2001 Pavie, 2005 Clos de Clocher, 2000 Coufran

[Claudius]

Folks,
Went to a big Merlot based wine tasting last night.
Not sure why the variety was Merlot but interesting anyway.

There were innumerable wines opened from France, Aust, NZ, Chile, South Africa and the USA.
Have to say the overall quality was rather dismal, though many were way to young to be appreciated now.

I'll only review the Bordeaux here and didn't take extensive notes anyway.

2001 Pavie St Emilion 1er GCC
This wine is a universal enigma.
Everyone had a completely different opinion.
So I found it to be Chateau Quercus.
If any wine is like sucking on a dried out, charry oak stave it is this.
Fruit? Yes there is some there but only with considerable air did it peek out from under the forest of oak.
The wine has a lot of structure and is quite powerful, but I can still taste the oak in my mouth and its 1.30 pm the day after.
I am not rating it except to say do not put in mouth (DNPIM) for at least another decade.
I have no idea what will emerge.
I've never tasted a Bordeaux in 50 odd years that is as oaky as this wine.
Yet I am still wondering why? Is there really anything to be gained from slapping it so hard with oak?
I think I could taste the grain of the oak in my mouth and the texture is as think as wood sap.

2005 Clos du Clocher Pomerol

This was much more a typical right bank wine and one of my favs of the night (not a lot of competiton though).
Nice dark colour, typical meaty, plummy, earthy palate. Good acid and tanin in balance.
Quite open and soft though the tannins are quite firm but ripe.
Not a great Pomerol but very good.

2000 Chateau Coufran Haut Medoc

This wine is 85% Melot 15% CS.
Noe was a touch green, with dried herb and asparagus, dark fruit, bright acidity and firm tannins.
The wine was not nearly as tannic as the last bottle I had of this wine, seemingly being much more herbal than I recalled.
The herbs were a bit too prominent for me.
I have had this 4 times and it never showed herby characters before.
Needs food and more age. The tannins are still firm.
The Pomerol was more approachable.
Judgement reserved as this wine didn't seem representative.

[stefan]

So '01 Pavie is a Leave it to Beaver wine, eh, Mark?

Judging from drinking older vintages, I would have guessed that the 2000 Coufran would be very close to maturity.

stefan

[JCNorthway]

So is the 2001 Pavie what happens to that wine when the fruit is not concentrated enough to balance the overwhelming oak? Or do you think that it might come into a better balance with more aging?

Jon

[Claret]

I hear that termites favor 2001 Pavie.

Glenn

[Claudius]

Guys,
I have absolutely no idea what the PAvie will become with time.
it is so unlike the "old" Pavie which I really liked.
Some of the earlier vintages like 82, 83, 90 etc were delicious, well balanced wines with lots of fruit and spicey characters and mellow with age yet with this wine, you need a chain saw to get past the oak. Stefan I think oyou are correct - beavers may like it.

Stefan,
the 00 Coufran is a denser, darker wine than I have found from this estate before. I drank the 89 and 90 when young and they had far less tannin and more red fruit characters. Not this one. I had not had a bottle for about 5-6 months but the flavour characters were entirely different.