2005 Bordeaux Futures live: first results

2005 Bordeaux Futures live: first results The 2005 wines of the Right Bank Circle (Cercle de la rive droite ) (First part) The second part will be published tomorrowReport Number 1, April 2 This association is formed of 127 estates spread out over the Right Bank. It was created in 2002 by Alain Reynaud, owner of Château Quinault. He injects into the group a lot of dynamism, as much in the field of external communication as in that of internal thought concerning the quality of the wine made by the members. Last winter, a happy initiative brought together the crus of the Right Bank Circle with the Alliance of Médoc Bourgeois Crus (l'Alliance des crus bourgeois du Médoc) to present the wines to the general public. Why didn’t someone think of it before? The Circle is very active, and I am delighted by this energy which looks at last to restore to Bordeaux producers a liking for meeting the consumer, the very one who keeps alive the whole organisation. Bordeaux has built a unique system of distribution (la Place) which is extremely valorising for the labels which benefit from it. By doing this, this privilege has become a protection, and almost a withdrawal. Now, the future cannot be envisaged without the circulation of ideas and the taking into account of the importance of information and communication. In short, a different culture. What makes the quality of a Bordeaux wine and its difference compared to another or to the wines of other regions in the world? That is what every amateur wants to know, to understand and to experience. The Right Bank Circle will present its wines for three days: 3rd, 4th and 5th April in front of the Grand-Barail Hotel in Saint-Emilion. There you will find a breeding ground of very good wines and, especially, excellent quality /price ratios not to be missed. Here are my comments on the red wines present at this gathering. Pomerol At the moment, I judge the 2005 Pomerol wines to be inferior to those of 1998, the year of reference. I think it useful to give you my feeling so that you judge how to approach a campaign in which a price boom has been forecast. Saint-Emilion and Fronsac I judge this year successful on the clayey-limestone soils and the cold soils of the satellite appellations. These last, just like Fronsac, had a real opportunity to ripen tannins which are very often harsh on these A.O.C. Not all of them have succeeded. Towards more elegance The 2005 vintage has given to the most successful crus a refined and unprecedented dimension which I did not find either in 2000 or in 2003. Even though we are on the Right Bank, kingdom of the Merlot grape, I was expecting broad and round stuctures with volume. Now, numerous wines present more straight structures (Fleur Cardinale, Moulin Haut Laroque, Barrabaque, Barde-Haut, Clos Puy Arnaud). This style resembles a Left Bank profile. It takes nothing away from the mellowness and the flesh of these wines. On the contrary, it brings a depth at the finish unknown ever before. The tannic grain, more refined than usual, is responsible for this sensation. On the other hand, the success of the Cabernet Franc and sometimes the presence of ripe Cabernet Sauvignon tend to stretch out the finish. As for the winemakers, this vintage has witnessed a more nuanced approach towards extraction, and this is new. Traditionally, extraction is less accentuated on sandy soils (taste the lovely example of Planète Bellevue). But it is astonishing to see, for example, that Pierre Bourotte’s wines, usually extracted and woody as Futures, are presented this year with much more aromatic and tannic precision. From this point of view, it is probable that some Bordeaux winemakers have gone into reverse. As a matter of fact, I consider that the sense of balance in vinification is the best vehicle for pleasure for the consumer. Confronted with often angular tannins, the Médoc winemakers understood that a long time ago. On the Right Bank, I attribute this new delimitation of taste to the activities of Stéphane Derenoncourt. Beyond these tendencies, 2005 allows the success of certain estates to appear on all terroirs. It returns thanks to human intelligence. Jean-Noël Hervé at Moulin Haut Laroque could share his ideas when he sees the limits of his marvellous 2000 and wants to do better in 2005. Patrice Lévèque and Hélène Garcin could share their ideas when they improve the standard of Barde-Haut for two consecutive years. Thierry Valette could share his ideas when he brings elegance to Castillon. Who would have thought it possible scarcely ten years ago? I hope that the next revolutions will take place at Montagne and at Puisseguin. La Mauriane and the brand new Beauséjour 1901 could be their principal standard bearers. ARIA de Ch. La Rivière Fronsac 85 Lovely dark red. Nice nose of ripe, flowery Merlot. I was hoping for more from the mouth. Its occupation of mid-mouth is not sufficient. A less pulpy wine than others. BARDE HAUT St-Emilion Grand Cru 93And once again … My best score given to this wine as a future. A highly coloured wine. The nose is delicate, fruity, fresh and noble. In the mouth, this wine stands out from its peers by the nuance of its touch. Meticulous, silky, full, velvety, rich in flavours in mid-mouth, it develops very slowly towards a great complex finish. Then it offers us a tannic grain that only the First Grands Crus Classés of Saint-Emilion know how to present. A very great success and the crowning of permanent effort and reflection. Without a doubt the best Barde Haut ever made. Do not miss it. BARRABAQUE Prestige Canon-Fronsac 88 This black wine smells of blackberry. The cru is certainly one of those where the winemakers were careful with the extraction in 2005. In the mouth, it offers a progressive rise in strength; the pulp appears minor at first and then, after mid-mouth, the weave is enhanced. Fine grain. Very lovely length. A great success in a nearly Left Bank style! BEAU SOLEIL Pomerol 84 The colour is dark, and the nose evokes ripe fruit. The mouth is velvety, with a medium body. The finish remains woody and could have been more brilliant. BEAULIEU Comtes de Tastes Bordeaux Supérieur 85 An estate with Stéphane Derenoncourt as new consultant. I did not like this wine before, considering it rough and simple. I prefer it today. In its favour, it has the pleasure procured by soft flesh and a more distinguished aromatic brilliance. BEAUSÉJOUR 1901 Montagne-St-Emilion 87 - 88An estate with Stéphane Derenoncourt as new consultant. Very lovely colour. Lovely fruity, pure, mellow nose. In this A.O.C. it is not easy to find non-rustic wines. Well, here you have one. Its fresh, flowery, liquorice dimension is astonishing. In the mouth, the wine is full of life, of pulp, of fresh flavours and of pleasure. The finish is long, strong, scarcely mineral and chalky in its lengthy persistence. Exquisite. BEL AIR LA ROYERE Premières Côtes de Blaye 87 - 88 Deep crimson colour. Delicate nose with pure, fresh, mellow fruitiness. Very lovely sensation. Oh, the little darling on entry. Oh, the pulp, the taste, the mellow body, the tannic sappiness at the finish. Impossible to spit out! Beautiful length. Pleasure score: 87 BELLEGRAVE Pomerol 87 - 88 Dark, intense colour. Lovely nose: smoked, fruity, mellow and fresh. The mouth is suave, pulpy, very fruity and meticulous in its tannic supports, and very flavourful at the finish. Lovely length. Lots of pleasure. BELLEVUE St-Emilion Grand Cru Grand Cru Classé 93 Dark, intense colour. Lovely nose of fruit, very fresh and mineral. This wine always offers a delicate sense of touch in the mouth. But in 2005, this touch becomes delicate and most of all fat. Very rich, very pulpy, very elegant in its softness, fruity and tannic, this wine melts in the mouth with notes of liquorice, blackcurrant, blackberry and wood. Never is the tannin felt. A flavour of blackberry jam at the finish. Great, full and refined wine. BONALGUE Pomerol 85 A coloured wine. The nose is discreet with fruit in the bottom of the glass. It has more expression after swirling. The mouth is tender and velvety, with a taste of ripe fruit, but also freshness. Normal length, a shade tannic. BRANDA Puisseguin-St-Emilion 85 An agreeable wine, fruity but with a medium body. Coated tannins. CANON DE BREM Canon-Fronsac 84 A nose of cherry. A tender, light and agreeable mouth. Medium length. CARIGNAN Cuvée Prima Premières Côtes de Bordeaux 86 This wine smells nicely of ripe Cabernet. Fat, juicy and sapid in the mouth, it develops full of energy and ends long and sappy. It is very good. If maturing respects the lovely fruit, the deliciousness will be better. In fact, I usually find this wine a little too woody. I have met Mr Pieraerts who seems receptive to my argument and ready to nuance this approach which is, on the other hand, very expensive. CASSAGNE HAUT CANON LA TRUFFIÈRE Canon-Fronsac 86 Intense, lively crimson red. The nose is fresh, mellow, fruity and delicately creamy. In the mouth, the wine presents both flesh with lots of fruit and a slightly acid note which puckers the palate. We will see how maturing improves it. CHADENNE Fronsac 86 A wine full of pulp, delicious, with a very fruity taste. Very well-coated tannins, scarcely marked by the wood. Lovely length. A success. CHAUVIN St-Emilion Grand Cru Grand Cru Classé 89My best score given to this cru in the Futures. Lovely colour. Lovely nose, mellow and also fresh, with a hint of prune and a hint of cherry. As is often the case, the mouth is tender but, in 2005, it is combined with a very lovely structure evoking the 98. Very lovely second mouth, with velvety tannins. Lovely length. Lots of charm. Equivalent pleasure score. CLINET Pomerol 91 Very dark colour. Delicate nose of fruit, liquorice and spices. Creamy aspect. In the mouth, the wine begins silky, becomes little by little powerful, takes on taste and, most of all, offers a pleasure score as high as the note for potential. I was expecting it to be strong, and it offers itself all in delicacy of flesh. Great sappy, delicious finish. Pleasure score: Clos des JACOBINS St-Emilion Grand Cru Grand Cru Classé 89My best score given to this wine as a future. The colour is intense and the nose also, which is not common for this year. For the first time, I find a delicate fat in this wine, and a velvety aspect full of charm, never broken by rigid tannins (as was the case in past years). Everything melts in the mouth, like a caress. The tannins are particularly coated. Very lovely length. A success. Clos du CLOCHER Pomerol 86 Very lovely nose: fruity, fresh, mellow and smelling of cherry. The mouth is caressing, very fruity, mellow and of average density. The finish has a taste of violet. For once, the woodiness is more discreet and the fruitiness more brilliant. CLOS PUY ARNAUD Côtes de Castillon 89My best score given to this wine as a future. What colour! What a nose! Intense (which is rare in 2005), fruity, with notes of gingerbread and grape. This wine is as good, or even better than the 2003, but constructed differently. The entry is soft, then it expands, takes on a velvety, then sappy dimension in mid-mouth, goes straight rather than rounded and ends with a very high tannic quality. Long, very flavourful and fine. The refinement is unprecedented in the Côtes de Castillon. In that, it resembles the Domaine de l’A. A great success. It is to be noted that this cru is no longer counselled by Stéphane Derenoncourt. Mr Valette is standing on his own two feet. Pleasure score: 88 COTE DE BALEAU St-Emilion Grand Cru 84 This wine does not fit in with the year. Certainly, it presents a fruity nose, but one would say that it was harvested too late. In mid-mouth, it lacks pulp. The finish is tannic and too woody. COTE MONTPEZAT Cuvée Compostelle Côtes de Castillon 83 A fruity and agreeable wine, but light and simple at the finish. D’AIGUILHE QUERRE Côtes de Castillon 84 A coloured wine with a strong nose. The mouth is well-structured and very fruity, with slightly rustic tannins. A style. DE FRANCS «Les Cerisiers» Côtes de Francs 85 - 86 A coloured wine with a fruity, pure nose. The wine is very agreeable for its tannin at the start. The tannin is enveloped and the finish of medium length. DE LUSSAC Lussac-Saint-Emilion 82 Given its good substance, this wine should have more tannic refinement. The cru has not made the most of the 2005 weather conditions so favourable to cold terroirs. DE VIAUD Lalande de Pomerol 83 The tannin of this wine is not sufficiently fleshy. Domaine de L’ÉGLISE Pomerol 86 Dark colour. The nose is fresh, very fruity, slightly creamy and floral. The mouth is very agreeable, without exuberance in mid-mouth, which I regret. Normal length with tannins certainly well integrated but slightly more present than in other wines. DU COURLAT Cuvée Jean-Baptiste Lussac-Saint-Emilion 86 Lovely colour. A remarkably fruity nose which smells nicely of cherry. The mouth is a concentration of ripe fruit and fleshy tannins. good corpulence. Lovely length balanced by a modern woody note. FAIZEAU Vieilles Vignes Montagne-St-Emilion 87 Extremely lovely dark, intense colour. Superb, intense, fresh nose smelling of raspberry liqueur. Luscious mouth, slightly less powerful than the marvellous 2001 but much more refined in its texture. Here is Merlot in all its splendour. It is impossible to spit out. FAUGERES St-Emilion Grand Cru 86 This is fruit juice spiced with a nice woodiness. It has body and length. Even if it is agreeable, the amateur will wonder if the Merlot, harvested very ripe, has not lost its Bordeaux signature? FERRAND LARTIGUE St-Emilion Grand Cru 86 Lovely dark colour. Lovely aromatic and delicately resined nose. The mouth develops full of softness on a very fruity texture, meticulous in its touch, very Merlot as well. A constructed wine and straighter more than rounded. It could fill out during maturing. A success. FEYTIT CLINET Pomerol 88 A brilliant nose of fresh and ripe fruit. In the mouth, the wine begins late, takes on presence and flavour and comes to end long with a note of violet, fruit and toast. Perfectly coated tannins. FLEUR CARDINALE St-Emilion Grand Cru 91 Very lovely colour. Very original nose of spices, sage, evoking the South, except that it keeps freshness. It is without a doubt the most refined wine of Fleur Cardinale. The mellowness is impressive, the taste evokes cherry and raspberry, and the natural strength of this terroir knows how to lose itself underneath the thickness of the flesh. Between this and the 2003, it will be difficult. This is a sort of classic wine, but without harshness and without exuberance either. Very long. Very good. FONROQUE St-Emilion Grand Cru Grand Cru Classé 89 Very lovely bright colour. Very lovely nose full of fresh and ripe fruit. The mellowness of the mouth is unprecedented. It is very flavourful and well constructed in mid-mouth. It has an astonishing aspect: the freshness at the nose and in the mouth and, paradoxically, the least rigid tannins seen on the estate. Very lovely mineral length. FONTENIL Fronsac 86 The colour is dark, and the nose fairly aromatic. The mouth presents itself with a lot of substance, dense, with flavours both fresh and mellow. Normal length. The profile is rather austere given the charm of the year. FRANC GRACE DIEU St-Emilion Grand Cru 82 A wine which lacks body. GIROLATE Bordeaux rouge 87My best score given to this wine as a future. Very lovely dark colour. Very lovely nose, intense, fruity and chocolaty, smelling of grapes. In the mouth, the fat is a marvel! Flavourful, strong, supple, aromatic, this is the most seductive wine that I know from the estate. No tannic rigidity. And, what is more, the vintage gives it a refined touch. Difficult to spit out. GRAND CORBIN DESPAGNE St-Emilion Grand Cru 86 Crimson colour. Very fruity nose. Lovely mouth dominated by a very flavourful quality of fresh and ripe fruit. Creamy tannins, followed by pure, persistent aromas. Handsome. A success. GRAND ORMEAU Lalande de Pomerol 83 In the context of the vintage, this wine still presents overly firm tannins. Medium length. To be watched during maturing. GRAND PONTET St-Emilion Grand Cru Grand Cru Classé 86 The nose of this wine seems to me to be so fresh, pure and different from the usual nose that it contrasts with numerous others. For me, this is a sign of an early harvest. The mouth has a very good taste, and the body is good. Nevertheless, the finish seems to me to be slightly acid. I was hoping for more fat and more maturity in the fruit. Normal length. GUIBOT LA FOURVIEILLE Puisseguin-St-Emilion 87 The colour is dark and the nose fruity and slightly cocoa-flavoured, with notes of almond and raspberry liqueur. Entry of this wine verges on the remarkable. Then, as is customary here (but customs can be changed!) it becomes tannic and loses a hedonistic dimension. Lovely length. HAUT CARLES Fronsac 89 Superb colour, superb nose: fine, fruity and flowery. A nuance of cherry liqueur. An incredible mouth where all tannic tightness moves back to allow space only for the pulp of the fruit. Sappy, elegantly strong, this wine melts on a very lovely finish which is aromatic and subtly powerful. HAUTS CONSEILLANTS Lalande de Pomerol 84 A fruity wine, particularly agreeable in the mouth, neither marked by extraction nor by the wood, which I find felicitous. Normal length. HOSTENS PICANT Sainte-Foy-Bordeaux 85 Since 2004, this cru stands out at last from the rest (I did not appreciate it before, despite the praises of so many others). The mouth is fruity, juicy, dense and tannic, but with more balance and flavour. Medium length. A wine which is mineral in the persistence. HOSTENS PICANT CUVÉE LUCULUS Sainte-Foy-Bordeaux 87 Intense colour. Strong nose. Mouth full of roundedness and flesh. Flavours very, very fruity in mid-mouth. Then the wine develops creamy with a precise and well-thought out tannic coating. Beautiful length. JEAN VOISIN St-Emilion Grand Cru 85 - 86 Lovely colour but a discreet nose. The wine presents from entry a certain tannic dimension which lacks coating. Normal length. This wine does not have the pleasure score of the vintage. L’AMBROISIE du Ch. La Croix des Moines Lalande de Pomerol 84 Beautiful dark red. Slightly animal, fruity nose. The mouth is tender and agreeable, but could be fleshier in the middle. Medium length. LA CLOTTE St-Emilion Grand Cru Grand Cru Classé 83 A coloured wine, with medium aromas but the base remains very fruity. This wine seems to me not yet really formed. It is somewhat light. To be watched. Scored as it stood. LA COMMANDERIE (St-Emilion) St-Emilion Grand Cru 83 This wine does not have the pulp of the vintage hoped for. It is harsh. LA CROIX Pomerol 88 Very coloured, the wine smells nicely of liqueur of red fruit and spices. Caressing in the mouth, almost unctuous, very fruity, this wine flows like a fruit coulis. Impeccably coated tannins. Lovely sappy length. LA DAUPHINE Fronsac 84 Some colour, a very fruity nose, a mouth of medium corpulence and agreeably pulpy. Medium length. LA FLEUR D’ARTHUS St-Emilion Grand Cru 87My best score given to this wine as a future. Very lovely dark crimson red. The nose is creamy and very fruity with a fresh style, and delicately spiced. This tender wine is seductive for its pulpiness at the start and in mid-mouth. It develops fat towards a long and coated finish, with a shade of austerity. As it stands, it is the best wine I have tasted at the estate. Up until now, the woodiness seemed to me to be too present at the finish. After the vinifications, I tasted the separate batches with enthusiasm at the property and I clarified my remark about the dominating woodiness to Ms Salvert. She told me that the 2005 would be matured in new barrels coming from Darnajou, one of the best coopers in Bordeaux.

2005 Futures live

2005 Bordeaux Futures live: first results

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