer - 02-01-2011
It took a few days to get these all in a row. Overall, very nice tasting. Very good whites and very good reds that are attractive now, with an overall sense of good structure, acidity and freshness. Hard to not drink many of these now.
Pessac Leognan
Chateau Carbonnieux Blanc, 2008: Nose is fragrant, almost tropical fruits and melon, on the palate much the sale with decent density, perhaps a touch tart, good structure and length
Chateau Carbonnieux, 2008: Nose of sweet red fruit a touch candied, lacking some of the structure typical of the vintage, decent if a bit simple and lean. Medium length.
Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, 2008: Wonderful vibrant nose, vervy, nervous acidity, melons, starfruit, , light and juicy, very fresh and very long
Domaine de Chevalier 2008: Fragrant red fruit, black berries, blue berries, and nicely floral, on palate, elegant entry, nicely structured, with red and dark fruits, coco, good freshness, length and persistence.
Chateau de Fieuzal Blanc, 2008: Reserved nose, mineral driven white, grapefruit, a bit tart but lithe and elegant, teeth achingly acidity and good length. Different in style to other whites tasted here.
Chateau de Fieuzal, 2008: Decent red fruit, blueberries, coffee, a bit to oaky on the nose for now, lacking precision of some of the other wines here. Tannic and structured if but a bit simple.
Chateau Haut-Bailly, 2008: Deep color, nose of classy cherry and dark fruits. Smooth and balanced on entry, with wonderful red cherries, berries, attractive, good structure and length.
Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion Blanc, 2008: Pale gold in color, pretty nose and similar on palate, balanced and long, appeared to be slightly off dry, lacking complexity of some of its competitors.
Chateau Larrivet Haut Brion, 2008: Earthy nose, a bit smoky, sweet red fruit, decent density and approachable.
Chateau Pape Clement Blanc, 2008: WOW, explosive nose, tropical, dense, oak, melon, very dramatic. On the palate, there is no disappointment, grippy, juicy, same flavors as the nose, tropical fruit along with the structure of the oak, very long and nicely structured. Good acidic backbone.
Chateau Pape Clement, 2008: A very elegant nose, a bit reserved, a bit smokey, dark fruit. Super smooth entry on the palate, sweet red and ripe fruits, coffee, gravelly, great structure, acidity. Very nice and very long.
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, 2008: Nose is of creamy lemon, melons, implying good density. On entry, good density of flavors, tropical fruit bowl, nicely balanced with a bit of austerity midpalate.
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, 2008: Floral nose, very pretty again, red berries and cherries dominant. On the palate, much the same, elegant sweet red fruit, tobacco, oak not yet integrated, needs time.
Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Angelus, 2008: Perhaps I was looking too much forward to this wine but certain no better than above average for the day. A very reserved and reticent nose, hints at something good. On palate, crunchy red fruit, lighter in density and body but good structure. Some austerity midpalate, pretty and hopefully just very very tight.
Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot, 2008: Nose of red and dark berries, cedar, some spice and oak. On palate, the tannins are at the forefront, dark fruits, oak, a bit discombobulated at this point but looks to be another lovely BSB.
Chateau Canon, 2008: a lighter nose, floral, crunchy red fruit, fresh, followed on the same on the palate, perhaps a touch too tart but nicely structured.
Chateau Canon-La-Gaffeliere, 2008: Very nice solid nose, good precision and focus dark and ripe fruits, coffee and oak. On the palate, lush, smooth, sweet red fruit, blueberries, oak, lovely acidity, grippy, tannic and long.
Chateau La Dominique, 2008: Dark garnet in color, fresh, intense nose, high tone acidity, deep dark fruts, oak, smoky, some spices, tannic and good acidity, balance. Smooth on the entry.
Clos Fourtet, 2008: Reserved nose, deep dark berries and blue berries on the nose and palate, along with tobacco, toasted oak, and spicy. Good length and structure.
Chateau Grand-Mayne, 2008: Nicely surprised here, very pretty nose, attractive red and dark berries. On palate, lush, smooth entry with red and dark fruits, good complexity, tobacco, leafy, nicely structured, tannic and grippy. Punched above its weight for sure.
Chateau La Couspaude, 2008: Slightly muted nose, dark, ripe, berries. Pretty bright dark garnet color. Hints of coco and spices. The entry is round, rich and smooth but still tannic, grippy and full bodied. Good structure, length and persistence.
Chateau La Dominique, 2008: Lovely cedar and red / dark berries on nose, bright deep garnet in color. Entry is very round, rich smooth, but tannic and grippy along with tobacco, toasted oak, and spicy.
Definitely full bodied with good structure, acidity, and persistence.
Chateau Larmande, 2008: Slight funk to nose, dark berries, spicy. Palate is tighter, red and dark berries, floral, coco, good grip and a touch of austerity with a shorter than average finish.
Chateau Pavie-Macquin, 2008: Softer, more into red berries side, grippy but perhaps not a great sample bottle??
Chateau Larcis Ducasse, 2008: Reserved nose, on palate, elegant entry but very tight and very reserved but very fresh. Tough to see behind this one.
Chateau Troplong Mondot, 2008: Deep opaque garnet in color, Muted nose, but extracted deep dark fruits, good purity and focus, extracted, lush, great length, tasty. Very structured, oaky but decent balance. Very long finish.
Pomerol
Chateau Clinet, 2008: Lush and viscous looking on pour, opaque, deep and dark garnet in color with nose of dark berries, smoky, cedar, rich and spicy. On entry, very smooth, very round, but still fresh with good red and dark berries coco, pencil lead, good acidity and long finish.
Chateau La Conseillante, 2008: Very different then the Clinet. Very nice here, lovely nose, slightly sweet fruit, cedar, thought provoking. On palate, elegant, red berries, cedar, good complexity, nicely structured but not in your face, great balance.
Chateau Gazin, 2008: Deep opaque in color. Nose of dark ripe fruits, coco, toasted oak. Very smooth on entry, red and dark berries, oaky, coco, and tannic but very structured and juicy. Long finish.
Chateau La Cabanne, 2008: Attractive taut red fruit on nose and palate, very fresh but perhaps a touch tart. Medium body with medium finish.
Listrac / Moulis
Chateau Cantemerle, 2008: Lighter nose, floral and red fruit, simple but nicely structured if a bit lean. Good acidity.
Chateau Clarke, 2008: Dark garnet in colour with lifted floral and red fruit on nose, on palate, somewhat the same, classic in style, structured red fruit, good acidity, medium body and finish.
Chateau Poujeaux, 2008: Classic Bordeaux nose, red fruit, some oak, spices, good density if somewhat straight forward.
Chateau Chasse-Spleen, 2008: Nose and palate of floral, tobacco, oak, fresh red fruit, a bit austere but nicely structured, tannic. Fresh.
Haut Medoc
Chateau Citran, 2008: Nose is open, with sweet red fruit but accompanied with high acidity. A bit simple but still tough and acidic with a shorter finish.
Chateau Camensac, 2008: Similar to Chasse Spleen, with a good amount of tannins right now, dark fruits, tight and needs time to unwind.
Chateau La Lagune, 2008: Dark garnet in color. Nose and palate of dark and sweet ripe fruits, good complexity, oak is at forefront now but not oppressively so, good structure.
Medoc
Chateau La Tour de By, 2008: Nose is fresh, lighter red fruit but ripe, nicely balanced wine, density fruit density and complexity, structured with perhaps a touch too much acidity.
Margaux
Chateau Brane-Cantenac, 2008: Darker more serious lower tone nose, but on palate, very closed, very tight, astringent and not showing much. Medium bodied with good acidity.
Chateau Durfort-Vivens, 2008: Nose of red and dark fruit and floral nose, medium bodied. On palate, crunchy red fruit, a bit simple but solid and fresh.
Chateau Kirwan, 2008: Lifted floral nose, good structure, firm red fruit, oaky and slightly disjointed. Tannic, grippy and medium + length.
Chateau Labegorce, 2008: Nose of dark fruit. Entry is smooth with good texture, round. Ripe dark fruits with good structure, acidity and medium finish.
Chateau Lascombes, 2008: Lifted, spicy nose, lots of oak, dark rupe fruits, good deep garnet in color. Tannic, grippy and young. Oak all over the place but structured with good acidity. A bit austere but good length.
Chateau Malescot Saint-Exupery, 2008: Deep and beautiful nose, deep red, blue and dark berries, well considered oak, tannic and grippy, spicy with great body and balance. Nicely structured and long finish. Lovely wine!
Chateau Marquis de Terme, 2008: Nose and palate of red berries and toasted oak, straight forward, good structure and length.
Chateau Prieure-Lichine, 2008: Floral nose, red and dark berries, ripe, round, smooth entry with dark fruits, spicy oak.
Saint Julien
Chateau Branaire Ducru, 2008: Attractive bright nose, nice crispy red berries on nose and the palate, medium body, tobacco, a bit oaky right now, medium length, and acidity and decent.
Chateau Gruaud-Larose, 2008: Nose is lighter, leafy, red fruit, tea, lighter than competitors. On the palate, much the same and a bit tart, austere, tight, not showing much but was fresh.
Chateau Langoa Barton, 2008: Tough not to compare to stablemate, both good wines, but Leoville better. Starts off slightly muted nose, more lithe and a bit sweeter than the leoville. On the palate, sweet dark fruits, coffee, spices and good high toned acidity, length and structure. Drinking well now.
Chateau Leoville Barton, 2008: Nose is more deeper and more serious than Langoa, darker fruits, a bit mores spices and coffee on the nose. Round entry, with red and dark berries, spices, very well balanced and long finish.
Chateau Leoville Poyferre, 2008: Nose is more reserved, muted. On palate, great smooth round texture is the first thing that hits you, then the dark fruits, more ripe than Barton, coffee, pencil lead, firm oak and tannic. Grippy and more �masculine� than the Bartons but perhaps not as elegant.
Chateau Saint-Pierre, 2008: The nose is pretty and sweet. On the palate, red fruit, slightly sweet, dense, happy disposition. Round texture with dense flavors, floral, good acidity but not as structured as some of the others. Very approachable now.
Paulliac
Chateau Batailley, 2008: Lighter nose and palate, crunchy red fruit, cigar, cedar, a bit austere but very elegant, smooth.
Chateau Clerc Milon, 2008: Nose and palate of cedar, pencil lead, perfumey floral nose with ripe dark berries and fruit. Good structure and nicely put together with good length.
Chateau Grand-Puy-Ducasse, 2008: Nose is thinner, lighter, more astringent. Red berries, high acidity.
Chateau Pichon-Longville-Baron, 2008: Solid red berries on the nose, could sense the depth of this wine, spicy. On the palate, ripe red and dark berries, pencil lead, coco, very nice density but with good balanced, grippy tannins, good structure and acidity, super long finish. This one needs time.
Chateau Lynch-Bages, 2008: Nose hints at a deeply structured wine, full of ripe dark fruits, blueberries but quite different on the palate, a bit of herbs, almost herbal/medicinal (not in a bad way though), tobacco, tough, tannic, a bit leafy but nicely balanced, good complexity and balance.
Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtess de Lalande, 2008: Lovely wine, nose of high toned acidity, red and dark berries, tobacco, pencil lead, floral, a bit smokey, very attractive. On the palate, the red fruit is crunchy, judicious oak, great texture, smooth and grippy, finish goes on and on.
Saint-Estephe
Chateau Cos-Labory, 2008: Muted nose but better on palate, classy if somewhat lacking in precision, tannic, medium body with medium finish.
Chateau de Pez, 2008: Muted nose with red fruit and oak on palate, a bit simple and not altogether at this point in time.
Chateau Lafon-Rochet, 2008: Nose and palate of deep ripe fruit and blueberries, tannic with good grippy texture, tannic, good complexity, a bit floral.
Sauternes
Chateau Climens, 2008: Pale gold with a hint of green in color. Wow, just beautiful nose, dense and fresh and elegant. Honeyed, tropical, lush with great density, obvious boytrytis with Chrysanthemum, apricot, super length, super classy, wonderful purity and did I say super length??
Chateau Coutet, 2008: pale gold with hint of green, muted nose, peach, apricot, lighter on the palate, fresh, honeyed, floral but a bit simple, lacking in density.
Chateau Doisy Daene, 2008: Nose of pineapple, some tartness, light and lifted. On the palate, sweet pineapple, a bit simple but good length and medium thickness.
Chateau de Rayne-Vigneau, 2008: Pale gold, muted nose, not showing much, nicely smooth texture, stone fruits, pineapple, good length and very fresh.
Chateau Guiraud, 2008: Tighter nose, pale gold with a hint of green in color, Entry is smooth and lush, nicely thick and viscous, obvious boytrytis notes, with Chrysanthemum, honey, apricot, citrus, sweet good balancing if almost teeth tingling acidity, nicely done!
Chateau La Tour Blanche, 2008: Reserved nose but honey and Chrysanthemum, honey and much the same on the palate, stone fruits, nice focus and length.
Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud, 2008: higher toned than competitors, more served nose. On palate, good density, very sweet, light botrytis, chrysanthemum, medium finish.
Chateau Suduiraut, 2008: Light pale gold in color with a hint of green. Very very fresh, exotic nose is explosive like a tropical fruit bowl being shoved up your nose, pineapple, lychee, and much the same on the palate. Not as thick as the Guiraud but absolutely lovely, great balance, good length and great persistence, a very very nice wine!
[This message has been edited by TheEngineer (edited 02-01-2011).]
[This message has been edited by TheEngineer (edited 02-03-2011).]
- hotwine - 02-01-2011
Whew! That's a bunch of notes! Thanks for taking the time!
- Kcwhippet - 02-02-2011
Hey, Mike, don't you have a job???
- Thomas - 02-02-2011
I was thinking the same thing as KC...
Great notes, Eng.
- winoweenie - 02-02-2011
Hims' job is to keep us peons up-to-date on the good stuff happening in the wide-world-ob-wine. [img]/ubb/wink.gif[/img]WW
- wondersofwine - 02-02-2011
I'll have to try to get some of the Chateau Suduiraut. I have two bottles remaining of the 2003 but nothing after that. I also want to purchase some Leoville Poyferre. (The other Leovilles are usually too expensive for my budget.)
Thanks for the notes. Are you straying into the Bordeaux rather than the Burgundy camp or do you still delight in both?
- Kcwhippet - 02-02-2011
Seriously, I know he does have a real job. So, when is he able to do all these tastings??? Something's just slightly amiss here.
- TheEngineer - 02-03-2011
Foodie and KC, You have to mix a little fun in your work! [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img] I had client meetings in Toronto conveniently that day so I went up and stayed the night so I could attend the UGC in Toronto. Returned the morning of Wednesday and left the office a little early to attend the UGC in Boston which was a late afternoon event). Of course, this was after having gone to he Boston wine expo on the Sunday previous...still putting together notes from that one.....
While I really like clients in Hawaii in February, they are not always in need of me so I'll take them where they come [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img] Besides, I'm training for me Summer trip (planning going on right now for a bunch of wine regions).
- TheEngineer - 02-03-2011
WoW, no, I've not strayed yet, heart and stomach are still positioned where they should be Red in Burgundy and White in the Mosel. [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img]
This was just a pure Bordeaux event so that is why the notes are the way the are.
- Thomas - 02-04-2011
In the immortal words of Rodgers and Hart,
"If they ask Engineer, he could write a book!"