BIG day today - Off to Latour and then on a whirlwind tour through the Margaux region ending up at Chateau Palmer!! Psyched!
Today, I get to test my terroir theory that the best properties can withstand and even thrive through a drought while the rest are going to have too much tannin.
I'm headed to several chateaux in Margaux. First stop, Chateau Pavillon Rouge.
Pavillon Rouge - Medium purple color, red fruits pop out of the glass, medium bodied in a good way with chewey tannins, sweet and delicious and all in perfect balance. Better than most Margaux from the 70s. 93-95 DS.
Chateau Margaux - Dark purple color. The nose is unlike any other. Violets and lavender infused plus other elements in the lavander universe that are ethereal and hard to describe although there. Unique scents for wine! This wine is surprisingly light on its feet, but not light. It's not sweet or cloying. It's a very pure and transparent expression of fruit. Very bright red fruit. Not thick, but has so much content. 97-99 DS.
Then over to Chateau Palmer.
I have to admit that although Palmer has some of history's best wines, they were traditionally few and far between. No longer. The new winemaker, Thomas Duroux from Ornellaia, has been there for five years and has transformed the chateau.
Alter Ego - It's the second wine that tastes about as good as any of the Margaux that i just tasted at the big Margaux UGC tasting (except Lascombes). It's precise and powerful with juicy tannin. 92-94 DS.
Chateau Palmer - Best since 1961 easily. The nose is super complex, dark Fruit, camphor, floral, searing intensity on the mouth, but comes off medium somehow which is sort of mindboggling!! It's a heavyweight that gives this sense of lightness, and that is so rare. Like any first growth. Bravo!! 98-100 DS.
Next, we headed over to Pauillac where our first stop was Chateau Latour.
Pauillac de Latour - Bright purple color, almost like an electric Malbec color. Nose is closed but the mouth is perfect, medium bodied, super sweet tannin, big, fat and chewy. 92-94+DS.
Les Forts de Latour - Big, red, dark monster and a bit monolythic. Nose is weird but wine is full and fat and strong. Dense. Not that pretty. Goes on forever. 93-95+ DS.
Chateau Latour - Dark, dark mocha, coffee, berry and floral notes. Amazing nose. Super dense. Fills up the entire palate at once and stays there. Dark fruits, super ultra fine tannins. Like micro pixels - HD TV-size tannin pixels. Long and pure. Goes on and on but not the 05 or 09. 97-99 DS.
Next up, Pichon Lalande - This estate is in transition, the 09 was good and this is better but I'm following the tannins in this vintage and these tannins were slightly astringent in an otherwise excellent wine. 92-94 DS.
On this day, we enjoyed lunch at Rausan Segla.
Rausan - 2010 is a breakthrough vintage for this chateau. I think it's the best year since 1986. The nose is pure violet and red currant. The tannins are super fine and remember, I used that expression carefully with Latour. This is serious in other words. So precise. Almost creamy. Wow! 97-99 DS.
Honorable mentions from day two:
Pape Clement - 93-95+ DS.
Figeac - the chocolate milk of wine 94-97 DS.
Leoville Barton - Tannic strucure of a first growth. Like Las Cases but fatter. 95-98+ DS.
Lascombes - How do you describe this mega Margaux? It's seamless, creamy, big yet seems medium, harmonius. Yummy tannins. 94-96 DS.
Malescot St. Exupery - The sweetest wine I've tried. Could be an 09. Very fat and fresh. 93-95 DS.
Day Two Wrap Up
My instincts proved to be right. This is a vintage of the drought where terroir is king. If you didn't have the soil that holds moisture through a drought then you can taste it in the mean tannin. Many 2010's have that character especially those on the right bank. The Medoc is much better but you have to be selective. I kept a keen eye on the tannin in every tasting and believe me, there were a lot of wines that I didn't feel were worth reviewing. Not that they were that bad, but I just kept to the very good ones. And the good ones are really special. They avoid the heavy Parker style that people are getting tired of. They are powerful but have a sense of lightness. The have fresh acids and are a joy to taste. The tannins in the best wines are delicious and in-check. Not sure of the count yet since I'm yet to taste many of the Pauillacs and St Estephes. I will tomorrow. Big first growth day! Ciao for now.