2006 Bordeaux

[Nicklasss]

Last Wednesday, I gathered with my tasting group and we did some 2006 Bordeaux, to have better view on that vintage. 7 wines opened, and we taste then while watching the Montreal Canadians eliminating the Washington Capitals... The wines were tasted semi-blind, and fairly, I only nailed the Pomerol.

2006 Chateau Ferrière : Deep red. Nose of red berries, black fruits, plum skin, blueberries. In mouth, rocky, minerals, bitter, with medium tannins and good black berries finish. Medium to light to drink, I liked the style for it drinkability but I would not buy more. TN : 85.

2006 Chateau Beaumont : That Haut-Médoc impressed me for 20 $. Deep red color. Rasberries, red berries and herbs on the nose. In mouth, really ''Médocain'', earthy, minerals, black berries, with a long bitter finish, with again medium tannins. Really drinkable too, but with just a touch much structure and concentration than the first wine. Good. TN : 88.

2006 Chateau Puygueraud : Another cheap wine, but still darker red color than the two first. Dumb nose to start, opened on prunes, black berries, chocolate, red berries. Mouth was medium balck bitter fruit, full of tannins on final, drying the mouth. Still some flesh in mouth, but at the end, nothing special. TN : 85.

2006 Alter Ego : Second from Palmer. Dark red color. Nose of fruit confit, exhuberant, sweet rasberries sauces, Merlot berries, and touch of dark berries. Good black fruits, dark red berries, medium length, more balanced than previous wine, tannins are smooth. TN : 88.

2006 Clos du Marquis : Darker red. Nose is slightly meaty, ripe cranberries, red berries, roasted wood. frank attack on good fruit, red and dark berries, middle of mouth strong and concentrated, not much tannins, but long exotic wood finish. TN : 87.

2006 Chateau Rouget : Dark red. Nose of tobacco, dry wood, ripe red berries, rasberries, something like sweet vanilla. Mouth is tobacco attack, with brown sugar, velvety, smooth, maybe a bit ''sexy'', finish is full of caly style tannins, abundant tannins, and sweet wood. Elevage is a bit exotic, but it was my favorite that night anyway. TN : 90.

2006 Chateau Prieuré Lichine : Darker red. Incredibly hard at first, I could not believe that wine was on top 10 of the European Grand Jury choice... Nose was quite closed. Almost nothing, over 2 hours, maybe some dark strawberries. Mouth was green, hard, diluted red berries, meaty finish. Acidic and hard, not charming. At the end, I thought that bottle had something wrong. TN : 80.

This Friday night, I continued by opening a bottle of the 2006 Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion. Bloody red color. Nose of rasberries, dark red berries, dust of rock, hard wood. In mouth, medium concentration, austere, medium dark berries, light spices, old oak. Medium tannins, final with red berries and wood. Uninspiring. TN : 87. I revisit the wine Sunday night (2 days after) and the nose add some cassis, and the mouth some dusty spices, but kept a really dry finish. Maybe improved to 88-89 but for the 50 $ price, a deception.

At the end, I know there are no great names here, but these wines let me think that the 2006 vintage, is kind of a 1993, just slightly more ripe, and where the winemakers tried to extract a bit too much so giving rough, medium acid wines. Yes with time (my experience with the Larrivet Haut-Brion and Cantemerle) they are slightly better, but at the end, I thought all these wines were missing some ''ripe character'' Cabernet or Merlot. I don't think they will age for long, probably 10-12 years, not more.

The 2006 Chateau Smith Haut Laffite was better than all those wine above, way more satisfying, but more expensive too. From all these experience, I think I will limit my 2006 purchase now, limiting myself to a case or just a bit more. It is clearly a vintage below the 2005 in quality and will buy more 2005 instead. Or concentrated on the few 2000-2001 still available in Québec.

Nic

[dstgolf]

Nic,

I think that you'r right on track with 2006. I don't think the selection of wines is unrepresentative. Green/tannic/harsh are notes of the vintage. Certainly there are some winners but selection has to be very careful and pricing in Canada is taking advantage of the higher rated wines. Leoville Las Cases is in my mind wine of the vintage but at $299 I'm not biting. Gruaud Larose at $75 is more reasonable and a beauty. Lynch bages and Leoville Barton along with Pichon Baron. I have to give the nod to the Baron over Lynch in 06. I don't think I've bought any 06's and unless they clear them out at sale price I'm not rushing out too soon to load up. I'm in the same park as others that I've got enough and don't need another $75-300 bottle of wine.

Danny

[DavidG]

Anyone try the '06 Angelus? It's the only '06 I bought - been one of my favorites for as long as I've liked Bordeaux. And it's the only '08 I'm contemplating...

[Claudius]

Guys
I find 06 hard to characterise as a vintage.
Seems quite variable - and I wonder if it is a winemaker's vintage if you know what I mean.
Different styles aboud.

[JonB]

No problem with Angelus, David. It is not as ethereal as the '05, and has a slightly hard edge to its tannins that should soften with a few years, but otherwise is one of the better wines I tasted at 06 UGC.

[DavidG]

Thanks, Jon, the Angelus will rest a good while in the cellar.

[JonoB]

2006 La Conseillante is a wine that I could happily get on with! I also think that the best wines in the vintage are more terroir driven! To the point where I find that in terms of quality the 05 and 06 La C are on a par but in terms of how soon you can enjoy the wine and the style, the 06 is a better wine.

[rjsussex]

OK, BWE friends have already characterised me as the Bore That Likes 06 so let's have it again.

For me (and I think the UK trade agrees) left-bank 06s are better than 01, 02, 03, 04 and 08. They have 02s classicism married with 04's fruity charm. I was lucky to buy them below market prices in many cases. Domaine de Chevalier, Gruaud, Durfort, Gloria are the best I've drunk from those properties; Lagrange is also fine wine (a bottle the other evening was more backward and stern than earlier bottles - quite a challenge!): I think the 04 might be better balanced. Clerc Milon has Merlot apparent and a lovely subtle length.

Buy Gruaud and Durfort when you see them! Prices will be fair, given Parker's disregard. Glana is a steal. Moulin de la Rose is wonderful.

Richard

[stefan]

The favorable comments from you BWE Devils enabled me to order some '06s from a distributor closeout: 2 cs Lynch Bages @ 477; 1 cs La Lagune @ 455; 1 cs Labegorce @ 266; 1 cs Trotanoy @ 755. With this purchase and the St Innocent '08s I ordered plus a couple of smallish buys from PC and what I bought in Nes Ziona the other day this has been an expensive couple of weeks. Still, this is nothing compared to the beating my retirement accounts took yesterday.

[Chasse-Spleen]

Stefan,
Sounds great. Did you taste any '06s and if so, what is your opinion?
-Chris

[stefan]

I haven't tasted any of these, Chris, and very few '06s at all. Before this purchase I owned only one case of '06, Haut Bergey, which I also have not tasted. I figure if I don't like them my kids will either drink or flip them down the road. I mean, can the investment be worse than buying S&P 500 Index funds?

[Chasse-Spleen]

I'm not thinking even remotely of the investment value, only the value of your palate. I think $40 per bottle on Lynch-Bages in almost any vintage is a good investment for the average geek (or status seeker), but knowing whether it's a 'Stefan' approved wine or not is much more valuable to me. So in any event, I'm waiting on whether you like your '02s when you choose to open them, and then much later, of course, if you ever get around to it, how you like the '06s.
-Chasse

[stefan]

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Chris. I have liked the few '02s I have drunk even if they are still young for my taste. I am planning to pull the rest out of storage later this year.

[dstgolf]

Stefan,

You won't be unhappy with the LB,Lagune and Trot.Have sampled all three with the LB being a little short on fruit and having an astringency that took away frm its balance. Hopefully with some age it will come around.In this vintage the purple Baron kills the Lynch!If you see it at a good price I'd pick it up.The Gruaud is also wonderful.

Danny

[stefan]

Thanks, Danny. The distributor listed one case of the Baron that would cost me $666, but surely it is gone now. I assumed that the Lynch was the better buy, drat it.