Margaux and Medoc Tasting

I've mentioned before that I think the 09s from the left bank were consistently excellent. Where I thought this particularly shined through was the Margaux/Medoc blind tasting at Chateau Chasse-Spleen. Part of this was due to familiarity, I like wines from the Margaux appellation, so I drink more of them and know more about them than I do other regions. But, it wasn't just me, most of the journalists I talked to noted the same thing about wines from left bank, in general, and Margaux in particular.

What makes the 2009 vintage so outstanding and why is almost everyone fawning over it? It started with the perfect weather. With the exception of some hailstorms early in the season, the weather in 2009 was perfect for producing quality Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, this allowed the winemakers, especially on the left bank, to produce the kind of wine they wanted. As I went through my tasting notes to write this post, I realized that I had written the phrase "classic Bordeaux" 12 times.

Classic Bordeaux, to me, refers to that combination elegance, structure, and aromas that can only come from a well-done Bordeaux. Almost all the wines in the Margaux/Medoc tasting seemed to have it. But there were a few that stood out, and those are below (these are only wines from the Margaux/Medoc blind tasting, there are others from that region that I will write about later).

Remember, the wines below are listed in order of tasting, not perceived score:



Chateau Malescot Saint Exupery: Very dark color, lots of green pepper and spices on the nose, well-structured tannins and very full body.

Chateau Dauzac: Black fruit and pepper aromas. Good fruit in the mouth, very subtle, slowly worked its way back nice tannins

Chateau Kirwan: Aromas of plum and black cherry. Very powerful wine, an interesting contrast to Chateau Dauzac. This one is has a full body with strong tannins and a lingering palate.

Chateau Lascombes: Lots of pepper on this wine, some hints of black fruit as well. Well-structured tannins with a medium body.

Chateau Marquis de Terme: Green pepper on the nose, surprisingly strong aromas. Good deep purple color with firm tannins and a full body.

Chateau Brane-Cantenac: This was an all-around elegant wine. It started with very refined green pepper and plum aromas. Then soft, lingering tannins, that slowly worked their way to the back of the mouth and lingered. Incredible body, a wine that feels like it will age extremely well.

Chateau Chasse-Spleen: Red fruit and some leather aromas. Very fruit forward wine with a medium body.

Chateau Fonreaud: Lots of red fruit with a little green pepper on the nose. Good structure, with a medium body.

Chateau La Tour de By: Deep purple color, the Petit Verdot really shines through. Good pepper on the nose. A complex wine with well-structured tannins and a medium body.

Un week-end d'exception a Margaux

Maria, from Chateau Brane-Cantenac sent me a note about this event, hosted by Terre de Vins.

Un week-end d'exception a Margaux an incredible weekend-ish getaway to Margaux! The trip starts off on Friday with lunch at Chateau Brane-Cantenac, followed by a tasting at Chateau Margaux.

After the Margaux tasting, the next stop is Chateau Palmer for dinner. After dinner, guests will spend the night at the Relais de Margaux.

In the morning guests will do tastings at Chateau Kirwan and Chateau Rauzan-Segla. The weekend finishes up with a lunch and reception at Chateau Lascombes.

The best part, is that these are not the ordinary tastings, the Chateaux have really gone all out. Chateau Palmer is serving their 1998, 1990 and 1983 vintages and the 2000 vintage of their Alter Ego. Chateau Brane-Cantenac is serving their 2004, 2002 and 1996 vintages and Chateau Lascombes is serving their 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2001 vintages, plus the 2005 vintage of their second label.

The price is 1290 Euro per person and there is only space for 25 people. This is an incredible opportunity, one that I would take advantage of, if I wasn't already going out to Bordeaux in March/April.

Chateau Palmer and You

I am a sucker for unique marketing ideas, especially when they come from old-school companies and it does get much older than Chateau Palmer. Labelled a third growth in the 1855 Classification wine has been made on the Chateau Palmer property since the 1750s. It is one of the top wines from the Margaux region, and one of the few to have a Twitter account.

They've set up a website called Palmer and You where visitors can "share a memorable moment with a wine of Palmer..."

It is a very simple idea, but I think potentially very powerful. Wine is all about the moment, a great bottle of wine is great because of the people you share it with or where you are experiencing it. Reading through the stories reminded me of the last bottle of Chateau Palmer I had, and makes me want to order more.

La Maison du Vin de Margaux

Before coming out to Bordeaux I did a lot of prep work. In addition to contacting the Chateaux I wanted to visit, I also needed to get maps, plan routes, figure out places to stay and sites to see. I relied on a lot of tourism books and online information, all of which I will talk about at a later date. But, once I got out to Margaux the most helpful resource was La Maison du Vin de Margaux -- the Margaux wine tourism center.

The women at the Maison du Vin de Margaux were extremely helpful and they had lots of great information about the local Chateaux (Margaux is composed of 5 regions: Arsac, Labard, Margaux, Cantenac, and Soussans). But the most useful thing I picked up was the great map shown below (full size image is here.)

The map is great because once you understand how Margaux is laid out it is actually pretty simple to navigate. You really only need to know D2 and D105 and they will get you to the vast majority of the Chateaux in the region.

Unfortunately, the Maison du Vin de Margaux does not have a web presence, so you cannot download a copy of the map prior to your trip (at least I don't think you can). But, I highly recommend stopping by and picking one up.

Chateau Margaux

For me, no visit to Bordeaux would be complete without a stop at Chateau Margaux. Chateau Margaux is the wine that started my love affair with Bordeaux and I try to treat myself to a bottle of it every year. While Chateau Brane Cantenac is my favorite Bordeaux, Chateau Margaux will always hold a special place in my heart.

Chateau Margaux is the stuff of legend. The property has been around since the 12th Century and it has been known for its wine since the 16th century. Thomas Jefferson visited Chateau Margaux and declared the Chateau to be one of the four important properties of the area. Chateau Margaux was considered a first growth wine long before the 1855 Classification system, though that declaration cemented its role as one of the premiere Chateau in Bordeaux.

The estate is currently managed by Corinne Mentzelopoulos.

The Chateau itself consists of 262 hectares, 82 of which are used to grow red grape varietals. They grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot on the property. The average age of the vines is 35 years. About 150,000 bottles of Chateau Margaux are produced each year. They also produce about 200,000 bottles of their second wine, Pavillon Rouge.

Walking around the property you can almost feel the history of the Chateau, especially when descend into the barrel room and visit the library (shown in the sixth picture) which has wine dating back to the 1700s.

The tasting room (second photo) is decorated in a very classic style with a miniature version of the estate (shown in picture 3) and lots of information about the harvesting and wine making process at Chateau Margaux. During our tour we were surprised with a special treat. Normally, at the end of the tour they taste the Pavillon Rouge, but on this day they also let us taste the 2006 Chateau Margaux!

It was strange that both vintages were 2006 and from the same vineyard, yet there was clearly a distinction between the two.

Chateau Lascombes

Chateau Lascombes is classified as a second growth wine according to the 1855 Clasification and is part of the Margaux appellation. The Chateau bears the name of its original owner Chevalier de Lascombes, though it is currently owned by a joint venture between Colony Capital and Yves Vatelot (there are rumors it is up for sale if you have a spare $80+ million or so).

The average age of the vines is 35 years and they have 84 hectares planted consisting of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. Which is interesting, because the first wine is generally dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (the 2005 vintage is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot),

Two things that repeatedly struck me as I visited Chateaux throughout Bordeaux were the size and the history. The current Chateau (in the first picture) was built in 1867 (making it one of the newer Chateaux I saw during my visit).

The harvest and fermentation process is pretty cool. The grapes are all harvested by hand, they they are bought to the vibrating sorting tables in the third picture. Sorting is also done by hand to weed out any bad grapes. Then the grapes are slightly crushed and cooled using a carbon dioxide slow cooling method. They have a combination of oak and underground storage vats, and grapes from different parts of the vineyard are stored in different vats.

From the vats they are moved into the barrels, lees and all. This means that the barrels have to be constantly rotated so that the lees don't have time to collect in the bottom of the barrel. After about 4 months of aging with the Lees, the wine is removed from the barrels, the barrels are scrubbed and the wine, sans lees, is placed back into the barrels to age for an additional 18-20 months.

The final stage of the aging process is when the wine is fined with egg whites to remove the last of the sediment.

2008 Brane Cantenac

I promise I'll pick on some other wines shortly, but I just wanted to post this tremendous review from Robert Parker for the 2008 vintage of Brane Cantenac:

This is one of the most complex wines of the appellation, exhibiting notes of underbrush, sweet currants, cherries, and subtle touches of roasted herbs, incense, and spice box. It does not possess the power or depth of the 2005, and may not even eclipse the 2006, but it is a beautiful, pure, mid-weight, well-balanced, impeccably pure Margaux that should drink well for 15+ years.

He rated it between a 90-93.

Sometimes a deal comes along that is so good I need to pass it along. Wally's Wine is having a vertical special on wines from Chateau Malescot St Exupery, one of the best from Margaux. The 2000 and 2004 are especially good deals.

Wine: 2002 Chateau Monbrison Bordeaux



Review: The great thing about the Margaux appelation is that I am always finding new treasures. This wine was rated one of the best wines under $50 and I agree. Laurent Vonderheyden has created an elegant wine, complex with hints of plum and a tobacco aroma. Not an intense wine, much more subtle with a medium palette

Price: $39

Grade: 90

Wine: 2003 Chateau Dufort-Vivens Bordeaux



Review: My Bordeaux consumption tends to drop off in the summer, and increase as the fall approaches. But sometimes I just crave a good Bordeaux, and this was a very good one. This wine is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc and contains 12.5% alcohol.

This is a smokey wine, with strong underpinnings of tobacco. It had strong aromas of cherry and blackberry. Age has mellowed the tannins it was a very drinkable wine. I've read it described as rustic and that is a good adjective.

Price: $28

Grade: 90

Wine: 2003 Pavillon Rouge Bordeaux



Review: This is one of those wines that I have been keeping stored waiting to try. Pavillon Rougue is the second growth of Chateau Margaux. Same vines, but slightly lesser quality grapes and a price which reflects the difference. The 2003 was supposed to be a stellar year for Pavillon Rouge and the prices for this vintage are hovering in the $80 range.

This particular vintage was especially well-received with the winemaker, Paul Pontallie, calling it his "best ever." It even received a 93 from Robert Parker

The wine is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, so it is less complex than most Bordeauxs but that does not detract from its flavor. It is a rich wine with a deep ruby color and aromas of blackberries and leather. It sat very long on the palate and was tannic, with a hint of vanilla.

It definately needs to be decanted and you will be richly rewarded for doing so the aromas seemed to fill the room as the I let it sit. If I had one complaint, it might have needed another year of aging.


Price: $80

Grade: 95