Bordeaux Futures 2008: Results (Part 6)

News2008 Pomerol (part 2) - 26 tasting notesSixth report (April 13, 2009) NEWS For the first time, The Jean-Pierre Moueix negociant house presented their wines with a free sulfur level lower than usual (but not too low), in accordance to what is practiced almost everywhere. So far, it was the tasters to adapt to the wine’s life whatever shape it was in. However, a freshly sulfated wine for its barrel ageing appears discolored and thin on the palate. Least palatable, it is exposed to circumspect comments from customers as well as bad ratings and reviews from critics. Therefore, by facilitating the readability of its wines in a morose economic climate, the famous house shows proof of a very British pragmatism. After all, isn’t life more beautiful when customers are enthusiastic? ______________________________________ POMEROL (part 2) - 26 TASTING NOTESBEAUREGARD Pomerol 15,25 - 15,5 // 87 Showing a lovely dark color with a fruity, fresh, pure and ripe nose. On the palate, this wine offers fruit and a caressing body with taste. Tannins are fleshy and Beauregard slightly lacks power on the mid-palate. It finishes of medium length. BELLEGRAVE Pomerol 14,75 // 85 - 86 Showing a vivid purple color with a fruity, fresh and aromatic nose. The wine performs tender, fruity and silky, becoming elongated from the mid-palate, and finishing aromatic with licorice flavors, and a medium length. BOURGNEUF VAYRON Pomerol 15,5 // 87 - 88 For the first vintage of Mrs Frédérique Vayron, this wine is unrecognizable in its presentation. Offering the darkest color that I have ever seen from this estate, followed by a very ripe and fruity nose that (also) appears unrecognizable given how much it used to be on the verge of ripeness in previous vintages. On the palate, this wine performs rounded, fat and fleshy; it is indeed one of the fleshiest wines ever seen from this property. Dense, aromatic and tasty, it finishes long and suave, with plenty of taste. Such a fragrance indicates that we are facing a noble wine location that is only waiting to be revealed. Barrel ageing should do the rest. A stricter pruning as well as coulure and millerandage have cut the harvest by half, thus producing yields of 24 hl/ha. This wine is sold by Etablissements JP Moueix under the name of “Château Bourgneuf”. After checking with the estate, it is the same wine, with just a slight change in the name on the label.CERTAN MARZELLE Pomerol 14,75 // 85 - 86 This wine offers a nice color and a discreet nose. While caressing and soft on the palate, it nevertheless remains of an average overall expression. FUGUE DE NENIN Pomerol 14 // 84 As often, the color of this wine is quite intense, yet the nose remains discreet. Rounded and juicy on the palate, with a taste of ripe fruit, it offers both medium body and finish. Tannins are simple. GAZIN Pomerol 16,5 // 90 After the superb 2006, this 2008 vintage is another success of the estate. Showing a dark and intense color, the nose is distinguished by its particularly aromatic character with a hint of truffle in the background. The wine is pulpy and develops tender and velvety, both very well structured and tasty. On the mid-palate, it performs rich, along with a fruity taste in the background, melting and finishing long over taste and power. It distinguishes from other wines by a slightly firmer finish, which would deserve to be more integrated. I have noted this since the 2005 vintage. HOSANNA Pomerol 16,5 // 90 Showing a dark, intense and vivid color with a fine and fruity nose that smells of blueberries. This wine delivers a lovely entry with a nice taste of ripe fruit, then develops over a fine touch, always rich in taste on the palate. It is mellow and quite dense, finishing finely woven, over a good subtle length. L'ENCLOS Pomerol 14,75 // 85 - 86 This wine offered a ripe nose performing tender, fruity and pleasant on the palate, with no hard edges. It finishes of medium length. LA CROIX DU CASSE Pomerol 15 // 86 Showing good color with a very fruity and spicy nose, this wine performs tender and fruity, of medium body. There is a pleasant aromatic note that comes from a solar character. It finishes over a good and tasty length of ripe tannins. LA FLEUR GAZIN Pomerol 15 // 86 Showing a dark color of medium intensity with a fine, fruity, aromatic and pure nose; this wine performs fruity, soft and enjoyable on the palate, of medium body. It finishes over good length, both tasty and fruity. LA FLEUR PETRUS Pomerol 16 // 88 - 89 Showing a dark and intense color with a slightly vivid nose, this wine appears soft all along its course on the palate. It offers medium body, coated tannins, which appear slightly vivid in the persistence. This La Fleur Petrus finishes over a good length. LA GRAVE TRIGANT DE BOISSET Pomerol 14,5 // 85 I had higher expectations for this wine, which offers a medium body, and a slightly short finish. LA POINTE Pomerol 14,75 - 15 // 85 - 86 Showing a dark color of medium intensity with an aromatic, fruity, fresh and ripe nose; this wine does not display its former toasty and woody side as in the past. It expresses with a soft and fruity palate, yet also more vivid than the estates from the plateau. This La Pointe finishes pleasant over discreet tannins. LA PROVIDENCE Pomerol 16 // 88 - 89 Showing a lovely, dark and intense color with a fruity and slightly discreet nose, this wine performs finely pulpy on entry, developing in a similar style than Hosanna, just a bit more vivid. It finishes of medium length where its sharpness emerges in the foreground. This should melt with barrel ageing. LAFLEUR Pomerol 16,75 // 91 Showing a dark and vivid color of medium intensity with an aromatic nose that delivers more wet leather than fruity characteristics, this wine performs suave yet also discreet on entry. It develops aromatic, and picks up fat on finish. There is an austere character in the overall profile of this wine despite finishing long. From that standpoint, it reminds me more of a wine from the left bank. It is a blend of a majority of cabernet franc (53%) and the rest is of merlot. The alcohol level is 13.7° and the pH is 3.6. It is a serious and slightly stiff wine. Overall, I am wondering if Lafleur might be better should it be harvested slightly later.LATOUR Pomerol 16 // 88 - 89 Showing a dark color followed by a fruity, fresh and ripe nose, this wine performs juicy and precise on entry; then develops with plenty of taste over fine tannins. It offers a medium body and finishes suave as well as tasty over a medium length. LE BON PASTEUR Pomerol 15 // 86 Showing a dark and intense color with a fruity, fresh and vivid nose of medium aromatic intensity. This wine performs fruity, tender and finely mellow on the palate, with medium body. It offers medium length and expresses itself rather in aromas than power. I was expecting more flesh. LE GAY Pomerol 15,75 // 88 Showing a dark color of medium intensity with a fruity, ripe, creamy and spicy nose. Soft on entry, this wine appears with high-end quality of touch, and a medium body on the mid-palate. It also offers taste and fine tannins in its persistence, with medium length. MONTVIEL Pomerol 14,75 // 85 - 86 Showing a dark red color of medium intensity, with a fruity, ripe, suave and aromatic nose. On the palate, this wine appears enjoyable and tasty, yet with a slightly lack of body presence. It finishes with medium length. NENIN Pomerol 16 // 88 - 89 Showing a dark color of medium intensity with a fruity, fresh and quite fine nose; this wine performs fleshy, suave and well built. Very fruity on the mid-palate, it evolves tasty, with very slightly austere tannins in its persistence, over good length. PENSÉES DE LAFLEUR (LES) Pomerol 15,5 // 87 - 88 Showing a dark color of medium intensity with a discreet and animal nose, this wine smells of wet leather and strongly reminds me of the graves. On the palate, it performs soft, aromatic and offering medium body. From the mid-palate, it gains in suavity and aromatic nuances. Then it finishes over licorice and raspberry characteristics along with quite coated tannins. It is a good wine built to be kept. PETIT VILLAGE Pomerol 15,5 // 87 - 88 This estate is improving. Its structure seems more neat and precise than during the previous vintages. This wine offers a discreet and fruity nose, and performs suave and aromatic on the mid-palate. It then opens on fine tannins and a floral as well as fruity taste, with very well coated tannins. The finish is of medium length. PETRUS Pomerol 17,5 // 94 Showing a lovely dark and intense red color, this wine offers a nose that mixes the characteristics of several of the best neighbors of Pomerol: the very ripe fruit found in L'Evangile, the violet character from La Conseillante along with the freshness found in Vieux Chateau Certan. Some suave nuances complement it. This wine performs differently than usual on the palate. I don't believe it to be linked to the fact that this year samples are presented with a lower free sulfite level than usual. In fact, this wine is more hedonistic and more merlot in style than cabernet sauvignon. (When tasted blind, Petrus can often be mistaken for a wine from the left bank). Thus, this 2008 starts off very velvety and develops aromatic, with the anticipated charm and volume coming from the expression of merlot grown on clay soils. Underneath its flesh, it behaves very aromatic and finishes long and melting, a little less squared and less powerful than during other vintages. For once, it is not "cold"! Fine tannins appear in its tasty and good length. PLINCE Pomerol 14,75 - 15 // 85 - 86 Showing a red color of medium intensity with a fruity, pure and aromatic nose; this wine performs tender, very fruity and tasty on the palate. It offers a mellow body and a finish of medium length. TROTANOY Pomerol 17 // 92 Showing an intense dark red color with a fruity, fresh and pure nose; this Trotanoy offers a mulberry tree fragrance. Very lovely and velvety on entry, this wine develops fleshy with taste and great freshness. It has nice presence on the mid-palate along with a very hedonistic character that evolves over complex flavors, towards a melting, still velvety as well as ethereal finish. I can't help but swallowing this Pomerol. It is a personality of its own that resemble like the 2001 of the estate. It behaves with a less “cold” style than Hosanna. VIEUX MAILLET Pomerol 14,5 // 85 Showing a lovely dark color with a fruity and quite extracted nose. Quite surprisingly, on the palate, this wine performs flowing and enjoyable, yet simple in its general profile. Next report on Wednesday, April 15th. Jean-Marc Quarin ______________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright: The news media and subscribing wine distributors, importers and retailers may use brief portions of this material (such as tasting notes, ratings or quotes) provided that it is not distorted, the proper wine and vintage are stated, Quarin.com is given credit for the material utilized, and Jean-Marc Quarin (JMQ) is shown as the Copyright holder.

2008 Futures live

Bordeaux Futures 2008: Results (Part 6)

Subscribe

Subscription

Wine name	(Producer, appellation, etc.)