Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Le Cercle Rive Droite…A Right Bank Extravaganza!

By Dan Rhodes




I recently had the great pleasure to attend a superb tasting and master class seminar in Beverly Hills at the Peninsula Hotel. Led by master impresario Robin Kelley O’Connor in conjunction with Dr. Alain Reynaud of Le Cercle Rive Droite and Ian Blackburn of Learn About Wine, a small but avid group of us were treated to an incredibly informative and interesting tour down such Right Bank “roads less travelled” as Lalande de Pomerol, Fronsac, Côtes de Castillon and Côtes de Bordeaux along with many of the lesser known and under-appreciated satellite appellations of St. Émilion.

The seminar was meticulously organized and impeccably presented. It was divided into three parts. The first part, accompanied by a representative flight of wines, focused on the various terroir of these sundry AOCs. While we, unfortunately, did not get to taste Château Petrus, the estate is a relevant landmark in any discussion of Right Bank terroir in that it holds a significant spot atop a prominent plateau in Pomerol from which emanate, in concentric circle fashion, the various soil types and terroirs of the region.  There is a great variety of soil composition here ranging from the noble blue clay of Petrus through to the limestone, gravel and sandier alluvial soil gradients which contribute so greatly to the stylistic differences of each and every one of the wines made at these, for the most part, family-owned and operated properties.

Cabernet Franc, in particular, does well throughout these appellations along with, of course, the noble Merlot grape which comprises the largest percentage, en cepage, of Right Bank wines.

The second part of the seminar focused on vintage. Dr. Alain Reynaud and Robin Kelley O’Connor spoke at great length and delivered a superb presentation. Their vintage overview summarized general weather conditions and patterns as well as the many other climatic anomalies which contributed to the overall quality and flavor/texture characteristics of each and every one of these harvests. Dr. Reynaud and Mr. O’Connor pulled no punches and to their credit honestly and empirically looked at every vintage from 2000-2012 in forthright manner correctly categorizing them in a proper qualitative hierarchy. At the end of this lecture, we looked at a flight of wines representing practically each and every one of these harvests with the goal of picking up and understanding the most salient characteristics of each. This included one separate flight, done blind, which gave us all the chance to utilize our newly acquired knowledge to try to identify the vintages of the various wines poured.



After lunch, the third part of the seminar took place in which all of the individual winemakers had the opportunity to present and pour their wines for members of the trade, press and general public. With this, the triad was completed. Each of the three sides of the vinous triangle had now been properly presented: terroir, vintage and winemaker. The equation was balanced. Some highlights are noted below.
In conjunction with this superbly managed and skillfully presented event, I would like to give a special shout out to Ian Blackburn of Learn about Wine and his dedicated staff who poured wines skillfully and in a non-obtrusive manner enabling all to glean so much knowledge and wine expertise from this once-in-a-lifetime event.


Le Cercle Rive Droite Tasting…Highlight wines and scores
In conjunction with the seminar, all of the participating estates took part in a comprehensive tasting showcasing their current en primeur releases from the 2012 vintage as well as selections from the back-to-back championship seasons of 2009/2010. Listed below are some of my favorites from two superlative vintages. Most of these are still present in the market place and are worth seeking out. I am sure they are, for the most part, available at reasonable price. Many thanks to all of the vignerons who participated in this event while generously donating both of their time and wine.

A brief word or two on 2012 --- this is a very nice Right Bank vintage given the strength of the early ripening Merlot grape. Many of the wines I tasted were sinfully delicious with sublime nuances of sundry red and black fruits. The wines are clean and precocious. Nevertheless, they have solid short/mid-term ageing potential. In short, 2012 should not be ignored.

The bigger question at hand is the pricing policy and ongoing attitude of the Bordelais. As Mr. Parker recently pointed out, the region is at the crossroads. En primeur pricing is no longer sustainable at the current niveau. The history of Bordeaux is replete with “boom and bust” cycles dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. We are clearly in a transitional phase with broad market implications for everyone in the trade.



Will the Bordelais act in a proactive manner and adjust their strategy to re-recognize the relevance of their historical and traditional markets in the US and UK or will they, in reactive fashion, continue to attempt to ride the Asian dragon despite the strong evidence of an imminent market correction? Only time will tell…

A Small List of Favorites

Château de Laussac 2009 (Côtes de Castillon)
Château La Dauphine 2010 (Fronsac)
Château Moulin Haut Laroque 2010 (Fronsac)
Château Villars 2010 (Fronsac)
Château Clos de Clocher 2010 (Pomerol)
Château Fayat 2010 (Pomerol)
Château Le Moulin 2009 (Pomerol)
Château Siurac 2009 (Lalande de Pomerol)
Château Boutisse 2010 (St. Emilion)
Château Grand Corbin Manuel 2009 (St. Emilion)
Château Magrez Fombrauge 2010 (St. Emilion)
Château Le Pressac 2010 (St. Emilion)
Château Rol Valentin 2009 (St. Emilion)
Château Fombrauge 2010 (St. Emilion)
Château Le Prieuré 2010 (St. Emilion)
Château Courlat 2010 “Jean-Baptiste” (Lussac- St Emilion)
Château La Rose Perriere 2009 (Lussac – St. Emilion)






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