Neil on 2010 white

[Bacchus]

Bordeaux White 2010

2010 Château Bouscaut Blanc 87
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. There is a lot of oak on
the Bouscaut Blanc that denudes it of Bordeaux character, so that it comes
across more like an attractive modern Australia Chardonnay! The palate is very
crisp on the entry, modern and a little "flash" in style but still well made
with creamy finish that will have wide appeal. Tasted January 2014.

2010 Château Carbonnieux Blanc 90
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. The Château Carbonnieux
Blanc has a respectable bouquet with a little more oak showing through compared
to its peers: hints of red rather than green apple peel and fresh pear. The
palate is crisp on the entry with a fine seam of acidity; very harmonious with
a vibrant, lightly spice Semillon finish. This is a fine white Pessac-Léognan.
Tasted January 2014.

2010 Château de Fieuzal Blanc ?
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. This bottle of de Fieuzal
Blanc was showing some SO2 on the nose rendering it difficult to discern the
fruit profile. The palate is crisp on the entry with delicate touches of pear
drop and apricot. It is nicely balanced, pretty and Riesling-like, though
missing a little presence. Tasted January 2014.

2010 Château Gazin-Rocquencourt Blanc 86
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. The Gazin-Rocquencourt
Blanc has an attractive bouquet of lime flower and lemon thyme that is well
defined. The palate is clean and fresh with crisp tannins, a hint of lemon
grass, but a slightly abrupt, alcoholic finish. Tasted January 2014.

2010 Château Haut-Bergey Blanc 87
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. After an oxidized first
bottle, the second has an appealing bouquet with freshly cut limes, apple
blossom and a hint of lemon thyme. The palate is well balanced with a crisp
opening: plenty of green apple and pear notes, good weight in the mouth,
leading to a pointed malic finish that just misses a little personality and
charm. Tasted January 2014.

2010 Château Haut-Brion Blanc 94
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. The Haut Brion Blanc 2010
is very closed on the nose and demands coaxing, eventually offering taut,
malic, green apple, gooseberry and grass clipping aromas - very Sauvignon Blanc
(which constitutes 54% of the blend.) The palate is well balanced with good
weight and acidity, a pleasing rounded texture in the mouth offset by a keen
thread of acidity. There is a tang of shaved ginger right on the finish. This
is a fine Haut-Brion Blanc, though there are other white Bordeaux of equal
quality. Tasted January 2014.

2010 La Clarte de Haut Brion Blanc 89
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. There is a touch of sulphur
lingering on the nose of the La Clarte de Haut Brion Blanc, but it seems to
dissipate with time with candle wax and honeysuckle aromas. The palate is
nicely balanced on the entry with crisp acidity, quite malic in the mouth with
nectarine and bitter lemon informing the composed finish. It is just missing
some personality. Tasted January 2014.

2010 Château Larrivet Haut-Brion 93
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. Assuming you cannot afford
the Haut-Brion Blanc, here's your alternative. The superb Larrivet Haut-Brion
2010 has an attractive, well-defined bouquet with touches of apricot blossom, a
hint of marmalade and lime flower that unfolds nicely in the glass. Very
Burgundian. The palate is well balanced with plenty of lightly honeyed, citrus
fruit on the entry that builds towards a convincing, spicy finish that shows
white Bordeaux at its best. What a great wine for the vintage! Tasted January
2014.

2010 Château La Louviere Blanc 89
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. The Château La Louvière
Blanc has a pleasant bouquet with vibrant, vivacious lemon thyme, linden and
white flower scents that are well defined and appear to blossom in the glass.
The palate is medium-bodied with a twist of sour lemon on the entry. Taut and
edgy, the Muscadet-like finish echoes the sea. This is a lovely little white
Pessac-Léognan. Tasted January 2014.

2010 Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc 93
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. The La Mission Haut-Brion
Blanc 2010 has a fragrant bouquet with lemon peel, white flowers, dried apricot
and passion fruit - nicely defined and opening in the glass. The palate is clean
and fresh on the entry, with lime zest and a touch of white peach, building
gently towards a harmonious, pleasing peachy finish. Lovely. Tasted January
2014.

2010 Château Olivier Blanc 89
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. The Château Olivier Blanc
2010 has a subtle bouquet with notes of beeswax and honeysuckle, a nose that
you really have to coax from the glass. The palate is fresh and crisp on the
entry with bitter lemon, apricot and quince notes, good weight on the back
palate with a touch of oxidation imparting a nutty note towards the finish.
There is a lot going on here and it is more engaging than its red counterpart.
Tasted January 2014.

2010 Château Pape-Clement Blanc 95
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. The Pape-Clement Blanc 2010
has a very pleasant bouquet, well defined with well-integrated oak: light
touches of apple blossom, lemon sherbet and a touch of beeswax. The palate is
fresh and vibrant on the entry, driven by the ripe Semillon that lends this
volume and an appealing waxy texture, armed with a dash of lemongrass
enlivening the tip of the tongue on the finish. This is a seductive, sensual
Pape-Clement Blanc. Tasted January 2014.

2010 Château Smith Haut-Lafitte Blanc 95
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. The Château Smith
Haut-Lafitte Blanc has a comparatively subtle bouquet with peach skin and
nectarine scents, nicely defined but perhaps needing a little more vigour. The
palate is a little simple compared to its peers, more backward and reticent,
with green apple and shaved ginger towards the somewhat conservative finish.
This is ageing beautifully in bottle - one of the finest Bordeaux whites of the
vintage. Tasted January 2014.

2010 Château La Tour-Martillac Blanc 89
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. The La Tour-Martillac Blanc
has a light, primal nose with apple peelings, citrus lemon and a touch of
pineapple, although it is very tight and needs more personality. The palate is
crisp on the entry with lime cordial and bruised apple notes. Decent weight
here, although the finish is missing a sense of energy and momentum that it
displayed just over a year ago. Tasted January 2014.

[AlexR]

Thanks for posting.

I've not done a comprehensive tasting of those wines in that vintage, but the scores seem to reflect recent quality of those wines pretty well IMHO.

In fact, I think he may be being a little charitable to the under-performers...

The most remarkable score to me is the Larrivet Haut Brion. I've always preferred their white to their red, but have never been quite as impressed as Neil with the former.

Alex R.

[Tom In DC]

The Pape-Clement and Smith Haut-Lafitte were really outstanding at the UGC tasting. Sadly, they're past what I'm willing to pay these days. (broken record...broken record...broken record...)

I'll probably snag a couple of the Larrivet to see what's what.

[Tom In DC]

Oh, yeah - thanks for posting all these notes, Bacchus!