UGC Listrac, Moulis, Medoc, Margaux
(tasted blind at Chateau Poujeaux during the en primeurs week – although I have added percentages of the blend etc afterwards where I know them – but haven’t changed any scores after the identities were revealed! All of the samples were fairly cold, so it may be that scores could nudge up by one point if tasted at closer to ideal temperature. If I have re-tasted elsewhere, then I say so after the review.) Palmer was tasted direct at the chateau.
Overall, I found the southern Medoc wines to be less homogenous than those in the northern Medoc (Pauillac, Saint Estephe, Saint Julien - notes to come in the next few days). But there were some really wonderful wines, and a few that I felt had done far better than in any other recent vintage (except, of course, 05!).
Chateau Fonreaud, Listrac Medoc
A cru bourgeois superior in the doomed 2003 classification, and located at the highest point of the Medoc. This has a lovely intense purple colour, with a vibrant purple rim. The nose here is more open than some in this tasting, and really has a lovely clarity of fruit, very nice expression of young fresh fruit. But the palate is not nearly as good. Very closed and tight tannins. Good structure, and there is fruit struggling to get out, but it is over extracted which makes the overall wine seem clumsy. Worth retasting after ageing. 86-87.
Chateau Fourcas Hosten, Listrac Medoc
Good colour, structure, and tannin extraction. This is interesting, although it lacks the freshness and real elegance of the wines from Pauillac that I tasted earlier, and needs perhaps punchier fruit. But it is well made, and has definite potential for ageing. This property is now (privately) owned by the Hermes family, and is subject to some serious investments. The vines consist of about 45% cabernet sauvignon, 45% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. 88.
Chateau Clarke, Listrac Medoc
Another in the Listrac line-up that is intense, very rich in polyphenols, very intensely coloured. They have really pushed the extraction here. But it has elegance, and the tannins are very well worked to try to smooth out any green notes. Interesting, shame that the finish is short. This wine is often up to 70% merlot. 88-89.
Chateau Fourcas Dupre, Listrac Medoc
Very deep red, not as vibrant as some of the others. Rich and intense on the nose, lovely black fruit aromas. On the palate, there is very clear coffee and some black fruit - but it tails off to become slightly stale instant coffee, and doesn’t have great length. Not my favourite of the day. 85-86.
Chateau Macaillou, Moulis-en-Medoc
Ecclesiastical purple again. Very evident new oak, some vanilla overtones. But this is going to need a long time to hack through the tannins, and this is over extraction gone mad without the ripe fruit underneath it. 85-86.
Chateau Chasse Spleen, Moulis-en-Medoc
A little over-extracted, but really good fresh colour and nose. I like the purity of the expression, but the immediacy of the fruit is lacking, and what is there is slightly crunchy instead of being smooth. Needs more time to fully integrate with the oak. 88-90.
Chateau Poujeaux, Moulis-en-Medoc
Nice colour on this one. Good extraction (okay, a little overdone but they get away with it), lovely mint and savoury herbs, and very good blackcurrant expression. This is an estate that has majority cabernet sauvignon (50% cab, to 40% merlot), and shows yet again how well cabernet has done on the Left Bank this year. 90-91. (chateau sample tasted at Poujeaux – I mention this because there was not such a good sample at a UGC tasting)
Chateau Greysac , Medoc
Another enormously intense in colour. This has real elegance to the nose, and good smoky tones that give it complexity. Not so impressive on the palate though – green notes and quite an unpleasant finish. Can see that there is potential here, but the tannins need smoothing to bring things back into balance. 86-88.
Chateau la Tour de By, Medoc
Ex-cru bourgeois superieur, with a good dose of cabernet sauvignon, up to around 65%. In colour, this is rich, deep purple, and both nose and palate are very concentrated and over-extracted. Clearly the winemaking team has worked hard, and there is plenty of vanilla from the new oak. It may develop well over the next year, but it needs serious time, and serious softening. The pedigree of the chateau might well give a clue as to whether this will happen, but it is a gamble. 89-90
Chateau Siran, Margaux
Almost entirely inky black. Very intense in colour, with a vibrant purple core. Lovely fruit on the nose. I like this. It has the power of the other ones, but this time there is the velvety touch with it that lightens the mood and veers away from over-extraction. Much better, and very good acidity. 91.
Chateau Brane Cantenac, Margaux
A rich purple colour that perhaps lacks a little vibrancy. Liquorice, coffee, blackcurrant, mocha – plenty of good flavours, and some nice creamy oak, but they seem to be standing out from each other a little awkwardly, and need time to melt in together. Again, one to re-taste after ageing, as this estate as produced some lovely wines in recent years. 88-90.
Chateau du Tetre, Margaux
Rich, deep, velvety at every stage. Lovely weight of fruit, and this has managed to extract the firm blackcurrant and blackberries without being harsh or overly tannic. Like this one enormously. 92.
Chateau Malescot St Exupery, Margaux
Over-extracted (yawn, far too many of these southern Medoc wines seem to be guilty of that this year), but to be fair there is very good tannic structure here, and a good kick of acidity that livens things up. Better than many years for this chateau. 88-89.
Chateau Monbrison, Margaux
Minty, eucalyptus, but actually fairly one-dimensional when you stop to think about it. Under-ripe and a little green. But this is a cru bourgeois that does some excellent wines, if uneven. Worth retasting. 87.
Chateau Prieure Lichine, Margaux
Bear in mind that this is very cold, the temperature is not good for the tasting, and so I may be getting an unfavourable impression. But having said that, even with a cool temperature, this has real elegance, and very nice structure. Like it, although finish is a little short and green. 88-89.
Chateau Giscours, Margaux
So deep and rich, lovely nose. I like this, and it demands a bit of time to really get to grips with, opening up after a few minutes of swirling. But it rewards time and reflection. Very good potential here. 91-92.
Chateau Desmirail, Margaux
Slightly lighter and more muted red in colour, but it’s pleasant and subtle on the nose. Bit short, but still there is good fruit here, and has interest and potential. 88-89.
Chateau Cantenac Brown, Margaux
Like the elegance on the nose and the lovely restrained but rich colour. Much better than many of the samples in this tasting – good weight of fruit but the lovely acidity makes it seem light. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot, and will spent its ageing in 60% new oak. One of the nicest so far. I have now tasted this twice, once at the chateau and once again during this blind tasting, and have been very impressed with each sample. They harvested from October 1 to 19. Now let’s see what they do with the price this year, as it has pretty much dropped off the radar due to its crazy pricing strategy. 92-94.
Chateau Lascombes, Margaux
This is deep rich and very stately. Good depth of fruit and quite spicy. Blackcurrant leaf, which works very well, but there is quite a lot of over extraction. Still, this is clearly good quality, and has lovely interest and lingering fruit. One of the best vintages that I have tasted at this property. 92-93.
Chateau Razuan Segla, Margaux
Deep, rich and interesting. Heading towards over-extraction, but it has been reined in and is clearly produced by a team that knows what they are doing. There are no harsh edges to the tannins, and it has real depth of flavour and well defined fruit. Clearly very well made, and very precise. 92-94.
Chateau Kirwan, Margaux
The colour is inky black and seems atypical of the appellation (although not necessarily the year). This is not the most successful wine ever from this estate – you need a hacksaw for the tannins, and need to take serious time to start to enjoy what is going on here. No doubt there is ageing ahead of it – but I felt disappointed with this after a series of good years at this esate. 86-87.
Chateau Rauzan Gassies, Margaux
A lovely light touch to this one. I like the purity of expression, the blackcurrant fruit is very much to the fore of the wine. This has lovely oak, although it may be a bit vanilla and could be more subtle. But I like this, lots of charm, and finesse. 92.
Chateau D’Angludet, Margaux
Another strikingly deep colour, deep inky purple. So concentrated that the nose is almost non existent. There is clearly a lot of structure here, but seems to be overly oak tannins and not enough fruit tannins. I like the smokiness and the liquorice to it – but it’s not very typical Margaux. 89-90.
Chateau Dufort Vivens, Margaux
Dry, lacking in fruit, over extracted. Always a very high proportion of cabernet sauvignon in this wine, so it’s a bit disappointing that it didn’t achieve better weight of fruit, given how well cabernet has generally done on the Left Bank. 85.
Chateau Marquis de Termes, Margaux
Lovely rich fruit, good spice again, and the colour although very intense does have that lovely vibrant core. Good sweet fruit, which has not been apparent everywhere. I really like this one – slightly disappointing on the finish, and lacks some structure, but good punchy fruit, and good balance overall. 90.
Chateau Ferrière, Margaux
The smallest classified growth in the Medoc, at just 8 hectares. Very stately purple in colour. Cedar and pencil lead on the nose, quite different in taste profile from the others. Very good length, and real layers of flavour. Coffee very apparent, as is caramel and butterscotch. Good, and an often under-rated chateau. 90.
Chateau Dauzac, Margaux
I love the silky colour on this. And really like the fruit. There is some over-extraction, but only a touch, and it is brought back by a very good tannic structure, and some evidence of ripe, firm fruit (so only on the edge of ripeness, but they got there). Very good. 92-93.
Chateau Labegorce, Margaux
Rich, ruby red, quite a muted nose, but patience is rewarded by a lovely grip of red ripe fruits. Good cedary oak, some very nice fruit, but lacking in mid palate. Still, there is elegance and grip to this, and lovely acidity that gives it real potential to age and smooth out over the next year. 89.
Alter Ego de Palmer, Margaux
52% merlot, 48% cabernet sauvignon. Intense, very rich tannin structure, great acidity. They produce about 50/50 first and second wine, and this has a very definite market of its own – lower temperature vinification, less extraction, more approachable juicy fruit. All of this is true in this year also, but it somehow lacks some of the easy exuberance of the best years of Alter Ego. Still, the fruit here is plump and tightly controlled, and there is definite charm. 90-91.
Chateau Palmer, Margaux
Beautiful rich deep red colour, really lovely. Prefer this quite significantly to the Alter Ego (more of a difference for me than in most years). Gorgeous plums and figs, and really wonderful structure and acidity.51% merlot, 41% cabernet sauvign, 8% petit verdot. This is definitely a wine that opens up and reveals itself with a little time in the glass – it gets better and better during the tasting, and has a lovely spicy edge to the fruit. Gorgeous. 94-96.