The best of the Medoc

Our last category is the coveted ‘best of the Medoc’ title. There are few surprises with big names: Palmer, Ducru, Las Cases, Lynch and Pontet taking the top five places. A great showing from Xavier Borie’s Grand Puy Lacoste has propelled this 5^th growth into a very respectable 6^th place ahead of the gorgeous Montrose and Pichon Lalande. Clerc Milon is also flying high and at £340 per case looks like a great buy. Last and by no means least - the utterly charming Calon Segur. Never flashy, not really a ‘tasting wine’, but by its sheer allure, it forces its way into the list.

Perhaps it is also worth mentioning Leoville Poyferre, usually high on the list, but narrowly missing out this time. Another absentee is Pichon Baron which came well down the pecking order...

1	Palmer	***
2	Ducru Beaucaillou	*
3	Leoville Las Cases	***
4	Lynch Bages
5	Pontet Canet	*
6	Grand Puy Lacoste
7	Montrose
8	Pichon Lalande
9	Clerc Milon
10	Calon Segur

Bordeaux 2012: Exclusive Tasting with Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou

Bordeaux 2012 - Day 4

A green harvester at Ducru Beaucaillou...

Day four and there was still lots to cover, four UGCs (Sauternes, Moulis - Listrac and Haut Medoc, Margaux and Pauillac - St Julien and St Estephe) as well as a few last Chateau visits. First stop, the Pichons. We unanimously preferred Lalande to Baron and this was confirmed by re-tasting at the UGC. Pichon Lalande has real charm, grace and Pauillac character. It will be a lovely drink in eight years’ time.

The Pauillac, St Julien and St Estephe UGC was a little patchy, but there was much to admire. Re-tasting Lynch Bages and Grand Puy Lacoste confirmed their class, while Gloria looks like a great value from St Julien. Langoa and Leoville Barton both showed well, but we thought we’d pop in to see Lilian and taste at the Chateau on the way to Ducru. Both wines performed even better when tasted at the Chateau. There was also an opportunity to taste the 2011s a year on. Langoa is stunning, while Leoville is big, tannic and impressive. It is slightly awkward at the moment, but has good potential.

Our last tasting before lunch was with Bruno Borie at Ducru Beaucaillou. Toby wasted no time in his interrogation, quizzing Bruno on his choice of harvesters in the glossy brochure. Bruno was prepared, explaining that he prefers blondes for the green harvest and brunets for the vendage. That cleared up, we got on with the tasting; the results were spectacular. Lalande Borie is juicy, yummy and should be good value, Croix has real depth and class and the Grand Vin is serious, sexy and long-term. A cracking range.

Ulysse Cazabonne was our generous host for lunch. Once again their chef treated us to an extravagant lunch, including some delicious clarets from 2001 – a really friendly, attractive vintage. There was also an opportunity to taste and re-taste some wines in their cellars. John Kolasa’s Chateau Canon was exceptional. This is an estate on top form, showing well at Southwold and their 2012 rates amongst the top wines of the right bank.

The afternoon was a big disappointment. Leaden skies and pouring rain added to our downbeat mood, but the wines were the main reason for our disenchantment. Sauternes seemed saccharine, lacking botrytis and complexity. Unless they are super cheap, there’s no point buying them; we recommend the excellent 2011s which are widely available at opening prices. Margaux UGC was if anything a bigger anti-climax. Some big names just really didn’t get it. The best performers were Rauzan Segla, Brane Cantenac and Malescot St Exupery. We should add that the Margaux UGC has been a bit of a challenge for the last few years, so the wines probably deserve the benefit of the doubt – they will no doubt work themselves out in time. So it was left for the Moulis, Listrac and Haut Medoc tasting to raise our spirits, and actually, there were quite a few very good, honest, well made wines here. Cantemerle continues its good form, Chasse Spleen and Poujeaux are both solid efforts and Beaumont is excellent value for money. Some tasters were left head scratching. Had this minor UGC trumped the somewhat grander Margaux UGC? Well expectations were somewhat lower, but we definitely left in a more upbeat mood.

So after four days of tastings, we have a picture of the 2012s. It is not an easy vintage to pigeonhole. Pomerol estates maybe had an easier time than the other communes, but they didn’t have it all their own way, and a lot of hard graft was required to produce high quality wines. The Medoc probably had the most challenging conditions, but here we have estates with incredible resources and resourcefulness and there have been some very smart wines produced. Sauternes is weak and the decision by Yquem and Rieussec not to release looks astute. The dry whites are delicious; 2012 must rank as an excellent vintage for this style.

To loosely paraphrase our Chairman, the highs are higher than in 2011, but there is less consistency. We like the purity and precision in the best wines and feel that they will be delightful wines to consume in 8-10 years’ time.

Bordeaux 2011 - Day 3

Day three and our focus turns to the Medoc. Pauillac cuts rather a drab presence next to a brown Gironde and under threatening skies - not ideal tasting conditions, but we have a job to do, so we head to Montrose for our first appointment. 2011 was something of a challenge for Chateaux in St Estephe; aside from summer and spring swapping seasons, Montrose had to contend with snow, drought, heat waves and hail. On the evidence of the Grand Vin, they have coped manfully. This has wonderful extract and lots of substance - if it fleshes out it will be a great Montrose.

Next the Justerini cavalcade headed to neighbour and second growth rival, Cos d'Estournel. In truth, this wine proved controversial, splitting the group in two. Some felt that during vinification, Cos had pushed too hard, creating a monster lacking freshness and boasting OTT tannins, whilst others thought there was sufficient sweet cabernet fruit for this to work - time will tell.

Bruno Borie and his charming entourage greeted us at Ducru Beaucaillou. Following a 100 points in 2009 and an even better wine in 2010 was always going to be tough, but Ducru 2011 is one of the undeniable stars of the vintage. He described it as 'Nicole Kidman' - we thought it was sensational, deep, concentrated, exotic, aristocratic, yet with a sweetness and decadence and sumptuous texture - bravo.

Highlights of the afternoon included a stunning range at Mouton - as sumptuous, pretty and accessible as we have seen there for some time. Herve Beland's farewell vintage is a great success.

Pontet Canet impressed us all for its purity, clarity and vibrancy - it is a truly beautiful wine and Alfred, Melanie and the team have every reason to be proud.

Jean-Charles Cazes at Lynch admitted it was "a more challenging year", the threat of sunburn loomed large at the end of June and weather conditions at the end of August and beginning of September were highly conducive to the onset of grey rot, which was checked by thinning and de-leafing carried out earlier in the summer. The hard work paid off, with a number of our team putting it amongst the very finest wines of the vintage.

The Pauillac, St Estephe, St Julien UGC was inconsistent with too many Chateau over extracting and over working their wines. Those that were good though, were very good indeed. Highlights included, Leoville Poyferre, Grand Puy Lacoste, both Pichons, Gruaud Larose, Gloria, Leoville Barton and Ormes de Pez.
Lafite next, and what a range. Tasting Carruades free from preconceptions surrounding its market value can be tough. Be that as it may, the wine is superb. Sweet pure fruit and fine stony tannins - chapeau. Duhart too has its emotional baggage but it was also a great success. A more brooding wine, deliciously classical, mid weight but very intense all the way through, it ably carried the flame lit by Carruades to deliver us to the grand vin. Stylistically this is all Lafite. While closed and initially reticent the team fell in love with its precision, were wowed by its sheer length and seduced by the vivid, floral finish. This is certainly one of the left bank wines of the vintage.

We popped in on Leoville Poyferre to see if it was as good as at the UGC tasting, if anything it proved even better. Next door neighbour Leoville Las Cases have produced a fine range, the best Nenin they have made, whilst Petit Lion, Clos du Marquis and Las Cases itself were an impressive and surprisingly open trio.

Day 4 Medoc follows tomorrow.

Market Update

Amid the general unease about the state of the global economy, we are frequently quizzed about the health of the wine market. The last data released by Liv-ex showed the Liv-ex 100 up 3.9% at 444.55; a year on year rise of just over 41%. This sustained rally has largely been due to the enormous demand for First Growths in the rapidly expanding Chinese market. New figures now confirm that the so called `Super Seconds` have been pitching in too. Brands such as Lynch Bages and Pontet Canet (both technically 5th growths...) along with the likes of Montrose, Cos d’Estournel, both the Pichons, Leoville Las Cases and Ducru Beaucaillou have enjoyed steady (if not spectacular) gains.

Of course, events in Japan, stratospheric prices for First Growths and the impending 2010 Bordeaux campaign have the potential to bring an abrupt end to the bull-run; but only time will tell. At present, Haut Brion and Mouton Rothschild are enjoying the top spot (in terms of demand if not price) and the `Super Seconds` still look attractive to those seeking First Growth quality without the price tag.

Bruno Borie, Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou

Visiting Ducru is always good fun. This year we were greeted with walls adorned with calligraphic tasting notes and vintage musings, the electric neon rabbit now living (and flashing) back behind a row of barrels. He gave us these words in their tubular tasting rooms, stood in front of one of his Keith Harings, on typically charming form and more than happy to talk about the pricing of these 2009s.

Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou from Justerini & Brooks on Vimeo.