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Bordeaux Blind Tasting

These tasting notes are from a blind tasting of Bordeaux. All of those who attended brought one or two bottles, and as a result there was a fascinating, eclectic range of wine ready for tasting. The bottles ranged from thirty year old Côtes de Bourg to top of the class 2000 Bordeaux. Although the wines were tasted blind in fairly random order the tasting notes here are organised according to appellation. (16/10/03)

Blind Bordeaux - Tasting Notes

Tasted in October 2003. Click to locate stockists:

Chateau Verbois Bordeaux Rosé 2002: A clean, pink hue of moderate intensity. Fresh raspberries on the nose, with a sweet candied edge. Quite full on the palate, with blackcurrant leaf flavours and an oily edge. 14/20

Chateau La Barde Côtes de Bourg 1973: A mature, pale, browning hue. The nose is obviously very mature, with sweet, claretty notes. On the palate it is somewhat dried out. There is some oxidation and a short finish. Nevertheless it is not undrinkable and for a thirty year old Côtes de Bourg I think it has held up very well. 14/20

Chateau La Tour de By (Médoc) 1990: A mature, smoky, slightly stewed/roasted fruit nose, with a biscuity edge. It is soft, round and a touch sweet on the palate. Medium bodied. Not a lot of charm. Fully integrated tannins and certainly ready to drink. Red and black fruit flavours. Good length. That roasted character suggests 1990. 17.5/20

Chateau Caronne Ste-Gemme (Haut-Médoc) 1985: The nose here displays mature, sweet fruit. The palate is delightfully and gracefully balanced, with a beautiful integration of tannic structure. It has a firm touch but remains very fluid. Elegant fruit. Finishes well. Very typical of the 1985 vintage. 17.5/20

Chateau Fourcas-Hosten (Listrac) 1996: Stony, mineral aromas on the nose, with some black fruit and a hint of black olives. Medium body apparent on entry, quite firm structure, with stony fruit flavour. Somewhat stinky and I would say rustic. Seems to have a touch more finesse on the endpalate though, with more black olive flavour. Some tannin still evident on the finish. Overall it has just enough fruit to cope with the structure. Good, potentially very good.

Chateau Beau-Site (St Estèphe) 1996: A good colour. Black fruits on the nose, with a restrained, hard, minerally, stony, gravelly edge that suggests St Estèphe to me. Quite classic. The palate has a full, medium body and sweet, stone and mineral edged fruit. Again quite classic suggesting the 1996 vintage. 16.5/20

Rothschild Pauillac 1995: Corked. And from magnum, too. Not rated.

Chateau Lynch-Moussas (Pauillac) 1997: Not tasted blind as this was the first of two wines I brought along. I've never really enjoyed this wine, from what I maintain is (generalising) a disappointing vintage. Showing advanced maturity on inspection. Evolved nose, with unusual ripe banana and confected notes. Seems OK on entry, but falls away on the midpalate. Medium bodied, charmless tannins, and hollow. Another bottle (my last!) - which was in fact a little less evolved and better for it - I took to another tasting group a few weeks later and had them all thinking it was Italian (the unbalanced acidity) and commenting on strange custard aromas. Clearly an "unusual" wine. 13/20

Carruades de Lafite (Pauillac) 2000: Again not blind, this being the second wine that I brought along. The second wine of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. A wonderful youthful colour. A rich nose, full of red and black fruits and black olives, with a perfumed edge. Medium bodied and elegant on the palate. There is a touch of power though. Good sweet fruit, and a little tannin. Needs another year or two but then should be ready. 17+/20

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