Chronicle 174: how do you recognise a ripe grape? Haut-Bailly, Pessac Léognan cru classé from 2011 to 2000, purchased bottles

What about the 2014? Thoughts on the grape tasting course held on 22nd, 23rd and 24th September 2014 How do you recognise a ripe grape? Château Haut-Bailly, Pessac Léognan cru classé from 2011 to 2000 The Quarin Guide's Outsiders' Exhibition. The only exhibition to honour taste before labels Chronicle 174, October 16 What about the 2014? Bordeaux enjoyed an outstanding September, which was very light, warm, without being burning hot and healing. There was between about 18 and 80 mm of rainfall, but in localised storms. The Merlot grapes ripened a little more on the left bank than the right, where flowering and the initial onset of ripening (véraison) had been more uneven. The grapes were big and it was crucial to run off the juice. My first taste of the must during fermentation at Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion indicated that the wine would have a nice fruity brilliance, ordinary body and a tender texture without being green or harsh. Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon. The beginning of October was rainier than September, but just as sunny and mild. The fruit did not deteriorate. After the Merlot was picked, the harvest stopped to allow the other grape varieties to ripen as much as possible. It could also be said that October made the harvest smoother. However it should be remembered that August ripeness is not the same as ripening in September or October, when daytime and nocturnal temperatures are lower. Thoughts on the grape tasting course held on 22nd, 23rd and 24th September 2014 Last month, I organised the first grape tasting course with some of the readers. We spent three days chewing Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon and tasting some great wines. The session had been requested by some of you, who were interested in learning more about anticipating quality in the taste of wines. In the old days, winegrowers made the wine they could, then liked it or not. Even if this point of view persists, anticipation and knowledge are increasingly influencing the process choices made when quality wines are made. Tasting grapes is an example of one of the profound changes, which have moved oenology from being a curative pursuit to a more preventive activity. Wine and its taste have never been so connected, at least in recent years, to the people responsible for making it. “Tell me how you taste wine and I'll tell you what sort of wine you make” appears to be more and more true. However, like any assessment, tasting grapes is still a subjective exercise. I don't mean that agreement cannot be found on the subject, but that the people who say they do it, do so with specific objectives in mind. For example, a person can report being happy to see 2014 grapes shrivel up, while another expresses concern for the same reason. What is intriguing is that the happy one is part of the right bank Merlot culture. For him, the emerging candied hint smells nice and ripe and means the softening of tannic roughness and almost immediate enjoyment. On the other hand, the person, who is more concerned, is worried about the plummy smell, which can very quickly slip to an odour of prunes, especially with Merlot. This person has a left bank culture and is from Cabernet Sauvignon country, where the ideal is fresh and brilliant with reasonably perceptible tannins, which will soften in time. He is scared of the prune. This aromatic feature for him augurs fatal pre-oxidation making it impossible for the wine to reach an appealing aged bouquet any time in the future. The right bank person reasons in terms of freshness and brilliance, while on the left bank the fear is of greenness. It's a fine line: methoxypyrazine the marker of the green pepper aroma has never produced lush full-bodied wines with multilayered finishes. So tasting grapes amounts above all to avoiding putting unripe fruit into tanks, because its acidity and green flavours aggress the taste buds and reduce the wine's body. Assaying the malic acid content in the juice derived from pressing the grapes that are sampled, gives a generally reliable indication of ripeness. At less than two grams per litre, science would say that the fruit is ripe; what a pity that this is the only dimension we can measure. However, a famous estate on the left bank has just decided to harvest its Merlots with slightly higher malic acid content. Apparently these people believe in things, in which those who choose to harvest late when the acorns are falling, don't! The moment of truth in the taste of the resulting wine lies somewhere along the following scale: the riper the grapes are picked, while still fresh i.e. not over-ripe, the harder it is to judge the wine as a primeur. Quite simply, the wines lack time to develop and set themselves up. On the other hand, the later the harvest and the greater the risk of losing some sparkle in the wine's flavour, the easier they are to taste en primeur because of their inherent soft feel. As the wines age in bottle, which is a crucial dimension that should be considered more important than their primeur score, the opposite is true: the lovely freshness becomes mature and polished, while the wine that was so hedonistic when young, no longer fills it promises. (Refer to the tasting reports on the bottles taken from a private consumer's cellar.) In this regard, it might be considered that the right course of action is to be seen in estates that don't immediately need to go to market or achieve a new classification i.e. the rarefied group of historical premiers crus. Their international notoriety is so strong that they can afford to put less focus than others on obtaining immediate results. There are real vineyard managers who are listened to and respected and are real observers, while there are others who are unfortunately tasked to serve a more commercial set of objectives by their employers. How do you recognise a ripe grape? By combining the observation of physical characteristics with tasting. In physical terms the stems ripen and the grapes detach easily. The pips also turn brown. When pressing a grape a red colour appears. In tasting terms, acidity is a sign of greenness. If the grape pips stick to the pulp of the grape or if the pips or skin are bitter, it is best to wait. Things are perfect when the pips are crispy or develop a taste of hazelnut, when an aroma bursts out and when the grape skins can be tenderly chewed as the flavour passes over the tannin and persists in the finish. It is like having a balanced, even tasting, which is not split up. This ideal state of affairs was not very present in the week of 22nd September, except where Merlot grows on gravel soils and with young vines on limestone. Finally, the exercise has its limits: these are after all wine-making grapes, not dessert fruit. So it is difficult to establish an automatic correspondence between the quality of the grapes tasted and that of the wine to come. I would like to thank the readers, who asked to spend these days tasting grapes and the estates that received us i.e. Haut-Bailly, Smith Haut Lafitte, Fonroque, Canon, Corbin, Lafleur, Vray Croix de Gay, Lagrange, Château Margaux and Clos Manou. Some wonderful photos record the event. We were also lucky. We will do this again. Château Haut-Bailly, Pessac Léognan cru classé from 2011 to 2000 A participant was kind enough to send twelve vintages of Haut-Bailly that we tasted at the chateau on 22nd September with Véronique Sanders, the estate manager. I was delighted to observe the very high level of quality of these wines that had come from a private consumer's cellar: there was no problem of irregularity from one bottle to another and no bottle was corked. I have added to each comment the score given to the same vintages when they were tasted at the chateau one year before. The purchased wines were often better, which is quite rare. Luck perhaps, but I would prefer to believe that this is the result of hard work and the way the taste of the wines is built to rely on being kept so as to really take off. At Haut-Bailly, they are very wary of the prune taste in the grapes! These wines are long keeping. 2011 17 // 94 Lovely, dark intense colour. Fruity, slightly warming nose. Flavoursome and dense on the palate with meticulous texture. It has taste and fine tannins. Long, multilayered finish. A blend of 50 % cabernet sauvignon, 47 % merlot, 3 % cabernet franc. 2020 – 2040 Previous tasting at the chateau in June 2013: 16 // 90 2010 18,5 // 97 This is the greatest vintage of Haut-Bailly since 1964. Very aromatic, very fruity and slightly warming on the nose. Melting, ethereal, juicy and powerful on the palate, slightly tannic, but paradoxically rich and supple. Very big, powerful, aromatic finish. Take note: this vintage is closing up. Prepare to keep it for a long time. A blend of 62 % cabernet sauvignon, 36 % merlot, 2 % cabernet franc. 2022 – 2060 Previous tasting at the chateau in June 2013: 18 // 95. 2009 18 // 96 Lovely, dark intense colour. Elegant, fruity nose that is intense, ripe, multilayered and fresh. Melting, dense, tight and magic on the palate, developing to become richly supple, powerful, with taste and a lovely fresh note lingering on so long. This is a great wine. A blend of 60 % cabernet sauvignon, 37 % merlot, 3 % cabernet franc. 2020 - 2060 Previous tasting at the chateau in June 2013: 17 // 94 2008 16,5 // 92 Elegant and fruity on the nose, which is improved by decanting. Hints of violets and liquorice. Silky on the palate, bursting with fruit, flavoursome and long, with taste and elegant tannins. It's very good. Burgundian style. A blend of 70 % cabernet sauvignon, 30 % merlot. 2018 - 2035 Previous tasting at the chateau in June 2013: 16,75 // 93 2007 16 // 90 Fruity, pure, ripe nose with a hint of ink. Very fruity attack, then dense and flavoursome, it has taste and slightly perceptible tannin, even if the flavour is pleasant. Ordinary length. A very good 2007. A blend of 70 % cabernet sauvignon, 26 % merlot, 4 % cabernet franc. 2016 - 2027 Previous tasting at the chateau in June 2013: 15,75-16 // 89-90 2006 17,5 // 95 This is a great achievement from Haut-Bailly, better than the 2005. Superb, smooth, subtle nose. Smooth and mellow, fragrant, savoury and balanced on the palate, developing noble strength and becoming melting with high quality tannins as it lingers. A blend of 65 % cabernet sauvignon, 35 % merlot. 2018 - 2045 Previous tasting at the chateau in June 2013: 17,5 // 95 2005 17 // 94 Intense, deep and fresh on the nose, even becoming a little cold. Richly supple on the palate to begin with and in the middle and firmer as it lingers, which is what could have been expected from the nose. Good length. A blend of 58 % cabernet sauvignon, 36 % merlot, 6 % cabernet franc. 2020 - 2045 Previous tasting at the chateau in June 2013: 17 // 94 2004 16,5 // 92 Very young, pure, fruity and ripe on the nose with a hint of ink. Dense, fresh, juicy and deep on the palate, with taste, strength, slightly perceptible tannins with a hint of liquorice, and a touch of ink. Good length. A blend of 50 % cabernet sauvignon, 45 % merlot, 5 % cabernet franc. 2016 - 2045 Previous tasting at the chateau in June 2013: 16 // 90 2003 16,25 // 91 Lovely ripe fruit on the nose. Touch of warmth. Juicy, silky and fragrant on the palate in the Haut-Bailly way, with lustre in the taste. Very good length with fine tannins. A nice surprise. A blend of 56 % cabernet sauvignon, 38 % merlot, 6 % cabernet franc. 2014 - 2025 Previous tasting at the chateau in June 2013: 15,75 // 89 2002 16 // 90 Fruity, fresh and a little cold on the nose. Very fruity, smooth and flavoursome on the palate with taste, spirit and even body. It's tasty. A blend of 62 % cabernet sauvignon, 35 % merlot, 3 % cabernet franc. 2014 - 2022 2001 17 // 94 Fruity yet discrete nose. Palate full of appeal, aromatic and delicious; has taste and lovely length with fine-grained subtle tannins. A blend of 65 % cabernet sauvignon, 33 % merlot, 2 % cabernet franc. Drink now and up to 2025. Previous tasting at the chateau in June 2013: 16,25 // 91 2000 16,75 // 93 Great multilayered, deep nose. Melting on the attack, very fruity as it develops, but more austere tannin on the finish. Flavoursome as it lingers nevertheless. A blend of 50 % cabernet sauvignon, 50 % merlot, % cabernet franc. 2014 - 2025 Previous tasting at the chateau in June 2013: 16,25 // 91 The Quarin Guide's Outsiders' Exhibition The only exhibition to honour taste before labels Dates: 21st November afternoon and evening, 22nd November all day We have a superb selection of between 30 and 40 wines, so we will all be able to take our time and do some great tasting. We also have a fantastic discovery from Chile. Find out about the exciting workshop subjects. The exhibition will end with a dinner at the Goumard restaurant in rue Duphot in Paris a place I was really impressed with the last time I was there. www.lesalondesoutsiders.com I am delighted to offer you readers a 25% discount on the entry fee to the exhibition by using the special offer code QUARIN14 directly on the website. Finally, Phoenix TV the Chinese television channel is aware of the show and will be covering it. I am delighted to share one of the highlights of the year with you. We must apologise for sending this Chronicle slightly late for reasons that were difficult to control. Best wishes. Jean-Marc Quarin ____________________________________________________________ © Copyright 2014. This publication is the original work of Jean-Marc Quarin Sarl, 10 allée de Ginouilhac, Le Taillan-Médoc. France. - E-mail : jmquarin@quarin.com The news media and subscribing wine distributors, importers and retailers may use portions of this material (such as tasting notes, ratings or quotes) provided that it is not distorted, the proper wine and vintage are stated, www.quarin.com is given credit for the material utiliz ed, and Jean-Marc Quarin (JMQ) is shown as the Copyright holder.

2014 Chronicles

Chronicle 174: how do you recognise a ripe grape? Haut-Bailly, Pessac Léognan cru classé from 2011 to 2000, purchased bottles

Subscribe

Subscription

Wine name	(Producer, appellation, etc.)