Seminar 1 - Bordeaux & Beyond
In seminar one of the Working with Wine Fellowship we focused on Bordeaux. We searched for the key characteristics of both left and right banks, tasted vertically through several leading producers and assessed the finest international wines made from the Bordeaux varieties that had spread from the Gironde Estuary to all corners of the winemaking world.
Panel of Experts lead by Nick Ryan included:
Myriam Ruer, Business Development Director Chateau Troplong Mondot
Virginia Willcock, Chief Winemaker Vasse Felix
Gabriel Vialard, Technical Director Haut Bailly
Andrew Caillard MW, Langton’s Endeavour Drinks
*The content below is a combination of the original booklet provided by Negociants Australia and my notes on the day for the wine flights we saw.
FLIGHT ONE - The Left Bank
Wines of structure and standing, long-lived and imbued with architectural detail. We go searching for the subtle differences in the wines that link them back to the commune from which they came.
2015 Chateau Cos d’Estournel, 2eme Cru, AOC St.Julien
Red maroon colour; aromas of coffee, chocolate and dust; medium bodied, fresh, soft and elegant with well-integrated tannins. Showing extremely well.
2015 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, 2eme Cru, AOC Pauillac
Red violet colour; aromas of mulberry, coffee and blueberry; layered flavours of moka, coffee bean and chocolate powder; plush and sinuous tannins. Very elegant and giving.
2015 Chateau Leoville-Barton, 2eme Cru, AOC St. Estephe
Red violet colour; aromas of mulberry, raspberry, earth; palate is fresh with granular tannins, texturally gorgeous, cassis and blueberry fruit shines with oak supporting.
2015 Chateau Palmer, 3eme Cru, AOC Margaux
Red maroon colour; opulent and oak driven bouquet with pure vanilla intensity; It is dense, layered, complete and long on the palate; presents firm and compact tannins due to polished oak from barrique; very opulent and giving wine.
2015 Chateau Haut Bailly, Grand Cru Classe, AOC Pessac-Leognac
Red maroon colour; aromas of earth, coffee; on the palate is structured, long and with persistent granny tannins; it is underpinned by fresh acidity, oak is well integrated yet present.
Flight two – Haut Bailly
A property with a rich history and progressive outlook. Slightly elevated and with roots working deep into the ‘feluns de Leognan’, a distinctive bed of sandstone packed with fossilised crustacea, the property produces refined and elegant reds that speak eloquently of place.
2015 La Parde de Haut-Bailly, 2nd Vin
Red maroon colour; aromas of black tea, bay leaf, crashed rocks and smoke; on the palate is plush, plummy with up front tannic impact; round and giving of immediate appeal.
2014 Chateau Haut Bailly, Grand Cru Classe
Red maroon colour; bouquet is austere and shy, it presents notes of leather and coffee beans; it is light with lean bodied, lacking tannin concentration.
2011 Chateau Haut Bailly, Grand Cru Classe
Red maroon colour; aromas of cedar, chocolate, dust and vanilla; it is tense and crunchy in texture, light in tannins; yet a bit hollow and lacking mid-palate weight.
2008 Chateau Haut Bailly, Grand Cru Classe
Red maroon changing to orange brick colour; aromas of leather, leaf and blackcurrant; it is light and fruit is fading, tannins are not as round, it has low persistency, showing the vintage.
2006 Chateau Haut Bailly, Grand Cru Classe
Red maroon terracotta colour; it has capsicum and chocolate powder on the nose; it is layered, structured and still tight with chewy tannins; compact and alive with room for further ageing. Harmonious deep finish.
Flight Three – The Right Bank
From the prized, and pricey, vineyards of Pomerol, where Merlot is elevated like nowhere else on earth, to the celebrated Chateau encircling the ancient town of St. Emilion, where some of Bordeaux’s most effusive and expressive wines are made, this is the yin to the left bank’s yang, certain similarities, striking differences.
2015 Chateau Gazin
Red violet colour; aromas of plum, violet and blackcurrant; it is tight, fresh and powerful with fine grained tannins; dense with minty edge on the finish.
2015 Chateau L’Evangile
Intense dark red violet colour; it has notes of nail polish, floral and ink; on the palate is dense and powerful, driven by its oak regime. A concentrated wine with lifted personality.
2015 Chateau Troplong-Mondot, Grand Cru Classe
Red maroon colour; aromas of blueberry, plum and violet; It has sweet fruited character, dense mid-palate and voluminous compact tannins driven by oak regime.
2015 Chateau Figeac, 1er Grand Cru Classe
Red violet colour; Bouquet has ripe raspberry and crushed rocks of great personality; Quite a structured palate shape, compact tannins of great definition, long and persistent on the finish; this is a generous wine with sweet red fruited finish.
2015 Chateau Angelus, Grand Cru Classe
Red violet colour; rich and ripe bouquet of plum, raspberry cordial and cedar; on the palate is syrupy, compact and quite dense in flavour. Structured finish due to extensive oak regime. Acidity gives fruit freshness, yet it remains oak driven.
Flight Four – Troplong Mondot
Sitting at the highest point in St.Emilion, on a bed of limestone under lay, Troplong-Mondot produces some of the most enthusiastically praised wines of the commune, notable for their restrained richness and impressive depth.
2015 Mondot, 2nd Vin
Red maroon colour; open and lifted plummy note on the nose; It has bursting flavours, touch hot, it is upfront and inviting, with the alcohol making its presence.
2014 Chateau Troplong-Mondot, Grand Cru Classe
Red maroon colour; pool of aromas of coffee, dust and earth; showing signs of green fruit due to hard vintage with herbal edge and dry bitter tannin.
2012 Chateau Troplong-Mondot, Grand Cru Classe
Red maroon colour; it has lifted aroma of dark cherry and plum; on the palate is dry, savoury, lacks mid-palate fruit weight, tannins are firm and sturdy; finishes long and with quite a back palate.
2011 Chateau Troplong-Mondot, Grand Cru Classe
Red maroon colour; notes of plum, cedar, blueberry in the bouquet; it is structured with plummy and dark cherry flavours; it has chewy tannins and dry finish.
2006 Chateau Troplong-Mondot, Grand Cru Classe
Red terracotta colour; aromas of coffee bean, plum and dark cherry; dry and compact; oak dominant gives body and persistency, feels fresh due to high acidity, plenty to unfold as it presents high tannic concentration.
Flight Five – The Bordelais Diaspora
Perhaps the most compelling case for Bordeaux’s elevated standing in the wine world is the way the varieties that form its templates have spread to every part of the winemaking globe. Inspired by Bordeaux, but carving out characters all their own, this is a bracket of wines celebrating the international conquest of Cabernet Sauvignon and its kin.
2014 Catena Zapata ‘Nicolas Catena Zapata’
Red purple colour; nose is floral with lifted mulberry touch; silky, soft, polished tannins; harmonious and very elegant.
2013 Yalumba ‘The Caley’ Cabernet Sauvignon – Shiraz
Dense red purple colour; rich, blackberry and blueberry bouquet; it is sweet fruited, has chocolate flavour and a very structured finish; plush and dense tannins, layered mid-palate shows the shiraz component.
2015 Vasse Felix ‘Tom Cullity’ Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec
Red violet colour; aromas of eucalyptus, herbs, pencil shavings; on the palate is articulate with complex and crunchy tannins and black tea edge. Deep and detailed. Shows grace and perfume of the region.
2015 Tenuta San Guido ‘Sassicaia’
Red maroon colour; it has a complex nose, purity of fruit dark cherry and mulberry; quiet soft and deep on the palate. Very high-quality tannins of great definition and granny texture.
2015 Opus One
Red violet colour; bouquet of vanilla, blueberry and cedar; on the palate is concentrated, oak driven, tannins are still integrating; jammy and sweet fruited finish.