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Bordeaux 2006: Tasting, April 2008
Bordeaux 2006
En primeur
At One Year
Tasting, April 2008
At Two Years
As well as the tasting of white Graves of the 2006 vintage which I encountered during the 2007 primeurs, a number of estates also showed their 2006 vintage, usually alongside the 2007 at the chateau. This was certainly true of Le Pin, Sociando-Mallet, Léoville-Las-Cases and others, although some wines were instead encountered with dinner. This was the case with the white, pink and red wines of Smith-Haut-Lafitte, tasted at the restaurant in the grounds of the chateau with proprietor Florence Cathiard, at a vinously star-studded dinner attended by Alain Graillot, a good friend of the Cathiards from their university days, and Telmo Rodriguez of Remelluri. There was a whole host of wines tasted from the Cathiard estate, but I include only the 2006 vintage here; notes on the remainder are to be found in my Smith-Haut-Lafitte profile. At Le Pin, after a somewhat cheeky (but certainly worthwhile) request from a journalist in my party, Jacques Thienpont graciously poured eight or so glasses of the 2006 vintage. The wines from Sociando-Mallet were tasted immediately after the 2007s, but immediately prior to lunch in the estate's new tasting room with its fabulous vista across the vineyards and the Gironde, whilst those from Domaine de Chevalier and Pape-Clément were tasted over canapés one evening.
On the whole this rag-tag selection of famous names performed very well, and I think after tasting these wines I might be inclined to speak of the vintage in a slightly kinder tone than I may have done after my first taste in 2007. All the wines showed better than they did one year ago in my opinion, and scores crept up by half a point above my previously cited range for a number of them. For some the change was even more dramatic, and I have revised quite critical opinions of several wines which I thought did not show well at all during the primeur tastings but were much more giving in 2008. In particular, Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Pichon-Baron and Haut-Bailly all surpassed expectations based on my prior opinion. Nevertheless, these wines are hardly a representative sample, and I will revisit the 2006 vintage later on in the year, looking at a much broader range of wines, to firm up my opinion of both the vintage and more importantly how the individual wines are doing once all the ageing, blending and bottling is done. (29/5/08)
Bordeaux 2006 - Tasting Notes
The following wines were tasted in April 2008. Click
to locate stockists.
Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte Blanc
(Pessac-Léognan) 2006: A lovely intensity of fruit here on the nose,
less candied but no less delicious. On the palate a lot of substance, with good
flavour matching the nose, backed up with lots of grip and substance. Showing
very well indeed, at the top end of my initial impression. 17-17.5+/20
Les Hauts de Smith Rosé (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: This wine is produced by the Cathiards at Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte
and is equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a strawberry and cream nose. A firm and full palate, with good
punch and depth of flavour. Great acidity, freshness and even a little, gentle
grip. Good. 15/20
Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte
(Pessac-Léognan) 2006: Sweet fruit here, with notes of toffee and spice
still showing in this youthful wine, with attractive raspberry, redcurrant and
plum fruit. There is good substance on the palate which is even a touch creamy.
Round, grippy, not hugely imbued with vigour but more complete than I thought on
last tasting. This has potential and I can firm up my previously rather critical
and certainly very broad
score - a little. 15-16+/20
Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: This has slightly gamey fruit on the nose, and on
the palate an appealing substance underpinned by a firm structure and a good
acid bite. Attractive, flashy with lots of potential. This is showing very well,
and has fine potential. 16-16.5+/20
Chateau Haut-Bailly (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: The nutty oak sensed in
April 2007 has fully integrated, leaving an attractive open, fruit-dominated
nose. Plentiful, fresh, brambly-blackcurrant character which has plenty of life.
Gentle acidity on the palate, gently covered tannins, but there is good
substance and structure to it. It has a fine, harmonious composition and my
impression is much more favourable than last time. 16.5+/20 (April 2008)
Chateau Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: Sweet and ripe fruit on the nose here, showing
piles of new oak, much more than the wine was carrying when I tasted it in April
2007. It has a tight composition, but there is also apparent flesh and grip
through the mipalate. Lots of good acidity. This is very stylish, but it will
need plenty of time for all that oak to integrate. Really very good. 17-17.5+/20
Chateau Pichon-Baron (Pauillac) 2006: A wine on which I was perhaps
overly hard when judging the barrel sample, in April 2007 - or at least it is
showing much better now. Today this shows a
pure, aromatic fruit, and also some integrated oak. Nice, fleshy, balanced,
although with an austere structure underneath. It possess a very firm grip at
the finish, and has a very powerful frame. This is really very good and deserves
a higher score than my last one. 16.5-17/20
Chateau Léoville-Las-Cases (St Julien) 2006: Interestingly, this sample was bottled under a synthetic cork,
although the wine when bottled for sale will have a traditional cork. This young
wine has an almost exotic perfume on the nose, which overall is very expressive
and rich in sweet fruit. This has more punch than the 2007 for sure. There is a
lot of structure here, an appealing texture, good substance, and plenty of
vigour and acidity. This has ripe tannic bones, and there is lovely potential
here. A vin de garde and an admirable addition to any cellar. 17.5-18+/20
La Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet (Haut-Médoc) 2006: This is the second wine of
Sociando-Mallet. A rather hard fruit nose here. Moderate flesh at
best on the palate, although it is somewhat more flattering than the 2007 La
Demoiselle. Plenty of hard structure, and overall a little brooding. It shows a
little more substance towards the finish where it is a little more flattering.
13.5-14.5+/20
Chateau Sociando-Mallet
(Haut-Médoc) 2006: There is a fine, cassis fruit richness here, showing rather more
character and depth than the 2007. A nicely composed presence on the palate,
balanced rather than weighty or rich, with a fine grip. Good concentration. Lots
of tannin showing through at the finish. This is pretty well set up for the
future. 16.5-17+/20
Le Pin (Pomerol) 2006: This was a sample of the final blend, taken from tank,
approximately one month before bottling was due. The nose offers a beautiful
perfume, with fine damson and plum fruit purity with notes of vanilla, pepper
and spice. The palate is svelte, rounded, with silky tannins perfectly covered
by the fruit. Overall this is very harmonious in its composition, and it seems
remarkably approachable, despite its embryonic nature and the underlying
structure. It certainly has a little more punch than the 2007, which I tasted
first, finishing up in a firm, tannic finish. This is potentially excellent. 18-19+/20
