Chronicle 25. Bind Tasting: a necessary but limited technique. Sauternes 2003: crus classés. 2004: château Margaux, château Latour

Blind Tasting: a necessary but limited technique Sauternes 2003: crus classés 2004: château Margaux, château Latour The price of the 2005s Bordeaux 2006 Jean-Luc Thunevin has opened a wine bar in Saint-Emilion Bordeaux 2002: new results available on my web site Chronicle n° 25 (July 17th, 2006) BLIND TASTING: A NECESSARY BUT LIMITED TECHNIQUE One day in 2003, I was one of a group of amateurs of wine who met for a comparative tasting of fourteen vintages of Mouton-Rothschild, Lafite-Rothschild and Latour from one of our cellars. The principal object was to distinguish Mouton from Lafite and Latour, which was a theme born of the idea the Mouton Rothschild is often a wine which is very – or overly – typified by its toasty grilled nose and its tannic texture which is harsher than that of Latour and especially that of Lafite. The object was not attained. I was unable to confirm this hypothesis definitively. The result of the tasting, already published in French, will be published in English at the end of this year. Since that tasting, I have been reconsidering the importance I gave to blind tasting up until now. I believe it to be a necessary technique, but limited for appreciating the quality of a wine. Necessary to compare and evaluate, away from any influence from the label. Limited, as I have noticed that blind tasting can lead to distorted results that I cannot recommend to my readers. This is especially true if a large number of wines is being compared. But what alternative is there when a lot of wines are to be tasted? I realised that it is not because a wine comes first after a large blind tasting that it can be considered to be the best. Even worse, I do not think it possible to rely on this sole result to recommend the wine. The reason is simple: - large comparative blind tastings, with more than fifteen wines, always cause over-evaluated results due to the tasting effect of quantity (the obligation of the taster to be more in demand by excitation in the mouth) more than the comparison. This technique, put forward in the name of democracy and in the interest of abolishing the privilege of labels in order to judge more freely, is excellent for determining any effect linked to dilution or concentration of the substance of the wine. On the other hand, it is unreliable for determining the refinement of a wine. Now, with equal concentration of substance between wines, I consider that the best, the greatest, is precisely the most refined. As a critic, my role is first of all to guarantee to my readers that the quality of the wine that they are about to open and drink can stand alone. If I tasted it well at a comparative blind tasting, then before promoting it, I check, by tasting it again, alone, under different circumstances, that it continues to give me great satisfaction. How is it possible to achieve such a level of verification? Living in Bordeaux, a few minutes’ away from the greatest châteaux is an unquestionable advantage. But I also give great importance to the tastings I do in clubs where the bottles are shop-bought. I get enormous feed-back from these. It was thanks to these private tastings that I realised that there were often significant variations from one bottle to another in the same case: information that producers of quality wine will have to take into account in coming years. ( See Chronicles from 03/17/2004… ) SAUTERNES 2003 What a fabulous vintage! The great majority of my scores have increased. Barsac is offering really splendid wines. The liveliness and the freshness produced by the limestone soil give them extra grace with regard to Sauternes. Château Guiraud in the Sauternes is a ravishing creation, helped by the freshness of a high percentage of Sauvignon (35%) and perfect botrytis. For the first time, my American colleague, Steve Tanzer ( see International Wine Cellar, his independent publication ) has given his best score for sweet wines of the 2003 vintage to Nairac, before Climens. I am really delighted that Nicolas Heeter-Tari’s work of high quality is at last being recognised by others than me. Well-informed amateurs should not delay their purchases! NAIRAC goes up from 95 to 98 What pleasure to taste this beside Climens. It overtakes it, offering an even purer and fresher nose. A royal mouth with a totally ethereal strength. CLIMENS goes up from 93 to 96 Here is the greatest Climens that I have tasted for 40 years. A dream in the mouth! GUIRAUD goes up from 94 to 95-96 Its nose evokes the majesty of the ’89. The vintages are rare when Guiraud combines strength and refinement to such a point. COUTET goes up from 93 to 95 Its density and suppleness recall the excellent 1990. Very fresh nose of lime. The mouth is complex, deep, dense in the middle and very, very long. A great fine wine. CLOS HAUT PEYRAGUEY goes up from 93-94 to 94-95 What an entry. At the moment, it is the only wine to offer the nuances of orange peel characteristic of the region. SUDUIRAUT goes up from 91-92 to 93 This is the greatest recent success. The estate now wants to commit itself to the hard choice of producing non-chaptalised and non cryo-extracted wines. RABAUD PROMIS goes up from 90 to 92 Great nose of pear. Slightly iodised nuance in the mouth. Very present botrytis. Great roast finish. RAYNE VIGNEAU goes up from 89-90 to 91 It stands out for its fine nose and its fresh fruitiness. This freshness continues in the mouth, balanced by a brilliant and aromatic rather than candied fruitiness. Great length. Fantastic value for money. LA TOUR BLANCHE maintains its score of 90 The first part of the mouth is slightly heavy. The second part is more slender and long. LAFAURIE PEYRAGUEY maintains its score of 90 This is the best vintage that I have tasted of this cru since 1989 and the superb 1985. It stands out for its very precise balance, with none of the heaviness I found in other years. D’ARCHE. I had not tasted it again before bottling. 90 This score is a nice surprise which I hoped to verify at another tasting. DE MALLE goes up from 88-89 to 89-90 It combines the freshness of the fruit and the more supple notes of a noble structure without any heaviness. DOISY-DAENE goes up from 88 to 89-90 Candied, fresh nose. Mouth dominated by a lovely aromatic character: fresh, fine and complex. The finish is less acidly tart than before and closer to spice. DOISY-VEDRINE. I had not tasted it again before bottling. 88-89 Intense nose of lime-blossom and menthol. Melting mouth, very fruity, agreeable, slightly discreet in the middle but long and flavourful. SIGALAS RABAUD 88 I gave it a better score before bottling. This bottle showed a strong reduction of the nose, which will disappear with swirling. In the mouth, I felt the lack of a magic note. LAMOTHE GUIGNARD goes up from 86 to 87 The nose is slightly iodised and slightly salty. Almost creamy mouth, flavourful, slightly compact. Good length. DE MYRAT goes up from 85 to 85-86 The mouth is more nuanced than usual and less compact. SUAU maintains its score of 84-85 It smells of orange flower. Light, agreeable mouth. CAILLOU. I had not tasted it again before bottling. 84 A discreet and simple wine. RIEUSSEC was absent from the tasting. 2004 Until April, I considered Château LATOUR to be the best wine of the vintage. However, Château MARGAUX has just overtaken it. This wine was particularly good at tastings last April while it was being clarified. The technical team could not believe their taste buds! Tasted again on 30th June after clarification, it continues to fascinate me because of its particularly aromatic and complex nose. The elongated, deep and extremely flavourful mouth presents a texture with a sophisticated grain. It is impressive for its very great length and drinkability. Bottling is planned for the end of August. These latest scores now place this wine among the great successes of the estate. Given the price, a third of that of the 2005, a few bottles deserve a place in good cellars. Scores record of Château MARGAUX 2004: April 2005 as a Future: 94-95 June 2005 during maturing: 94-95 September 2005 during maturing: 94 April 2006 during clarification: 97 June 2006 after clarification: 97 Scores record of Château LATOUR 2004: April 2005 as a Future: 95 June 2005 during maturing: 95 November 2005 during maturing: 95-96 April 2006 : 95-96 PAVILLON ROUGE 2004 89 - 90 On 30th June, this wine was being bottled. And yet what a lovely surprise at the nose! In the mouth the wine is not as it usually is. Generally speaking, a second wine differs from the first in quality and, above all, in style. However, this Pavillon Rouge 2004 is much more like a scale model of the first than a different wine. This sensation is explained by the higher proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blending: 60% compared with 50% in other vintages. The extra 10% maintain the sensations at the finish. The wine stretches out in the mouth. Up until now, this was the privilege of Château Margaux. Other elements of the blending: 38% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot. The whole of the 2004 results will be published in September. THE PRICE OF THE 2005s Could the rapidly degrading situation between Israel and the Lebanon have an impact on the unusually high prices of the 2005 wines? Private individuals who have invested 15,000 to 200,000 € in the Futures will be unable to not ask themselves this question. BORDEAUX 2006 The size of the bunches of 2006 is very similar to that of 2004. Jean-Michel Dubos from Château Beauséjour Duffau in Saint-Emilion says: “The yield was low in 2003. The vines caught up in 2004. We’re seeing the same phenomenon between 2005 and 2006.” More than ever, green harvests are necessary. For the time being the weather is warm, but humid and stormy. In Saint-Emilion, between 19 and 22 millimetres of rain fell during the storm on July 4th and the rain on July 5th while the rainfall of August 2005 scarcely reached 13 millimetres there. Up until today, therefore, 2005 still maintains the privilege of a slowly and smoothly developing vegetative cycle so favourable to the natural concentration of the grapes. JEAN-LUC THUNEVIN HAS OPENED A WINE BAR IN SAINT-EMILION A useful information for those visiting our region this summer. Ultra modern atmosphere, wall mirrors, apple green and plum coloured armchairs, a superb selection of great wines by the glass. The place to be is 6, rue Guadet in Saint-Emilion. It is designed to satisfy curiosity (Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Trotanoy and numerous other wines can be tasted on the spot). We drank a Trotanoy ’99 (90) . This is a wine which is getting better and better, once it has been aerated (this is typical of the vinification of Jean-Claude Berrouet). All the same, make sure that the bottle has just been opened. I personally loathe oxidation and I know of no system capable of protecting the wine in an opened bottle for long. It was an opportunity to exchange a few words with Jean-Luc Thunevin, whose office is just above, on the limits of blind tasting … He agrees with the point of view developed in this Chronicle and already published in French in the Carnet n°48. And you? BORDEAUX 2002: NEW RESULTS AVAILABLE ON MY WEB SITE At this moment of madness over prices for the 2005s, isn't it relevant to look at the development of the taste of the 2002s in the bottle? Little valorised on the market after 09/11, as it happens the 2002 vintage offers a palette of excellent bargains. Tasting of red wines confirms the qualitative predominance of the Left Bank over the Right Bank. This volume has commentaries on 403 wines, red, dry white and sweet white, fom the best appellations of Bordeaux. They are classed by potential scores and by pleasure scores. It can be ordered on the site at the price of 13 euros. Enjoy the report! Jean-Marc Quarin My next chronicle will be published on September 1st, 2006. _______________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author: Jean-Marc Quarin Sarl, 10 allée de Ginouilhac, BP 40, 33320 Le Taillan-Médoc. France. Tél. 00 33 (0)5 56 35 83 93. Fax 00 33 (0)5 56 35 86 50. E-mail : jmquarin@wanadoo.fr

2006 Chronicles

Chronicle 25. Bind Tasting: a necessary but limited technique. Sauternes 2003: crus classés. 2004: château Margaux, château Latour

Subscribe

Subscription

Wine name	(Producer, appellation, etc.)