Just popped a 14.5% Bordeaux
Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2020 3:15 am
All this talk about high alc. wines inspired me 2nite.
So I reached for a ripe vintage with a little bit of age to see where we are at....ok then, what did I choose?
Well why not go all the way...lets go '09 shall we? ....not just '09, but let's go Pomerol, not just Pomerol, but let's go with a winery so proud, that the owner actually placed his name on the label...So u know the dude must be very very proud....I mean, why not? ...What could possibly go wrong?
So out comes the 2009 Le Bon Pasteur, the owner is the one Michel Rolland, a controversial figure in the world of bordeaux....his estate Chateau Le Bon Pasteur is a winery of respectable Pomerol pedigree and the '09 is a wine that Parker declared:(or wine advocate)
A brilliant effort from well-known oenologists Dany and Michel Rolland, the 2009 Bon Pasteur is dominated by Merlot, with a touch of Cabernet Franc included in the blend. It reveals textbook notes of mocha, tobacco leaf, blackberries, black cherries, roasted coffee and wood smoke. Full-bodied and luscious with a succulent, beautifully textured, multidimensional mouthfeel, low acidity and sweet but noticeable tannin, it is reminiscent of the 1982 Bon Pasteur, which continued to put on weight for a decade or more. If the 2009 does the same, it will come close to equaling that legendary vintage. Drink it over the next 20+ years
Whooo weeee, I am fired up now. I absolutely now know I'm in for a treat here....so I pop the cork and pour a small glass. The bottle is a tad cold so I want to let it sit for a few minutes...as I swirl the glass I turn to my daughter Jett and ask her if she can hand me one of those pickles she's eating...little did I know, she wasn't eating any ...uhhh ohhh....
I swirl the glass some more and stick my proboscis in there for a big whiff....Oh Helllll Nooo!....like I just dove into a jar of Vlasic and creamy oak....mutha fuqr!
Ok, let's give this a chance...maybe it will blow off...I wait 15 min and jump back in...
I close my eyes and take another slip...ok...phew, its fine I was just dreaming, the pickle note is expected, as this wine is clearly the 2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva....then I open my eyes and begin to shriek
....ahhhhhh, no it's is the Pomerol afterall, what in the holy hell is happening??? Where the hell is this amercian oak influenced pickle power coming from? Total head scratcher.
Folks, wine lovers, brothers, sisters, friends, acquaintances....
This.Is.Not.Bordeaux
This is beaver juice, laced with dill, creamy nuance, toasty oak and dried raisins.
This.Is.A.Travesty....bordering on undrinkable
I should be punished for such indiscretions...at the least I should have write 50 times(maybe 100) 'I shall not drink Michel Roland influenced wines.
Looking at the 54 notes on cellartracker (which it garnered a 92.3 cumulative score), only a few tasters appeared not to care too much for it....here is one of the notes ...
2009 Bordeaux Masterclass, Hilton Hotel, Sydney. Tasted Blind. Dark red. Menthol/mint, ironstone and red fruit on the nose. Sweet red fruit on the palate with medium to full body, but unbalanced with drying tannins leaving a bitter finish. Disappointing, as were many of the Pomerols. Was 2009 too hot for Merlot? So many seem unbalanced and overripe.
One more note:
4 hour decant. I agree, very Rolland in style. Tons of berries along with a lot of oak. Not my style
I drink this and I feel embarrassed, not just as a Bordeaux lover, but as the sole purchaser and the owner of one more remaining bottle...this is my scarlet letter moment, my pink slip, my badge of infamy, my kiss of Brutus, my wine stigmata.
I hold my head low, I am riddled with shame, I am ripped of all my pride, I seek atonement...I throw myself in front of the BWE court and beg for mercy...I'm completely lost, I'm not sure what else I can say.....all I can think of is...
Who wants to buy my other bottle?
So I reached for a ripe vintage with a little bit of age to see where we are at....ok then, what did I choose?
Well why not go all the way...lets go '09 shall we? ....not just '09, but let's go Pomerol, not just Pomerol, but let's go with a winery so proud, that the owner actually placed his name on the label...So u know the dude must be very very proud....I mean, why not? ...What could possibly go wrong?
So out comes the 2009 Le Bon Pasteur, the owner is the one Michel Rolland, a controversial figure in the world of bordeaux....his estate Chateau Le Bon Pasteur is a winery of respectable Pomerol pedigree and the '09 is a wine that Parker declared:(or wine advocate)
A brilliant effort from well-known oenologists Dany and Michel Rolland, the 2009 Bon Pasteur is dominated by Merlot, with a touch of Cabernet Franc included in the blend. It reveals textbook notes of mocha, tobacco leaf, blackberries, black cherries, roasted coffee and wood smoke. Full-bodied and luscious with a succulent, beautifully textured, multidimensional mouthfeel, low acidity and sweet but noticeable tannin, it is reminiscent of the 1982 Bon Pasteur, which continued to put on weight for a decade or more. If the 2009 does the same, it will come close to equaling that legendary vintage. Drink it over the next 20+ years
Whooo weeee, I am fired up now. I absolutely now know I'm in for a treat here....so I pop the cork and pour a small glass. The bottle is a tad cold so I want to let it sit for a few minutes...as I swirl the glass I turn to my daughter Jett and ask her if she can hand me one of those pickles she's eating...little did I know, she wasn't eating any ...uhhh ohhh....
I swirl the glass some more and stick my proboscis in there for a big whiff....Oh Helllll Nooo!....like I just dove into a jar of Vlasic and creamy oak....mutha fuqr!
Ok, let's give this a chance...maybe it will blow off...I wait 15 min and jump back in...
I close my eyes and take another slip...ok...phew, its fine I was just dreaming, the pickle note is expected, as this wine is clearly the 2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva....then I open my eyes and begin to shriek
....ahhhhhh, no it's is the Pomerol afterall, what in the holy hell is happening??? Where the hell is this amercian oak influenced pickle power coming from? Total head scratcher.
Folks, wine lovers, brothers, sisters, friends, acquaintances....
This.Is.Not.Bordeaux
This is beaver juice, laced with dill, creamy nuance, toasty oak and dried raisins.
This.Is.A.Travesty....bordering on undrinkable
I should be punished for such indiscretions...at the least I should have write 50 times(maybe 100) 'I shall not drink Michel Roland influenced wines.
Looking at the 54 notes on cellartracker (which it garnered a 92.3 cumulative score), only a few tasters appeared not to care too much for it....here is one of the notes ...
2009 Bordeaux Masterclass, Hilton Hotel, Sydney. Tasted Blind. Dark red. Menthol/mint, ironstone and red fruit on the nose. Sweet red fruit on the palate with medium to full body, but unbalanced with drying tannins leaving a bitter finish. Disappointing, as were many of the Pomerols. Was 2009 too hot for Merlot? So many seem unbalanced and overripe.
One more note:
4 hour decant. I agree, very Rolland in style. Tons of berries along with a lot of oak. Not my style
I drink this and I feel embarrassed, not just as a Bordeaux lover, but as the sole purchaser and the owner of one more remaining bottle...this is my scarlet letter moment, my pink slip, my badge of infamy, my kiss of Brutus, my wine stigmata.
I hold my head low, I am riddled with shame, I am ripped of all my pride, I seek atonement...I throw myself in front of the BWE court and beg for mercy...I'm completely lost, I'm not sure what else I can say.....all I can think of is...
Who wants to buy my other bottle?