Visit to 4 Médoc châteaux

[AlexR]

Hi,

I spent last Monday out in the Médoc with Danish journalist Izak Litwar.

We went to four great growth châteaux :

1) CHÂTEAU PALMER

We were welcomed by Thomas Durou, who has managed the estate since the 2007. Was he worried about the 2013 vintage? Well, as he rightly said, the game is not over yet, and everything depends on the weather from now until the second week of October. The weather forecast is very encouraging for the coming week. Were such good weather to continue, things might be turned around to some extent…
In any event, Thomas knows as well as the rest of us that a vintage’s fate is unfortunately often sealed before the grapes are even picked!
I asked about Palmer’s white wine. He replied that they only produce 1,000-1,200 bottles and very little is sold commercially (most is served at meals at the château). The grape varieties are Muscadelle (grafted from from 100 year-old vines in Gaillac) , Loset (originally from Jurançon), and Sauvignon Gris. The first vintage 2007

33 out of Palmer’s 55 hectares of vines are farmed organically now.
All will be for the 2014 and certification is expected in 2016

Major work has been done on the château, but wine tourism is especially not encouraged. There is only one visit a day, for a maximum of 14 people.

Tasting (I generally don’t comment on the color of young Bordeaux – it is almost consistently good and the variations are not enormous).

N = Nose
T = Taste

2012 Alter Ego
N: Chocolate, good oak, sweet direct fruit, and a touch of mint
T: Round, plush, seductive, easy-going and will be enjoyable young. Classy, yet a crowd pleaser. Tannins are a little granular.

2012 Palmer
N: More oak, richer, soft aromas reminiscent of the cellar
T: Round, full-bodied, and rich, with a long penetrating development on the palate. Good streak of acidity. Lovely balance between richness and tannin.
Silky, suave, and with bright berry fruit.

2011 Alter Ego:
(bottled in July)
N: Sublimated kirsch. Ethereal quality.
T: Luscious, immediately attractive, then dips, going on to reveal tea-like tannin and picks up on the aftertaste. Little greenness on the finish.

2011 Palmer:
N: A little cedar. Lovely, deep enticing bouquet. Classic.
T: Not an easy-going wine. A little unyielding, but with a good future ahead of it. Touch austere, and reservedly aristocratic. Powerful tannin. Definitely one to age for a long time. Very tannic finish.

2010 Alter Ego:
N: Attractive, but with a slight chemical note.
T: Concentrated. Truly excellent. Long and deep, but with lively fruit.
Interesting interplay between seductive, rich fruit and tannic backbone. Best Alter Ego I have had.

2010 Palmer:
N: Grassy, hay, cocoa, cranberry, very promising. Blackcurrant/blueberry liqueur.
T: Refreshing and thirst-quenching overlaying a sinewy feminine quality (hey, women can be sinewy too!). Mineral aftertaste with plenty of grip. Sprightly finish with superb, elegant fruit. Tannin quite present on tail end. Textured tannin. Dry and mineral. Izak says “sophisticated”. Yes. Du grand vin. Amazingly long aftertaste.

2) CHATEAU GISCOURS

Denis Dubourdieu has been the consulting enologist since 2009

We were welcomed by Laure Bastard and Alexander Van Beek and tasted through the wines of Château du Tertre as well (since they are managed by the same family).

2012 du Tertre
N: Soft, tiny bit rustic, underlying oak, with spicy overtones
T: Surprisingly, a little spirity on finish. Medium-body. Decent.

2012 Giscours
N: Sweet, oaky, black fruit jelly, with some lingering vinification aromas
T: Velvety and poised, with a little oak hardness on finish. But, overall, sweet and appealing.
A little thin and unyielding on the finish, which keeps it from the top rank.

2011 du Tertre:
N: They have intelligently not overwhelmed this wine with barrel ageing.
Pure fresh fruit here, but in a minor key.
T: Seems light-bodied and a little dilute at first. Round, easy-going, commercial style, and will be enjoyable young. Whereas the tannins will last here, am so sure about the fruit. Dry finish. Approachable quality Bordeaux.

2011: Giscours
N: Sleeping beauty... Closed in and not showing tremendously well at this time. Some cocoa aromas.
(bottled in July)
T: Chewy and more full-bodied and generous than the nose implies. Weak on the middle palate, but converges into a sweet tannic aftertaste with good potential. Elegant, assertive wine.

2010 du Tertre –
N: Very sweet and sophisticated, but subtle bouquet.
T: Voluptuous, unfolds beautifully on the palate. Penetrating softness (not a contradiction in terms here). Not heavy, but has plenty of personality. Fine typical Bordeaux and a superb du Tertre. Long, lingering aftertaste. Slightly tarry. Very attractive.

2010 Giscours
N: More closed-in than the du Tertre at this stage.
T: Medium-heavy mouth feel. Sauve and full-bodied with considerable purity, but not quite up to my expectations (at this time, anyway). Lacks a spark. Mint chocolate nuances. Will be good, but never great. Broad-based, but should show more finesse for a Margaux. Granular tannin.

2009 du Tertre
N: More one-dimensional than the 2010. Enough substance to back up the oak?
T: Plush and seems a little low acid, except that this acidity does, in fact, come through on the finish. Mouth-coating tannins. Pure fruit. An elegant, rather than a big wine. Some empyreumatic qualities. Tannic grip makes the wine seem more serious than it did at first.

2009 Giscours
N: A little bacon fat accompanied by pure, sublimated berry fruit (blackberry)
T: Tannin melts in the mouth. Sensual. Will be very enjoyable. Quite long. In light of its balance, a wine to enjoy ideally in 3-5 years to take advantage of its fruitiness. A fine wine. At its peak, will be better than the 2010 in my opinion.

3) CHATEAU RAUZAN GASSIES

We were welcomed by Mme Anne-François Quié.

I initially did not want to go here, because my experiences with the Quié wines over the years have been, shall we say, inconclusive. However, it is not good to be prejudiced. Therefore, it was high time I became reacquainted with the wines.
This was a good thing. I came away with a mixed impression: that the Quié’s 2nd growth Margaux had come up in the world, and that it was worth rediscovering, but that their 5th growth Pauillac still has a way to go.

2012 Croizet Bages
N: Odd, mint, medicinal,
T: The curious aromatics continue onto palate. The aftertaste is better, but rather tough. Perhaps this will be better with age. This toughness might also be more at home with food. On its own, however, the wine is too harsh. There is nevertheless a nice black cherry component there.

2011 Croizet Bages
N: Rather lacking in character with cosmetic characteristics.
T: Better, but the toughness is most definitely there. Needs strongly flavored food. Chewy and virile.

2010 Croizet Bages
(the bottle Anne-François opened for us was unfortunately corked, so she kindly provided us with another one the next day)
N: Better, deep, very closed-in
T: The best of the three, but where’s the smoothness and the flavour to go along with the tannin?

2012 Rauzan-Gassies
N: Lovely, straightforward, more like it, sweet, enticing, well-defined.
T: Flavorsome and delightfully tart. Fresh and appetizing, with a lovely finish. Maybe a little dry and a fraction too oaky on the finish, but what a relief after CB!

2011 Rauzan-Gassies
(hail - less than half a crop / 27 hectos/hectare - small proportion of grand vin)
N: Bit musty, band aid aroms, brett? Leather.
T: better on palate, coats the mouth, and the aromatics last a good while.
Refreshing, bit somewhat aqueous, and the tannins could be more round.

2010 Rauzan-Gassies
N: Elegant and soft, with promising secondary features, but still very underdeveloped.
T: Nice mouthful of wine. Seamless development on the palate. Great balance with richness under control. Best Rauzan Gassies I've ever had. Puckery finish. World class "food wine". Substance there, and a velvety texture.

Anne-François is a qualified enologist. Between what she said, and what I have heard, she and her brother are waiting to take full control of management in order to implement some important changes.

4) CAMENSAC

This is a Merlaut estate (along with Gruaud Larose, Ferrière, Haut Bages Libéral, Chasse Spleen, etc.) and one I have only visited once before. It is in Saint-Laurent, close to La Tour Carnet and Belgrave.

We were told by the young woman who welcomed us that this is “the least expensive of all the classified growths”. I don’t doubt her word, but was rather surprised that this should be put forward do visitors…

Camensac’s production is huge, and I’ve always found the wine dependable and relatively early-maturing.

2012 Chasse Spleen

N: Lead pencil, varnished wood (from where glasses are stored?)
T: Good, chunky mouthfeel. Lively, dynamic, and upfront. Decent grip, but the tanninis under control. The sort of wine that will probably be best to drink on the young side.

2012 Camensac
50/50 CS/M
N: Pronounced mushroom and forest floor aromas.
T: Mushroom juice (!). Not smooth. Rough, assertive, and lacking in elegance. Inky and concentrated, but unbalanced.
I’m tempted to think this was a non-representative sample.

2011 Camensac
N: Discreet cranberry aromas.
T: More like it! Round, straightforward, easy to relate to, good acidity.Already attractive.
Straightforward, uncomplicated. Moreish. Satisfying aftertaste. Some black olive/Mediterranean influence.

2010 Camensac
N: a little smoky, Deep. Blackberry and meaty aromas.
T: Massive. Big and strong. Alcoholic, chewy, big Cabernet.

Best regards,
Alex R.

[JimHow]

Wow!

[JimHow]

It'll be interesting to see how 2011, 2012, 2013 end up.
Those 2012 prices look really good, is the vintage that "bad"?
Is it even possible to have a bad vintage in Bordeaux nowadays with the current state of selection and wine-making and science?

[Tom In DC]

Very nice report, Alex - it reiterates how lucky we were to get our large group in for dinner at Chateau Palmer back at BWE 2005!

What does getting certified as organic mean in the context of Palmer above? If they aren't farming organically until 2014, I find it hard to believe that all of the non-organic/synthesized/whatever molecules in the vineyards would be gone only two years later. Does money change hands in the process?

And it's interesting that you tasted Croziet Bages -- I was actually chuckling as I bought a bottle of 2009 Croziet Bages last week at the local county monopoly store. The $40 price for a classified growth Pauillac from a great year in a store where the prices are always insanely high really reflects the old adage that "life is too short to drink Croziet Bages"!!! I'll report back when we pop the bottle (which I won't hold too long lest it's mere presence drag down morale in the rest of the cellar.)

[AlexR]

Tom,

I reported on Palmer's organic orientation neutrally, but I'm actually pretty sceptical about such things.

Are winegrowers going organic because :

- They figure it'll have to happen down the line anyway (they'll be forced to by régulations),so they may as well start now)?
- They have an acute social consciousness?
- They figure it is best for the vines and the wine in terms of quality?
- They have done a financial analysis and figure that it is economically worthwhile?

I doubt that Palmer will put the "AB" (for "agriculture biologique") logo on their label (although, possibly on their back label), so one wonders why they would go for certification.

It's odd. The French are far less ecologically-minded than, let's say, the Germans, and yet there is a significant following for organic wines here.

As for me, I've got no problem with them - as long as they taste good. I will not accept organic farming as an excuse for poor quality.
And, believe me, a bunch of those organic wines are nothing to write home about...

Best regards,
Alex R.

[Rudi Finkler]

Very nice write up, indeed! Thank you for sharing, Alex.

[Jeff Leve]

1) CHÂTEAU PALMER

We were welcomed by Thomas Durou, who has managed the estate since the 2007.

Alex... not that I would dream of correcting you, as you live in Bordeaux and always claim to be correct. Perforce, you must be right. But it is Duroux, not Durou. He started in 2004, not 2007.

about Palmer’s white wine. He replied that they only produce 1,000-1,200 bottles and very little is sold commercially

You do have the first vintage, the blend and number of bottles correct, but the wine is not sold commercially. It is served at the property and given to the shareholders.

33 out of Palmer’s 55 hectares of vines are farmed organically now. All will be for the 2014 and certification is expected in 2016

This is not correct as because it is not possible. They would need to be 100% organiclly farmed for three years for certification. If they were 100% in 2014, at the earliest, that would be 2017.

Sorry, I just could not resist. It is a slow news day.

[stefan]

Uh-oh. I can feel the flames already.

[DavidG]

We had a great dinner with Thomas Duroux at Palmer in the spring of 2005. I remember some interesting discussions with him about alternative closures and an even more interesting local eel dish which I loved but which didn't go over that well with the rest of the gang. The Palmer and Alter Ego served with dinner were outstanding.

[Tom In DC]

I also though the eel (lamprey?) dish was terrific, similar to beef braised in wine but more intense. And probably a lot more difficult to source and prepare!

[AlexR]

Jeff,

What a pleasure to see you dropping by BWE!

As to the dates for organic viticulture, that is indeed what Thomas Duroux (yes, you are right, there is indeed an "x" on the end) said.
If you wish to quarrel with the figures, you can take it up with him. I typed them on my iPad as he said them.
Furthermore, you don't seem to realize that from 2014 to 2016 may be two years, but covers three vintages...

You are also mistaken about the white Palmer. It is sold at a charity auction.

Alex R.

[Jeff Leve]

Alex... That means 2014, 2015 & 2016 must be 100% organic. The earliest that will allow for certification is the 2017 vintage. Chartity auctions are donations, not public sales. Look at this on the bright side, at least now you know how to spell Duroux

[AlexR]

Jeff,

You've got it wrong.

Admit it.

I did not appreciate your snarky nit-picking post.

Since when is auctioning wines not selling them for chrissakes?

Don't you have anything better do do?

And not a word about the wines i.e. 90§ of my post.
i supose they're not the expensive Parkerized ones you focus on.
Figures.

Alex R.

[Jeff Leve]

Jeff,

You've got it wrong.

I have it right.... again. But good try.

I did not appreciate your snarky nit-picking post.

Really? I am quite surprised. I thought it would make your day

Since when is auctioning wines not selling them for chrissakes?

Seriously, you do not see a difference between wines being sold on the open market through the Negociant system versus being donated to auctions?

Don't you have anything better do do?

As I mentioned, it was a slow day

And not a word about the wines i.e. 90§ of my post.
i supose they're not the expensive Parkerized ones you focus on.
Figures.

What is that you want me to say? You tasted a wine. That is not exactly news. Those are your views. Do you want me to grade your homework or something? Are you needing more attention than usual today?

[Rudi Finkler]

Jeff, you are a naughty boy....

[AlexR]

Jeff,
You are insufferable, and a leopard does not change its spots.

You’ve been toxic for years.

Alex R.

[Jeff Leve]

Jeff, a leopard does not change its spots.

Alex... Not that I am trying to be pedantic about this, but the correct, or at least more common usage of the idiom is "A Leopard cannot change his spots." If you think about it, while cannot and does not do present a simlar meaning, they are different for obvious reasons.

You’ve been toxic for years.

I think that's intoxicated... Which is also quite different from toxic.

Jeff, you are a naughty boy....

Oops...

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/col ... 51749.html

Does anyone else find it odd this group restricts itself to "grammar addicts"? I mean, not to nit pick, but pedant and pedantic are not so limited.

[greatbxfreak]

I do mostly agree with Alex with TNs from visiting chateaux on 17th September with exception of 2010 Giscours which I valued to be excellent and much better than 2009. Fruit and tannin are fatter and more ripe in 2010 than in 2009. Giscours is supposed to go back to Tari-Heeter family by the end of 2015 as renting of it by Albada (20 years "fermage") is coming to an end. Alexander Van Beek looked very irritated when I asked him a simple question - "What will happen in 2015?".

I really don't botter if a vineyard is organic or not, it simply doesn't interest me. At Palmer, Thomas Duroux explained that his big worry was botrytis, it rained more or less until Friday the 20th and weather forecast does predict rain for next week. I think there's a risk of substantial botrytis spread/wash-out of 2013 if there is raining for three days next week with more than 30 mm rain.

[AlexR]

Jeff,

I think there's a nuance here.
You are right, the expression is more frequently "cannot", but "does not" also has over a million hits on Google: https://www.google.fr/webhp?sourceid=na ... 2&start=10
The nuance with "doesn't" is that something is not in the nature of things, but somehow leaves the door open to the surrealistic possibility of spot changing, and implies an element of choice.
The difference is your being a pain-in-the-ass because you were born that way, and are thus subject to the laws of nature, and the fact that you choose to be one.

As to "his", what if the leopard is a girl leopard? .

In the same vein, I find a strange perversion of language in the NY Times, which I read online and don't know to what extent it is widespread these days.
For instance, referring to a group of people of both sexes, I would say, "Someone forgot his hat".
Colloquiallly, one might say "somoneone forgot their hat", but I'm unsure as to whether this is correct written usage these days.
Then, of course, there's "someone forgot his or her hat", which is fairly heavy, but politically correct...
Things go one step further with "someone forgot her hat" - when the group is patently of mixed genders!
This seems very cutsey-pie and annoying to me? Is this form of expression gaining ground, or is it just used by New York intellectuals?

Alex R.

[greatbxfreak]

Can we please avoid further thread drift and keep focused on the subject?!

[Tom In DC]

Can we please avoid further thread drift and keep focused on the subject?!

I'm not sure that Alex or Jeff can or shall or is willing to change her spots, Izak.

I'm also indifferent to organic/biodynamic viticulture, particularly if three years of clean living can get someone an official designation. In Champagne, for instance, I think it would take much longer to offset decades (centuries?) of spreading Parisian garbage on the vineyards for fertilizer.

[greatbxfreak]

Tom in DC,

You're right.

But imho this intelectual/philosophical war of words, which doesn't have connection to topic of thread here, is misplaced.

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

I'm also indifferent to organic/biodynamic viticulture, particularly if three years of clean living can get someone an official designation. In Champagne, for instance, I think it would take much longer to offset decades (centuries?) of spreading Parisian garbage on the vineyards for fertilizer.

Let's give credit where credit is due.

A pedant would note the difference between a "biodynamic farm" and "farming biodynamically." I imagine the latter can be done atop an EPA Superfund site. So while I might object to calling the wine "biodanymic" I would have no problem calling it "biodynamically produced."

Besides this is probably a good thing even if mostly it just feels good.

Having written this I will now, or sometime today, or maybe later if I remember to think of it, check the facts and the law as to what this certification means. I'll be so upset if I'm wrong.

[Tom In DC]

I can see the value in farming organically from a sustainability point of view as well as simply feeling good about it. I just don't put value in the certification aspect when the process seems to be nonsensical.

[AKR]

This Margaux AOC is still running strong

We made chicken Marsala (except with brandy instead of the proper spirit, since we discovered we were out) tonight, so I thought an older Margaux might pair well, since they quasi rhyme. The 2000 Rauzan Gassies [Margaux] was popped and poured, and was pretty tasty. Texturally it's shed its tannin and the fruit/acid are well balanced at this point. This bottle didn't scream of its AOC to me, but had some old world Cabernet character - cedar, pencils, saddle. The owners get a lot of negative comments since there is a common belief that the wines could be much better, especially in less than ideal vintages, but when everything is easy weather wise, they make a very good wine -- tonight my scorecard logs this as an A-.

[Musigny 151]

I get your reservations about the property. I have never had a great Gassies, I have had good ones, the 2000 being one of them. But even the good ones are not close to Rauzan Segla, although many of the vineyards are interspersed.