Showing posts with label Grand Puy Lacoste. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grand Puy Lacoste. Show all posts

Friday, October 25, 2019

Bobo NYC French Wine Dine Experience

Bobo NYC French Wine Dine Experience

Visiting NYC we dined with son Alec and fiance Viviana at Bobo's in the West Village. For the occasion, celebrating their engagement, I brought a birth year vintage Bordeaux from our cellar to take BYOB with dinner. We also had a recent release Bordeaux with our French faire from the winelist.

Bobo is set in a stylish hundred year-old brownstone in the heart of the West Village. Opened in 2007 it is one of Carlos Suarez's Casa Nela restaurants, that include the Village hits Rosemary's, Claudette, and Roey's.

Like its sister restaurants, Bobo is a residential setting, 'paying homage to La Maison de Campagne - a neighborhood restaurant inspired by nature and by family.'

Bobo is entered off the bustling street corner to the subterranean street level into the bar, then upstairs are multiple levels of dining rooms. The restaurant is decorated in natural French country decor to match its country French cuisine.

Bobo's offers an imaginative well selected wine list of French wines from small and interesting producers as well as well known houses. The selection is superbly chosen for the menu with excellent wines at reasonable prices. They also accommodated our BYOB for a fee ($35).




For our dinner selections we ordered: 

Rainbow Trout Almondine with haricots verts, toasted almonds
Duck Leg Confit with  orange-scallion salad, green olives, truffle vinaigrette
Roasted Sasso Chicken with pommes purée, roasted brussels sprouts
Filet mignon au poivre with pommes frites 

The Menu



Château Calon-Ségur St. Estephe Grand Cru Classe 1990


From our cellar collection I brought BYOB this special birth year vintage selection. This label is famously popular for occasions such as the engagement celebration with the predominant heart on the label. This was also a special selection as we visited the Chateau in St Estephe during our visit to the Medoc this summer.

At twenty-nine years, while showing its age in the somewhat 'tired' color as being a slight bit cloudy, the full aroma and taste profile was predominant floral with hints of mushroom over the black berry fruit. This is still drinking very nicely, thoroughly enjoyable. It is time to drink over the next couple of years as it will not improve with further aging and will diminish further as the fruit gives way to non-fruit flavors.

The fill level was good, the cork was very saturated almost 7/8 of the way. I had my two pronged cork puller with me in my wine carry bag which I used to open the bottle. It would not have surrendered intact to a traditional cork screw.

I always wonder why Sommeliers don't use such a tool, also known as an 'ahso', especially in such cases. It's hard to believe they don't have the skill or technique for using such. I use mine almost always except when the cork is synthetic for which they do not work.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, nicely balanced, elegant and refined, Jancis Robinson speaks of its "very attractive voluptuousness.. .and beautifully balanced". Aromas and bright taste profile of floral and violets, the layer of black fruits accented by the floral and tones of mushroom, spice, licorice, earth and leather and soft, velvety tannins.

RM 91 points. 

Wine Spectator gave this 93 points, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar 90 points, and Jancis Robinson 18.5 on her 20 point scale.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5039

@ChateauCalon 






 


Grand-Puy-Lacoste Lacoste-Borie Pauillac 2012
 
From the winelist, we also ordered this Pauillac from the legendary Borie family who also own Ducru-Beaucaillou and Haut-Batailley. Our visit to the classic second growth Ducru-Beaucaillou was one of the highlights of our trip to the Medoc.

The history of Grand-Puy-Lacoste is a family saga going back to the 16th century.

The name Grand-Puy comes from the ancient term "puy” which means "hillock, small height” as true to its name, the vineyard sits on outcrops, with a terroir similar to that of the Médoc's first growths. The property was held by a single family from generation to generation, in a direct line through marriage from the 16th century until 1920, before connecting with another family in 1978—the Borie.

The family's history took a decisive turn in 1978 when the owner of Grand-Puy-Lacoste "chose” Jean-Eugène Borie to buy the property. Borie and Raymond Dupin, owner of Grand-Puy-Lacoste since 1932, were close friends which led Dupin to sell him the domain. After acquiring the estate Borie turned to his son François-Xavier to manage it; his challenge was to awaken this "sleeping beauty”.

François-Xavier Borie has directed the estate since its acquisition in 1978. He lives on the estate in the at the château, a rather rare occurrence in the Médoc. With him at the estate is his wife Marie-Hélène. Also involved in the business are their three children, the next generation who will manage the property.

Over time, the château became a true family home, with its traditions, celebrations, and ceremonies in its chapel. The three Borie children, Emeline (1982), Laurence (1983) and Pierre-Antoine (1986) were born there, grew up at the property, and attended school in Pauillac.

Today, François-Xavier and Marie-Hélène's eldest daughter Emeline is in charge of communication and public relations at Grand-Puy-Lacoste. She travelled widely as a student and received valuable international experience during two years with an importer of wines in Vietnam. I've had the pleasure of meeting Emeline at industry events over the years. 

François-Xavier Borie on the brand, "Grand-Puy-Lacoste is a classic Pauillac, that is to say, characterized by class, allure, harmony. We are fortunate to have one of the finest terroirs in Pauillac and our wines display what may be called a French taste: aromatic, with body and a great sense of balance."

We drove by the estate during our visit to Pauillac this summer. 

"These wines are structured, with a fine attack, great presence in the mouth and a remarkable length. Each stage of tasting gives harmonious pleasure. The tannins are never aggressive, an expression of elegance is always present."

Wineamaker notes on this label, "This wine presents a very ruby red color. The nose is dominated by black fruits with black cherry very much to the fore and by coffee aromas. The mid palate has the sweetness of ripe fruit and rounded tannins. The richness is well balanced by some bilberry freshness. This wine will need a little bite of patience before starting to enjoy it."

This is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, nicely balanced and structured, black berry fruits, notes of coffee, hints of anise and forest, well integrated tannins and some nicely balanced acidity.

RM 88-89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1646786

https://www.chateau-grand-puy-lacoste.com/en/#/en/ 


https://www.bobonyc.com/menus/#dinner

https://twitter.com/boborestaurant

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Gourmet dinner and elegant wine flight

Gourmet dinner and elegant wine flight

Fellow Pour Boy, wine buddy, Dr Dan and Linda hosted us for a artfully prepared gourmet dinner with an elegant flight of wine pairings. They prepared pork chops in a brown mushroom sauce, haricot verts, an imaginative BLT - bacon and lettuce stuffed tomatos and extraordinary stuffed giant portabella mushrooms (shown below) and rosemary potatoes.


Before dinner we had a selection of artisan cheeses, stuffed peppers, and a baked shrimp casserole.

Pork-chops in mushroom sauce
After dinner, for desert featured baked apple strudel with vanilla bean ice cream. For the desert course Dan served Rosalack Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Auslese and I brought a Sonoma-Cutrer Winemaker's Release Late Harvest Chardonnay.

The wine flight:

Château François Gaunoux Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Épenots 2011
 Château Clinet Pomerol 2005
Château Larcis Ducasse St Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux 2004

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac Bordeaux 2011
Rosalack Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Auslese 2009

Sonoma-Cutrer Winemaker's Release Late Harvest Chardonnay 2012

Tasting notes:

Château François Gaunoux Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Épenots 2011

With the cheese course of artisan cheeses, olives and cheese stuffed green peppers, Dan opened this Burgundy Pinot Noir.

Garnet colored, light medium bodied, this was elegant and refined with fresh with dusty rose violets, earthiness, red currant and plum and fruits. It showed smooth silky fine-grained tannins with excellent length on the balanced, delicious and complex finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=177948


Château Clinet Pomerol 2005

We just tasted the spectacular 2016 vintage release of this wine earlier this week at the UGCB release tour tasting with owner Ronan Laborde at the Drake in Chicago.

This 2005 was amazing, arguably the best Clinet I've experienced and is certainly at it's apex; hard to imagine this improving further with more aging.

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, silky smooth polished, nicely balanced, dark fruits accented by tantalizing elegant floral notes of lavender and violets with subtle notes of mocha, spice and tobacco on a lingering soft tannin finish.

RM 95 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=224074

Ronan LABORDE,Owner
( Pomerol )

Sea Smoke Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir Southing 2009

Cellartracker Somm David T's tasting notes sums up this wine eloquently and thoroughly.

"The nose reveals, sweet, slightly sour and ripe; blackberries, some black raspberries, dark cherries, plum, blueberries cranberries, pomegranate, candied cherries and baked strawberries. Big vanillin, soft cinnamon stick, touch of clove, dark spice, herbaceous notes, mixed berry cola, dark, rich, moist soil, dry clay, dry stone, limestone minerals with dark red, blue fresh & withering flowers.

The body medium full. Tannins nicely resolved but, still have tarry teeth. The structure and tension nicely softened. The 09 is beautifully integrated. The length and balance have hit their high point. Ripe; blackberries, some black raspberries, dark cherries, plum, mix of some purple fruits, blueberries, cranberries, pomegranate, candied cherries and juicy strawberries. Red licorice/cola, good presence of vanillin, soft cinnamon stick, touch of clove, dark spice, black licorice, herbaceous notes; bay leaf, mint, eucalyptus, dark, rich, moist, soil, clay, river stones, limestone minerals and dark red, blue fresh & withering flowers with violets. The acidity is round and like a rain shower. The finish is extremely well balanced, seamless, elegant, rich, persistent for minutes with ripe fruit, medium dark spice that brings some mild heat and haunting fragrant violets for minutes".

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1025980


Château Larcis Ducasse St Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux 2004

Like the Clinet above, we tasted the 2016 vintage release of this wine earlier this week at the UGCB release tour tasting with commercial director David Suire, so I pulled from the cellar this twelve year old vintage release to compare.

 This was dark garnet colored, with a slight brown/orange rim starting to set in, medium-full bodied, smooth polished with delightful complex aromas and flavors of plum, black currant and blackberry fruits with tones of earthy leather, black tea, cigar box and spice with hints of truffle, cedar and cassis on the smooth polished tannin finish.

RM 89 points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=95970

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/02/larcis-ducasse-highlights-sunday-brunch.html

http://www.larcis-ducasse.com/ 

David Suire of Chateau Larcis Ducasse

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac Bordeaux 2011

Like the Clinet and the Larcis-Ducasse above, we also tasted the 2016 vintage release of this wine earlier this week at the UGCB release tour tasting. Again we had the privilege of tasting this with sales director David Launay, (shown right with Céline Villars-FOUBET, Owner, of Château Chasse-Spleen) so I asked Dan to pull this one too from the cellar this twelve year old vintage release to compare.

If you tend to procure wines based on vintage due to a particular anniversary or birthyear, or to fill out a vertical collection, 2011 was a challenging year in Napa and Bordeaux, this seems to be average from an average vintage, but decent value since the higher end labels were not markedly demonstrably better, this won't likely improve further with aging. 

This is a blend of 75 % cabernet sauvignon, 20 % merlot and 5 % cabernet franc.

This is one of our stalwart favorite go-to wines for Bordeaux, being more reasonably priced than the 'super second' more premium labels such as Pichon Lalande and Pichon Longueville, and Lynch Bages. This is one of my favorites of this tier of labels. It was fun to see David Launay move from St Julien favorite Gruaud Larose to this label a couple years ago, and seeing him in Chicago at the UGCB each year.

Garnet colored, medium bodied, good length, some leanness, classic Bordeaux style with flavours of dark berry fruits accented by notes of . cedar, leather and a touch anise and hint of mocha, nice balance of acidity with smooth polished tannins.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1356149
 
https://www.chateau-grand-puy-lacoste.com/en/#/en/


Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Rosalack Auslese 2015

Dan served this German Auslese with the desert course.

Schloss Johannisberg, from the German Rheingau wine region, is one of the most historic wine producers in Germany. They were the first German wine estate entirely planted with riesling, in 1720. Schloss Johannisberg tends to produce powerful and spicy wines relative to other Rheingau wines. Their wines exhibit minerality and elegance which are qualities of good quality Riesling. Schloss Johannisberg use large oak barrels for their wines, which contribute to the spiciness.

Schloss Johannisberg have 35 hectares (70 acres) of vineyards, just on the fiftieth parallel. Rosalack comes from the portion directly below the castle Schloss Johannisberg. They are one of a few historical German estates that have their own official vineyard designation, without village name. The vineyard designation is therefore simply Schloss Johannisberger.

This is a quality Auslese with nice acidity and good minerality with hints of botrytis, it is fresh and crisp rather than heavy as found in many sweet wines.

Straw colored, medium bodied, medium sweetness with high acidity, this is complex with fresh scents of peach, subtle notes of dried apricot, orange, botrytis and honey, finishing with citrus, green apple, honey and mineral.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2377449


Sonoma-Cutrer Winemaker's Release Late Harvest Chardonnay 2012

We toured the Russian River Valley in remote Sonoma County with Dan and Linda during our Sonoma Napa Wine Experience 2017 last year. 

Wine and Spirits writes of this release, "This takes the ripening potential of the Russian River Valley and runs with it, melding the coolness of the region’s fog with the sunny, floral notes of honeycomb. Its plump nectarine flavors gain complexity from touches of botrytis, which took off in the vineyard after several storms in late October and early November. Winemaker Mick Schroeter can’t recall another vintage with such a complete infection of botrytis. The result is a richly textured dessert wine, balanced to drink on its own." They rated this 91 points in 12/2013.

Light honey colored, full bodied, extracted apricot fruit flavor with  hints of lemon citrus accented by notes of honey, crème brûlée and vanilla bean on a smooth lingering finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1737186

 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Chicago

Bordeaux Producers 2010 Release Tasting Chicago
Olivier Bernard -
Domaine Chevalier

The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, currently on their United States Tour, came to Chicago this week. We attended their 2010 vintage release tasting held at the Drake Hotel in the grand ballroom. The UGCB, established in 1973, representing over 130 producers, developed and conducts wine-tasting programmes in France and abroad to educate about and promote the reputation and image of the Grands Crus of Bordeaux. This provides an special opportunity to meet the people involved in producing and/or promoting some of our favorite wines. For me, this was extra special to share my passion and this experience with son Ryan, who is developing a keen interest and discriminating palet for fine wine. For those that traveled so far to share with us their artwork, we say Merci et Bienvenue.

From January 18-26 the tour visits San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Washington in the US, and then on to Toronto and Montreal in Canada.

About 125 different producers served their wine to the trade during the day and then to a public tasting in the evening event sponsored by Binny's Beverage Depot, the leading wine merchant with over twenty-five stores throughout Chicagoland. Similar tastings were held in San Francisco, hosted by K&L Wines, in LA by Wally's, New York by Zachy's and in Washington hosted by Pearsons.

Our wine group consisted of Dr Dan, Ernie S., Lyle F, #1 son Ryan, Mike S., Mark C and myself. As has become our custom with the Grand Tour and other such gala tasting events, I picked the top wines I wanted to taste ahead of time and then we focused on those twenty-five or so selected wines during the evening. In truth, the evening would have been a success and I would have been happy to taste about ten select targeted wines.


Lyle, Dan with David Launay
Gruaud Larose Winemaker
For Dan, Ernie and me, the targeted twenty wines represent several of our favorite wines that we hold in our cellars that we collect and hence are most likely to purchase in this vintage release. They also represent wines we know well so that we can appreciate the new release against a historical understanding of the wines going back in some cases forty years to the 1970 vintage release or even earlier.

For Ryan, and his friends Mark and Mike, this gathering of a hundred different producers showing one horizontal release, was an excellent opportunity to experience and learn the styles and nuances of terrior of several different Bordeaux appellations and numerous leading producers from across the Bordeaux region.


Indeed, thirteen different appellations were represented with more than a dozen different producers representing Margaux, St Emilion and  Pessac-Leognan. There were at least ten producers from our favorites, St Julien and Pauillac, and another ten from Sauterne & Barsac. Any one of these would represent a horizontal tasting treat worthy of an evening in their own right.

David Launay - Gruaud
Larose Winemaker
The target wines mentioned above are represented by a half dozen different vintages in our cellars in many cases, and by more than a dozen different releases for several, and in some cases, as many as two dozen vintages. One such wine that we hold in abundance is Gruaud Larose which we still hold going back to the 1978 vintage including the years 1981, '82, '83, '85, '86, '88 through '1990 and into the nineties and the new millennium.We also still hold large format bottles of Gruaud Larose 1985 and 1990 for son's Sean and Alec's birthyears. (More on that below). So it was an honor and great fun to meet their winemaker David Launey and taste the new release in his presence. Being so familiar with this wine, we instantly recognized and commented on the change in style, to a vibrant, expressive and especially approachable wine at this young age. Much to the delight of the winemaker, David explained how they changed their technique in recent years to focus on the fruit resulting in a more approachable wine when young, for earlier drinking gratification.

A highlight of the evening was to see Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier and current President of the UGCB.   We've presented his wine at several of our wine group's gatherings including the grand tasting last summer, so we're all familiar with this wineWe were fortunate and honored to attend the gala Darioush - Domaine de Chevalier Gala Wine Dinner, a fabulous private dinner hosted by Olivier Berrnard and Darius & Shaptar Kaledi of Darioush Winery at Everest Restaurant in Chicago in the summer of 2004. It was fun to reminisce with him about that evening with him.  

Olivier Bernard with Ernie, Dan
and Ryan

Olivier shared a fascinating exposition  about the significant investment a producer makes in quality corks, and on the importance of  properly determining the 'top' and 'bottom' of the cork, thereby inserting the grain of the cork correctly so the proper end is 'wet', exposed to the wine, and the appropriate opposing end is left 'dry', exposed to the air. 

Another highlight was to taste Chateau Figeac St Emilion with son Ryan. This was one of his signature wines that we collected for his birthyear, 1982, which we've tasted together on many occasions including his wedding banquet. .We still hold this selection including large format bottles which we continue to enjoy on special occasions. Our large bottle collection of our kid's birthyear wines was featured in the Collecting section of Wine Spectator Magazine back in June, 2001. 

Ryan with Emeline Borie
of Grand Puy Lacoste
It was great fun and an honor to meet several other winemakers and executives of many of our favorite wines, including Nicolas Santier of Chateau Pichon Baron to get his perspective on the 1985 vintage large format Imperial we're still holding in our cellar to commemorate son Sean's birthyear. We had similar discussions about our cellar holdings dating back to the 80's with Gabriel Vialard Technical Director, Winemaker at Chateau Haut Bailly, Veronique Dausse, Managing Director Chateau Phelan Segur, Emeline Borie, who shares ownership and management duties at Grand Puy Lacoste with her father François-Xavier Borie co-owner and winemaker, and Figeac.

It was fun to see a strong showing from Chateau Coutet. Ernie got to share our recent tasting experience when he brought a 1959 vintage bottle to our autumn tasting dinner at Dr Dan's.  

Canon-Le-Gaffeliere
St Emilion Grand Cru
Perennial favorite wines that were excellent, showing exceedingly well and met or exceeded already high expectations were Pichon Lalande and Pichon Baron, from Pauillac, Gruaud Larose from St Julien, and Figeac from St Emilion. The surprise new discovery of the evening was Chateau Clinet from Pomerol. Special honorable mention also goes out to Canon-Le-Gaffeliere St Emilion Grand Cru. Ernie and Dan both also liked and purchased the Lynch Bages Pauillac.

Highlighted wines were standouts with exceptional wines of the evening shown with ..

Select tasting notes and observations to come. Meanwhile ... 

The wines we tasted are listed below with highlights in bold:

Margaux
Ernie & Dan with Lea Zuger of
Malescot St Exupery












Pauillac
Ryan with Veronique Dausse,
Managing Director, 
Chateau Phelan Segur












Pessac-Léognan
Gabriel Vialard Technical Director,
Winemaker, Chateau Haut Bailly












Pomerol

Chateau Clinet -
Moniqe Montepini
discovery of the evening!















Saint Estephe

Rick with Nicolas Santier
of Chateau Pichon Baron













Saint Julien
Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Chateau Giuraud














Sauternes et Barsac

No shows? Two producers we specifically targeted and sought out that either were not in attendance or we did not find them - Chateau La Conseillante Pomerol and Chateau Larmande St Emilion. I have fond vivid memories of a case of Chateau La Conseillante 1983 that we enjoyed in the 1980's (before the internet and keeping blog posts or on-line tasting notes). We now realize we drank it too soon, or at the very least, should have saved a couple bottles to enjoy much later in the drinking window. I also remember first trying Chateau Larmande from that era as well. We are currently enjoying the 2005 vintage immensely which is drinking very nicely already. I'll strive to restrain myself and keep a few of these bottles for more mature drinking as we watch this wine age.   
  
Rick & Binny's Doug Jeffirs













Rick & Binny's Bill  Newton












More to come ...

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Gala Birthday Dinner Wine Tasting featuring Pauillac Bordeaux Duo Vintage Contrast - Classic vs Upstart - Grand Puy Lacoste 1982 and Grand Puy Ducasse 2008


Gala Birthday Dinner Wine Tasting featuring Pauillac Bordeaux Duo Vintage Contrast - Classic vs Upstart - Grand Puy Lacoste 1982 and Grand Puy Ducasse 2008

Fun and interesting comparison tasting of two neighboring wines - one young from a somewhat challenged but promising 2008 vintage against a mature aged bottle from the classic 1982 vintage. Drank at gala family birthday celebration dinner for #1 son Ryan. When Ryan told me he recently picked up a Grand Puy Ducasse 2008 I thought we'd do a comparison tasting, only to discover when I pulled mine from the cellar that I was holding a Grand Puy Lacoste 1982 - commemorating his birthyear! Never-the-less, the two Pauillac 5ème Cru Classé  wines of like terrior and style from vineyards separated by but a few kilometers provided a comparison tasting of two similar wines from different contrasting vintages.

Wine from any region varies from year to year due to different vintage characteristics shaped by the weather and the winemaker. The unique characteristics discovered in different vintages is partly what makes wines collecting interesting and fun. Comparing wines from the same producer or similar producers in different years allows you understand the chateau and vintage differences. Comparing wines from a selection of producers from the same region from the same year, reveals stylistic differences of the producers.

The 1982 Bordeaux vintage conditions were close to perfect from start to finish. Vine budded and flowered under warm, sunny and dry conditions. Ideal dry and hot weather growing conditions persisted through July giving way to a moderate cool down in August followed by marvelously ideal hot weather that lasted for 21 days leading to spectacular results. Interestingly, the 1982 Bordeaux harvest officially began on September 13, the exact same date as the famously spectacular 1945 Bordeaux harvest. Both historic Bordeaux vintages produced classic wines filled with layers of dense, rich, ripe, fresh fruit, opulent, sensuous textures and purity the likes of which only occur every few decades, wines that would also mature and age for decades..

The 2008 Bordeaux vintage faced a cool and wet Spring which included some late frost. Cool temperatures and pervasive rains, which brought mold and mildew problems, continued throughout May leading to uneven and delayed flowering. The weather began to improve somewhat June although the vine growth was about two weeks behind schedule. While July was dry and sunny, it was followed by a dull, grey August that continued halfway through September projecting a difficult vintage.

Because the vines flowered late, and July had been warm, the grapes began this period of Autumn sun in much better condition than in 2007, attaining full ripeness and acquiring better concentration of sugars, tannins and acid.

Finally, Indian summer began on 14th of September bringing sunny warm days and cool nights that lasted up to October 20th through much of the harvest. This, coupled with a drying north-east wind, saved the vintage. While the growing season was below average, the 2008 Bordeaux vintage was saved by the long growing season and ideal harvest conditions. The grapes were allowed a much longer hang time than usual allowing the fruit a better chance to ripen. Typically, the average amount of hang time in Bordeaux is about 100 days, the 2008 Bordeaux vintage saw hang times range from 135 days to as long as an amazing 160 days allowing late harvest ripening to save the vintage!

Although yields were in many places painfully low, overall quality was good to excellent. Most wines achieved good balance with ripe, fine grained tannins, refreshing acidity and a real sense of 'terroir'.

Viticulture in Bordeaux changed markedly over the last forty years for much improved results. Modern Bordeaux wine making and vineyard techniques, coupled with the willingness to perform the necessary amount of selection needed to produce the best wine possible, delivered improved outcomes in modest challenging years such as 2007 and 2008. While a wet, cool year like 2007 would have been a disaster 20 years ago, today, while diluted, some nice wines are still produced. Knowledge and technology have made it possible to produce better Bordeaux wine than ever before, especially in challenging years, but no amount of human intervention can alter the unique personality awarded by nature to each Bordeaux vintage.
A big difference between 1982 and one of the modern day great years is the number of truly great wines produced in current top rated vintages. While 20 or 30 stunning wines were produced in 1982 with perhaps five considered true legends, today, with modern vineyard techniques and cellar management, the number of classic or great wines would have probably doubled as we will see in the recent great vintages such as 2010.

Château Grand Puy Lacoste Red Bordeaux Pauillac 1982

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste is a 5ème Cru Classé ('Fifth Growth') wine producer. The Bordeaux Pauillac estate has for many years been consistently outperforming its classification. Grand-Puy-Lacoste is located a couple of kilometres west of the town of Pauillac and is owned and run by François-Xavier Borie.

The name Grand Puy comes from its treasured location. The vineyards are situated on the hill of Pauillac, "puy" being a topographical term designating the elevations rising from mostly flat landscapes that are found in Bordeaux wine vineyards. These small hills are vital for natural drainage. The highest point, or puy, at Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste is close to 65 feet.

The second part of the estates name, Lacoste, is the name of the family who owned the property from the start of the eighteenth century until the conclusion of the nineteenth. They were forced to sell due to the devastation Bordeaux suffered when it was struck by phylloxera. Interestingly, the wine became one of the first popular, non First Growth Bordeaux brands to sell in Asia due in part of the name of the chateau, Lacoste, also called the 'alligator wine', due to the name being the same as the famous sportsware designer with the crocodile logo.

Grand-Puy-Lacoste's 90 hectares of vine plantings are 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard is in one block surrounding the substantial 19th century château, lies on deep gravel beds of pebbles and stone over limestone. 


Grand-Puy-Lacoste reveals its classic terrior, it combines marvellous cigar box and floral perfume with cedar, tobacco and truffle scents and a juicy mouth full of flavorful blackcurrant fruit and cassis with velvety power - the epitome of top class Pauillac at its very best. This traditionally styled Bordeaux wine is aged in 70% new oak barrels resulting in a classic Pauillac style, full bodied, tannic, concentrated Bordeaux wine that ages well. 

www.grand-puy-lacoste.fr/

Château Grand Puy Ducasse Red Bordeaux Pauillac 2008


Château Grand Puy Ducasse is a frequently overlooked Pauillac 5ème Cru Classé property that after years in the doldrums, now produces great value fine quality claret at very reasonable prices. The change was brought about by its acquisition by the négociant firm, Mestrezat who extensively replanted the vineyards, and built a new cuvier and chai. Grand Puy Ducasse has 45 hectares of well-sited vineyards, one parcel on a gravel plateau near Batailley, and another adjacent to the famous Lafite-Rothschild and Mouton-Rothschild. The wine is a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon and 39% Merlot - matured in oak casks (30% new) for 18 months before being bottled.

Grand Puy Ducasse is a mid-weight Pauillac that displays good depth of fruit and is usually drinkable 5 years after the vintage - the best examples can last for 10-15 years.

The 2008 release showed vibrant bright dark garnet color, medium to full body; aromas and full forward flavors of bing cherries and slightly tart black raspberry and black currant fruits, a layer of cassis and hint of cedar on a forward lingering tannin finish. Needs time to settle.

RM 89 points.


Robert Parker wrote - "This suave, lush, opulently-styled 2008 exhibits a dark ruby/purple hue, medium body, and attractively forward, sweet notes of creme de cassis, licorice, and earth. Like many of its peers, the purity of fruit and ripeness of the tannins are admirable. Consume it over the next 10-15 years." - 90 points. Robert Parker. - Chateau Grand Puy Ducasse


Rating results for Château Grand Puy Ducasse Red Bordeaux Pauillac 2008: The Wine-Searcher score of 87/100 is calculated from the following wine critic scores:

Critic Score When to drink
CellarTracker 90/100 (11 notes from 11 users)  
Wine Spectator 88/100  
Jancis Robinson 16.5/20  
La Revue du Vin de France 15.5/20  
Vinum Wine Magazine 15/20 2016 to 2022
Decanter 3/5 2014 to 2022
 Rick M                               88


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=694381

Château Grand Puy Lacoste Red Bordeaux Pauillac 1982

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar said about this wine; "Still amazingly youthful,this intense classically cedar-scented wine is a joy to drink.It is rich,powerful and marvelously harmonious. Delicious now and will keep for another 20 years." 91 pts.

My views are in line with another fellow reviewer who wrote - "Starting to show its age with a medium ruby color with some garnet hues. The wonderful nose is very complex and evolved: cigar box, pencil shavings and a lot of minerally steel along with red fruits. The palate is somewhat of a let down. Slightly hollow mid palate, lacking more fruit than I would like and with a higher acidity than I find pleasant. The tannin is resolved, but the finish is slightly clipped. this is not nearly as good as last I tried it. I suspect there may have been some heat damage and/or oxidation as the cork was completely saturated in wine. 92 for the nose and 87 for the palate. (89 pts.)"
 
My notes - The Lacoste cork was soft and moist but still intact. The wine was starting to show its age with the color starting to show a brackish brownish rust hew.. Medium to full bodied;
Predominant aromas of floral and violets and tobacco overshadowed the fruit; flavors of floral, black berry, tobacco, cassis and a layer of leather and creosote on the moderate tannin lingering finish. Amazing life left for a 29 year old but certainly has reached maturity and will not improve further - ready to drink. RM 90 pts.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?AllV=True&iWine=2023

Full, deep red. Reticent aromas of plum, currant, mint and cedar. Dry, penetrating and stylish, with very primary flavors and noteworthy vinosity. Classic claret intensity and grip without any excess weight. The flavors build impressively on the firmly tannic, youthfully tough finish. This bottle was still a few years away from full maturity and should last for another 20 years.

Other Expert Ratings

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: 96 points
Wine Spectator: 82 points


Before dinner, Ryan served Robert Stemmler Napa Valley Carneros Estate Pinot Noir 2008. This was great with olives, artisan cheeses, shrimp, and oil with herbs and sourdough bread.


I'll go with the winemakers's notes - "This Pinot Noir offers many layers of beautiful ripe strawberry, raspberry and intense black cherry and plum aromas mingled with hints of cola, forest floor and earth. The wine is fleshy, sleek and spicy, with copious wild berry, black cherry and strawberry flavors, good grip and a sustained, well-balanced finish." 
RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1139909

The Bordeaux wines were enjoyed over dinner - a great accompaniment to the beef tenderloin, fingerling potatoes and green beans with chanterelle and shitake mushrooms. 



For desert we feasted on Linda's fabulous flowerless chocolate cake with red raspberries (picture left). 

 To accompany the desert, we served Warre's Quinta da Cavadinha Vintage Oporto 1995 a perfect match!

RM 92 points.  


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3721

MORE to come...