Bordeaux 2004 at Ten Years: Pessac-Léognan
This report looks at a happy half-dozen wines from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, taking in the very top estates of the appellation. The wines featured were red, with no white wines on show. All six of the wines tasted were poured in London in March 2014, in their annual review of the vintage that is currently celebrating (or about to celebrate, if you wish me to be pedantic about its actual date of birth) its tenth birthday.
Tasting the Wines
Working my way round the table I came first to the 2004 Domaine de Chevalier, one of several estates in the appellation which I try to follow with a few bottles in the cellar, rather than just relying on tastings, nevertheless I confess I never added any of the 2004 vintage to my stock. That is certainly a shame, as here it showed an appealing albeit restrained character, floral and perfumed, but with beautifully intertwined fruit and structure. A few weeks later (report to follow) I was at the château with Olivier Bernard (pictured), getting an update on Clos des Lunes and Domaine de Chevalier, and tasting five recent vintages of the latter really brought home to me what great quality and value there is to be found here. Coming back to this occasion, the wine was certainly superior to the 2004 Château Haut-Bailly that followed it, although I sensed as I tasted this wine that it didn’t seem quite right.
