Tasting of 2012 Right Bank wines

[AlexR]

... or how I spent my Sunday afternoon…

Tasting of Right Bank wines at Château Barde Haut in Saint-Emilion
(all members of Cercle Rive Droite).
Overview: a mixed bag, but some very good wines, as always.

COTES WINES
===========

Carignan - Cuvée Prima – Premières Côtes de Bordeaux
Disceet nose.
Juicy, not overoaked, finish a little short, but good wine

Bel-Air Royère – Blaye Côts de Bordeaux
Nose a little musky and rustic - some powdery fruit.
Foursquare, but lacking in richness and there's too much oak. Dry finish.

Roland la Garde – Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux
Off nose, some fermentation odor, a little rustic, but could improve with age.
Palate rich with tarry black fruit, but finishes a touch acid and lacks richness. On the other hand, this acidy carries forward the aftertaste

Réau – Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
Lovely nose of candied fruit.
Soft, fruit. Sweet, round, rich, sensual, and immediate. Black fruit jelly. Soft aftertaste going into granular finish. Interesting. Nice discovery.

Veyry - Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
Spirity nose, deep cherry fruit.
Palate not up to the bouquet. Artificial and overoaked. Some hotness on finish.

Clos Puy Arnaud - Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
Ethereal bouquet. Very attractive, feminine and discreet. Sophisticated lady.
Heavy mouth feel, but round and fresh blueberry flavors. More thirst-quenching than rich and serious – but fine indeed for the appellation.

Moulin Pey Labrie – Canon Fronsac
Nose somewhat confected. Very rich and swish, but overdone in my opinion.
Fresh, but a littly clunky. Hot, very dry, oaky aftertaste.

Cassagne Haut Canon La Truffière – Canon Fronsac
Discreet, coffee and black fruit nose. Pure. Medium intensity.
Suave, full-bodied, plenty of grip, but lacks smoothness on the finish. Bit tough.

Ch. de la Rivière, cuvée Aria - Fonsac
Luscious nose, with smoky nuances. Nice berry fruit.
Heavy mouth feel. Starts out a little flabby, but develops searing acidity and dry oakiness on AT. Modern style.

Dalem - Fronsac
Rich, subtle black fruit and roast coffee. Rustic note.
Melts in the mouth. Very rich and sensual. No Fronsac hardness. Crowd pleaser, will be nice young or old.

Haut Carles - Fronsac
Sweet, ripe nose. Fresh, understated. Subtle toasty and berry nuances.
Very smooth and fresh. Vivacious fruit, oak under control. Very well made.

Carlmagnus - Fronsac
Lots of toasty oak overshadows the fruit at this stage. Some menthol.
Good weight and develos nicely on the palate, with taste gummy, black fruit tannin.
Good, if seemingly a little overaked. Acidity on finish augurs well for ageing.

SAINT-EMILION SATELLITES
======================

des Laurets (Domaines Rothschild - Puisseguin St. Emilion)
Biscuity nose lacking in fruit.
Better on the palate with fresh acidity and medium length. They have wisely not overdone the oak here because this is not a wine of substance. Considerable acidity. Good middle-of-the-road wine.

Courlat, Cuvée Jean-Baptiste (Lussac St. Emilion)
Curiously subued nose.
Fresh but a little flabby. Weak on the middle palate. Sharp, dry finish.

Vieux Château Palon (Montagne Saint Emilion)
Lovely, forthright. Soft natural fruit and a smack of terroir (slightly rustic). This terroir side comes through on the palate. Rich, concentrated sensual. Nice finish and I'm glad to have discovered this estate. Slightly dry on the finish, but time will tell is this stays.

SAINT-EMILION GRANDS CRUS
=========================

Boutisse
Nose very closed.
Fresh and balanced on the palate with good development. Some spice.
Good wine in a so-so vintage. Not big but appetising and good. Nice, clean, mineral finish with oak there, but taking a back seat.

Trimoulet
Rather commonplace bouquet. Sweet, uncomplicated fruit.
Gentle and smooth on the palate, but develops a harsh somewhat hot and acidic aftertaste. Not balanced at this stage. Don't now about several years from now.
Dry finish. But I don't despair of its being better over time.

Trianon
Bouquet hiding its charms at the moment.
Very soft and plush sort of Saint Emilion. Starts out round and simple, dips, and then comes back with style. Well-made.

Magrez-Fombrauge
Ripe but not terribly expressive nose.
Big. Heavy mouth feel. Complex red and black fruit flavors. Dense.
Long finish. Very good winemaking, but does the terroir show through?
Long, tight aftertaste. Will age well.

Rol Valentin
Nose of cranberry jelly, slightly cosmetic. Elegant.
Very round but "iron fist in velvet glove" type of wine. Seems easy-going and seductive, but there is depth there. Fresh, Well-balanced. Good aftertaste.

Lynsolence
Roasted aromas override the fruit at this stage. Sweet fruit lurking in the background.
More expressive on the palate. Rich ripe fruit, but counterbalanced by good acidity on finish. Big, round, but weak on the middle palate. A little overblown.

LALANDE-DE-POMEROL
====================

Grand Ormeau
Powdery nose.
Seductive, spreads out on the palate... and then stops short. Freshness there, richness there, but it's also a little hollow. To drink young. Oak on finish.

Fleur de Bouärd
Berry fruit, fresh, but muted.
Big, but seems diluted despite its alcoholic strength. Tight short finish.

Perron la Fleur
Non-descript bouquet.
Better on palate. Rich and mouthfilling, but then peters out. Big, but without the stuffing. Finish redeems the whole though.

POMEROL
=========

Bourgneuf
Unfocused bouquet at the present time. Smells of the vat.
Light and svelte on the palate. The Pomerol sappiness is there, but in a minor key. Follows through into a decent finish though, with grip.

Fleur de Gay
Sweet fruit and toasty oak. Touch of greenness and cranberry jelly.
Decent concentration and thickness. More stuffing than many of the wines of this appellation. Big, but easy-going. I think you would get the most out of it within 5 years of the vintage.

Rouget
Overly discreet nose.
Liquorice, good concentration and follow-through on the palate. Lively acidity on the finish makes this one of the better wines. Long fruity finish.
Juicy, tangy finish.

Clos d'Eglise
One-dimensional, unexciting nose.
However, soft caressing texture on the palate. Velvety, sensual wine probably best enjoyed young. Very attractive.

Fayat
Offputting, medicinal nose, but this could be because it's the wrong time to taste the wine.
Big and chewy on the palate, but gangling and awkward. There's substance there, but the wine is kind of in a mess at the present time.

Feytit Clinet
Toasty oak dominates the bouquet. Really overwhelms anything else.
It's like standing beside roasting coffee beans.
The wine is weak and disjointed on the palate. To retaste at a later date.

ST EMILION GRAND CRU

Faugères
Deep berry aromas. Sleek and sweet. Empyreumatic.
Round and bright, finishing with a contradictory acidity that is not, however, out of hand.
Clean, net, natural. Will be enjoyable young.

Fonplégade
Lovely nose with a good balance between fruit and oak. Sweet, enticing.
Less attractive on the palate. Roundness into harshness, but there are many positive aspects to this wine and it would be more fair to evaluate it down the road.

Fonroque
Uplifting, fine bouquet.Well-defined, fresh fruit.
Beautiful silky texture. Poised. Soft and satisfying. Classic. One of the best of the tasting.

Destieux
Very rich, forward nose of blackberry jelly.
Soft, a little weak, finishing with tart acidity. Still, softness wins out on the whole and that acidity will help the wine to age. Just a little reserved, though, about the harshness on the finish.

Péby Faugères
Biscuity nose. Fruit's good, but nothing special.
Starts out weighty and serious, but it seems really diluted on the middle palate. The finish, on the other hand, is quite good. A good effort for the vintage.

Ripeau
Perfumed elegant bouquet.
Big, but diluted. The perfumed quality comes through on the palate, and this is very seductive, but the wine's texture and weight aren't up to that. Dilute with too hard a finish in light of the fruit.

Jean Faure
Medium-intense red fruit bouquet. Metallic smell. Not quite clean.
Large volume, but seems rather dilute. As tannin on the aftertaste ages, and softens, will there be enough fruit to back it up? The oak is obvious, but not a bother.

Pressac
Fine, rich, beguiling nose.
Sauve, tightly-knit, lots of black fruit flavor. Good balance and length. Long forest fruit finish. Very good.

St. Georges Côte Pavie
Fresh, bright fruit. Natural, pure, good.
Very soft on entry with big rich mouth feel and a tangy, appetizing finish. There is a dilute side to this wine, but it is good in the context of the vintage.

Fleur Cardinale
Sweet, modern, concentrated nose.
Better on palate. Soft attractive texture. Rich, but not broad-shouldered.
Commercial style. More successful than most.

La Marzelle
Biscuity with subtle berry aromas.
Really light, but one has the impression it hasn't been messed around with. Elegant, to provide early-maturing pleasure. Naturally good.

Sansonnet
Roasted, meaty aromas. Deep, enticing.
Mouthfilling, but not enough substance and concentation for that big framework. Lots of tannic grip on the aftertaste. Very big.
Topheavy, but generous and would be ideal with strongly-flavored dishes.

Bellefont Belcier
Still some vinification smells there. Otherwise, good.
Surprisingly soft on the palate. Some hotness on the finish. Hats off to the winemaker who did not overextract and succeeded in making a good wine here.

Clos Madeleine
Rich, ripe
Toasty oak comes through too strongly on the palate. Some strange mintiness and a really very dry and oaky finish. Just too much oak.

Clos des Jacobins
Oak, carmel and fruit
Smooth, sinewy, then dips in the middle palate. Aftertaste gives the wine more seriousness. Tough tannin on finish. Should be smoother to go along with the wine's structure…

Best regards,
Alex R.

[OrlandoRobert]

These are really helpful, easy to understand notes. Thanks, Alex.

Any plans to taste the left bank soon?

[jmccready]

Your overall take on the vintage? JM

[AlexR]

Hi,

Received wisdom is that 2012 is as "Merlot vintage".

I was very grateful for the opportunity to taste on a Sunday.
I will be visiting the first growths with Izak Litwar (also a member of this forum) on Thursday.
But my work schedule unfortunately allow me to attend the amazing number of tastings this week, especially in the Médoc.

So my overall take is pretty invalid.

Best regards,
Alex R.

[AlexR]

Hi,

Received wisdom is that 2012 is as "Merlot vintage".

I was very grateful for the opportunity to taste on a Sunday.
I will be visiting the first growths with Izak Litwar (also a member of this forum) on Thursday.
But my work schedule unfortunately allow me to attend the amazing number of tastings this week, especially in the Médoc.

So my overall take is pretty invalid.

Best regards,
Alex R.

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

It's a credit to me (OK Alex too) that I'm reading this despite having no intention to purchase any post 2010 Bdx. Now, if the Fonroque came cheaply (well it does come cheaply as a rule, so I guess I'd say "very cheaply") it might make a nice painless drinker.

If this is a merlot vintage, from the above it looks like one to avoid, if those mostly merlots are representative.