1999 Fontenil, 2001 La Fleur de Gay, 2006 Léoville Barton
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 4:52 pm
Every time I drink or taste a wine near to perfection, a cascade of feelings and emotions comes over me. Not only enthusiasm and passion for this particular wine, but also a deep feeling of gratitude for this unique gift of nature and gratitude to the winemaker. It happened again last night, and even twice...
2001 La Fleur de Gay is a Pomerol with tremendous elegance, balance, and length. Only about 650 cases are produced. The seamless texture is incredibly fine and silky, and the wine shows a wonderful purity of perfectly ripe fruit -sweet black currant, blackberry, black cherry, plum, and blueberry-, with a precision and depth that is simply wonderful. With time, delicious notes of bitter chocolate and spices dominate on the finish.
I'm asked by one of my friends on the table if there was anything I could imagine to make this wine even better, and my answer is: nothing, except of the price.
At the first sip of 2006 Léoville Barton, I think this extraordinary old school Saint-Julien might not be on the same level as the Pomerol, at least not entirely, but far from it...
Over the course of the dinner, about four ours, the Léoville Barton develops its full potential. It gains more and more depth and complexity, the fruit softly explodes on the palate, especially red and black cherry. The typical notes of cedar wood, leather, licorice, tobacco, dried herbs, and spices are simply delicious, and the subtle minerality is irresistible. But no question, the Léoville will benefit from a few more years of cellaring.
In the beginning of the evening, the La Fleur de Gay is everybody's darling, but later on the Léoville Barton, or both alternately.
Of course, the fully mature 1999 Fontenil has no chance against these two beauties. Although it does not display the same complexity and refinement, it is nevertheless a seductive wine , BTW with excellent QPR, and easily the equivalent of a good classified growth from Saint-Emilion. It has a profound spicy nose, and an intense black fruit profile, nice notes of leather, tobacco, licorice and spices, and interesting floral, earthy notes. The acidity is very agreeable and the subtle oak perfectly integrated. You might expect a very modern wine from M. and D. Rolland, but this it is not the case...
2001 La Fleur de Gay is a Pomerol with tremendous elegance, balance, and length. Only about 650 cases are produced. The seamless texture is incredibly fine and silky, and the wine shows a wonderful purity of perfectly ripe fruit -sweet black currant, blackberry, black cherry, plum, and blueberry-, with a precision and depth that is simply wonderful. With time, delicious notes of bitter chocolate and spices dominate on the finish.
I'm asked by one of my friends on the table if there was anything I could imagine to make this wine even better, and my answer is: nothing, except of the price.
At the first sip of 2006 Léoville Barton, I think this extraordinary old school Saint-Julien might not be on the same level as the Pomerol, at least not entirely, but far from it...
Over the course of the dinner, about four ours, the Léoville Barton develops its full potential. It gains more and more depth and complexity, the fruit softly explodes on the palate, especially red and black cherry. The typical notes of cedar wood, leather, licorice, tobacco, dried herbs, and spices are simply delicious, and the subtle minerality is irresistible. But no question, the Léoville will benefit from a few more years of cellaring.
In the beginning of the evening, the La Fleur de Gay is everybody's darling, but later on the Léoville Barton, or both alternately.
Of course, the fully mature 1999 Fontenil has no chance against these two beauties. Although it does not display the same complexity and refinement, it is nevertheless a seductive wine , BTW with excellent QPR, and easily the equivalent of a good classified growth from Saint-Emilion. It has a profound spicy nose, and an intense black fruit profile, nice notes of leather, tobacco, licorice and spices, and interesting floral, earthy notes. The acidity is very agreeable and the subtle oak perfectly integrated. You might expect a very modern wine from M. and D. Rolland, but this it is not the case...