Bordeaux 2012 Primeurs: St Estèphe
Each year the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux organises a series of region-based or single appellation tastings for the primeurs. You might think it hardly matters which château actually hosts the tasting, provided they have room enough to accommodate all the pourers and tasters. You would, however, be wrong. The prime example of this is the Sauternes tasting, which is almost always hosted by a Margaux château (although this year Château La Lagune – not that much further for the Sauternais to travel, I suppose – stepped up to the plate). The château-proprietors of Sauternes and Barsac who are UGC members know full well that a tasting actually hosted in Sauternes, on the far side of Bordeaux to the famous communes of Margaux, Pauillac, St Julien and so on, would see dramatically reduced attendance. The wine trade might speak vociferously in favour of the sweet wines of Bordeaux, and continually wail at their faltering sales, but do they want to drive all the way round the Rocade to taste them? No way!
I encountered many of the wines of St Estèphe at the combined St Estèphe-Pauillac-St Julien tasting; this is usually hosted by a château in Pauillac or St Julien. Last year it was Château Lagrange, Château Branaire-Ducru has hosted twice in recent years, and I seem to recall (my memory may be faltering a little here) the Tesserons at Château Pontet-Canet were also recent hosts, strangely not that long before they withdrew from UGC activities altogether. It has, however, never before been hosted by a St Estèphe château, perhaps not a great surprise as there are only a handful who are active members of the UGC. And, although not quite as distant as Sauternes, hosting it here would mean a little further for everyone to travel. Nevertheless, this year Château Phelan-Ségur stepped up to the plate. One of the cellars behind the rather ostentatious château was cleared of several hundred barrels, and carpet laid down for the event. Catering tents went up, and a delicious lunch was no doubt served to satiate the many hungry tasters (I didn’t partake). There was a lot of planning went into the day; manager Véronique Dausse and team obviously intended the three days of tasting should pass without a hitch. They even applied and were granted permission for a temporary one-way system through the tiny village of St Estèphe,, to prevent the roads being snarled up with traffic. The planning paid off; the three days seemed to run smoothly (I’m not pretending I checked things out every day, even though I was staying close by) and the team at Phélan-Ségur can hold their heads high.
