2009 Cos, Montose, Ponet Canet, LLC, Ducru and Beychevelle

[AlexR]

Hi,

I spent today out in the Médoc, visiting 6 châteaux to taste their 2009s.

First stop was Cos d'Estournel.
In keeping with many of the wines I tasted all day, the colors of all the wines were gorgeous.
I was interested in sampling La Goulée because this wine from another recent vintage had received a "coup de coeur" (special favorite) rating in the 2010 Guide Hachette. Anyway, I found 2009 La Goulée to be an attractive, commercial sort of wine, very upfront and sweetish, but not very long. Probably good value for money.
Les Pagodes was clearly a step up on terms of refinement, with tight, smooth tannin, lots of blackcurrant, and considerable class.
Cos d'Estournel was unbelievably deep in color with really thick legs. The nose was not very well-focused at this stage and a bit spirity and jammy.
The initial impression on the palate was that of a big, round, plush wine, but there was a hole in the middle palate, going into a lovely, velvety, long finish with hints of green olive. There is something non-terroir and New World about this wine. Although enjoyable, it teeters on the "too much" category – decidedly a departure from the estate's established profile. I was amazed to see that James Suckling of the Wine Spectator gave this a "97-100" rating.
Personally, I like my Bordeaux more understated, balanced and classic.

On to Château Montrose.
The tasting started out with wine from their sister estate, Tronquoy-Lalande. The second wine was no great shakes, but 2009 Tronquoy is good news, and I think this is becoming a wine to follow for people who are interested in value for money. La Dame de Montrose was still showing some vinification aromas on the nose, but the palate was more together, with sweetness going into a textured, tangy aftertaste clearly speaking of terroir. Château Montrose itself was one of the best wines of the day. Big and brooding, this is stolid, but elegant claret. The bouquet is very pure and subtle, and there is considerable richness there.
I asked the manager how he compares 2005 and 2009 Montrose, and he said that they're different and that it serves no purpose to play one off against the other. Like asking if you prefer brunettes or blondes… He also said the château is now seeking to make wine that will be enjoyable sooner.

Last stop in the morning was at Pontet Canet.
Wow, this estate has certainly progressed in the past few years!
Alfred Tesseron and his Franco-British niece, Melanie (destined to take over the estate) greeted us and told us about their commitment to biodynamic viticulture.
Their 2009 was one of the best we tasted all day. The color was, once again, beautifully deep, and this good impression was reinforced by a nose of sweet, but restrained fruit and well-integrated oak. An ethereal bouquet with lovely blackcurrant nuances. The taste was the epitome of balance and class, unfolding seamlessly on the palate with vibrant and refreshing acidity. This is a claret lover's claret, nothing artificial there!

Lunch was at Café Lavinal next to Lynch Bages. You can't go wrong here! Good bistro food, reasonable prices and, as to be expected, a great wine list. We had 2002 Ch. Pomys, St. Estèphe – satisfactory quality, pretty much ready to drink, and not very expensive.

Going to Léoville Las Cases always entails a marathon tasting because of the Delon family's many estates. Fugue de Nénin was a decent commercial-style wine. Château Nénin pleased me more than my friends. The nose wasn't impressive, but the tannin just melted in the mouth and there was plenty of fruit. Chapelle de Potensac was ho-hum, whereas Potensac itself was a winner, with a round, extremely fruity palate. I tasted for the first time "Le Petit Lion," a second wine that would please just about anybody: "sweet", big, long, and silky. Clos du Marquis; like Forts de Latour and some other wines, is not considered a "second wine" by the estate, and comes from a certain part of the vineyard. Anyway, Clos du Marquis costs about twice as much as Le Petit Lion, but I didn't find that price differential was reflected in the quality of the former wine, as good as it was. The grand vin of Léoville Las Cases weighed in at 13.4° in 2009. It's definitely a big wine, with the smoothness and deep fruit one always expects. However, it is on the top-heavy side and the (false) sensation of sweetness overwhelms.

Ducru Beaucaillou welcomes visitors with plates of food and cool jazz. Nice.
The first wine was a new estate, Château Fourcas-Borie in Listrac, formerly named Fourcas Dumont. This is what the French call a "vin plaisir": a sort of "just do it" wine, sensual, easy to like, and yummy. A wine to watch out for. Lalande Borie was a very good second wine with plenty of polish and fruit. Croix de Beaucaillou was even better, with perfumed aromas and a surprisingly long aftertaste. The grand vin, Château Ducru Beaucaillou was just wonderful, with a rich bouquet (chocolate, sweets), chewy texture and, like Pontet Canet, super-fine acidity that keeps everything fresh and in check. Superb, long aftertaste.

Last stop was at Beychevelle.
2009 Ch. Beaumont was an attractive uncomplicated wine, maybe a little on the light side, but pretty good even so. 2009 Beychevelle was inky-colored with a sweet, meaty nose and a hint of caramel. This ripeness was also to be found on the palate, which is extremely soft and full. The finish is a little dry and oaky at present, but that'll work out over time. Beychevelle contained 44% Merlot in 2009, which partly explains the alcoholic degree: 13.9%.

Best regards,
Alex R.

[Comte Flaneur]

Thanks for the notes Alex...a spoofulated Leoville Lascases? And a new world Cos? That's not good...

Your notes if anything reinforce my prejuduce that this vintage will come in as a hypothetical blend of 2003 and 2005

With all that central bank money printing going on prices are sure to be astronomical

Getting me to part wth my hard earned cash for this vintage will be more difficult than trying to poke butter up a porcupine's arse with a red hot needle

[Jay Winton]

and Montrose "making a wine to be enjoyed sooner" Not sure I like the sound of that.

[dstgolf]

Jay,

It's not only Montrose heading to the pop and pour. I was struck by the 2006 tasting last year that the Montrose,Cos,Gruaud Larose and Lascasse were immenently drinkable with soft tannins and big fruit. I'm not sure what that says for age ability but I'd guess the wines are not going to outlive me!

Danny

[rjsussex]

thanks so much Alex - my first response is what's this 'Le Petit Lion' that Las Cases have suddenly invented - bit late in world-history for a Las Cases second-wine isn't it (if they insist on the fantasy that Clos du Marquis isn't just that)?!

But weirdly enough I recall a few posh branches of UK supermarket Marks and Spencer some years ago selling a St Julien called something like Petit Lion which the small print on the label made me wonder if it was a Las Cases offshoot...

Odd!

Richard

[DavidG]

Thanks for the notes Alex. The Pontet Canet and Ducru sound great. I don't suppose anyone had anything to say about prices relative to prior years?

[AlexR]

David,

People are being very discreet about pricing.

You hear all sorts of things, although the comment I hear most often is that "the 2009s should come out at the same price as the 2005s".

I have no idea if this is the way things will go.

All the best,
Alex

[DavidG]

It will be interesting. There was some discussion of prices in Chicago, with some feeling that the global economy would put serious downard pressure on pricing and others feeling that prices would be similar to '05s, the last great vintage of a lifetime. The Chateaux only have to sell to the courtesans and negociants, after that they are done and the middlemen are left holding the bag. But at some point the pipeline will back up and the Chateaux will start to feel the pressure. The first growths and other superstars may not have any problems, but they are only part of the story.