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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