2016 Fete du Bordeaux

On January 12, 2017 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

As we head into the new year, we were stunned to realize that it’s almost time for one of our favorite wine events! Having made our New Year’s resolution to post more, we’ll start by catching up with an update from last year’s Fete du Bordeaux.

The Fete du Bordeaux always comes around in January just after the holidays. It is not just a chance to taste the new releases from Bordeaux, but a chance to visit with the people who represent and/or own the Chateaux, many of whom we have gotten to know over the past ten years. It is always good to catch up with them and hear about what is going on in Bordeaux.

Bob Watt, Christina Watt and Jean-Charles Cazes from Lynch Bages…our annual photo. Will be fun to look back on all of these one day!

There have been so many amazing changes that have taken place in the wineries throughout Bordeaux over the last 5 to 6 years and their wines are the better for it. While there were many great wines produced in Bordeaux through the 80’s and 90’s, they pale in some respects to the quality that is being produced in Bordeaux today. Today’s technology, like optical sorters and satellite imagery, were only dreams of the past. Combine this with more rigorous vineyard management and stricter quality standards, and the end result for consumers and collectors is consistently better wines – even in less than outstanding vintages.

This year’s Fete du Bordeaux was again held at the restaurant One Market in San Francisco and was a tasting of the new 2013 releases:

2013 Chateau Langoa Barton, St. Julien

2013 Chateau Leoville Barton, St. Julien

2013 Chateau Lynch Bages, Pauillac

2013 Chateau Ormes de Pez, St. Estephe

2013 Chateau Figeac, St. Emilion

2013 Petit Figeac, St. Emilion

2013 Chateau La Conseillante, Pomerol

Christina and I visited Bordeaux in 2013 during the harvest. I can tell you that it was not ideal weather for the end of the growing season or harvest, with fairly frequent rain showers throughout the region. Unfortunately, the wines of 2013 also show the difficulty of the growing season that the winemakers had to work with. While the growing season of 2013 may have produced poor wines if they had been made in the 70’s or 80’s, today’s improved vineyard technology and winemaking practices produced some very pleasant wines. The 2013’s are not the big blockbuster wines of 2005, 2009 or 2010, but you won’t have to wait as long for them to mature either.

The wine of the flight for the 2013’s was the newcomer to the group, Chateau La Conseillante. Michel Rolland is the consulting winemaker for Chateau La Conseillante and the wine is made from 80% Merlot and 20% Cab. Franc. This is a very nice wine for the vintage, medium bodied, with elegant dark fruit and fairly fine tannins on the medium long finish. (92 pts.)

As we moved into the main dining room of the restaurant, we had a nice glass of Champagne from Franck Bonville – Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs NV. I have had this particular Champagne on several occasions and I have always enjoyed it. It reminds me of Salon in style, but slightly smaller in stature. It is creamy in texture with good acidity, white fruit, green apple, lemon and a chalky mineral streak running right through the medium-long finish. This is definitely a great QPR champagne at $35. (90 pts.)

To start the dinner off we tasted the 2014 Blanc de Lynch Bages white Bordeaux, which is produced in small batches. I have always enjoyed this wine throughout the years, and it is one of my wife’s favorite whites. It is very crisp with honey dew melon, green apples, lemon and a slight stoniness on the nice clean finish. It is a perfect wine for summer if you can find it. (92 pts.)

To go with our grilled calamari salad and roasted duck dinner, we had two flights of four wines:

2005 Chateau Figeac, St. Emilion – Dark red/black fruit with a slight green pepper nose. Nice dark fruit with good acidity, a hint of spice, medium bodied and a medium long dark fruit finish. (92 pts.)

2005 Chateau La Conseillante, Pomerol – Very dark bing cherry and blackberry fruit nose. Very dark fruit in the mouth, lively acidity, and very fine tannins. Nice long dark cherry fruit finish. This wine is already very elegant and still on the young side, with upside potential. This wine has a long life ahead of it. (95+ pts.)

2005 Chateau Langoa Barton, St. Julien – Ripe red cherries and some black fruit on the nose. In the mouth, red cherries and black currant, decent acidity, but a little monolithic at this point on the medium long cherry fruit finish. Maybe this just needs more time in the bottle. (90 pts.)

2005 Chateau Lynch Bages, Pauillac – Dark fruit and a little autumn leaves on the nose. Nice dark bing cherry, some blackberry and a little walnut in the mouth. Very nice acidity keeps this lively in the mouth, while the dark fruit continues on to a nice medium-long finish. While there is still a fair amount of tannin here to work out, the wine is still young and should be good for the long haul. (94+ pts.)

2000 Chateau Figeac, St. Emilion – Ripe dark red fruit on the nose. In the mouth, red currants and cherries, with slightly grainy tannins and not quite as concentrated as the 2005. Finishes with nice red cherry fruit of medium length. (92 pts.)

2000 Chateau La Conseillante, Pomerol – Black currants and blackberries on the nose. In the mouth a mixture of black currants and dark bing cherry/blackberry pie. Good acidity and some spice notes starting to show up. Again the elegance comes through on the medium-long dark fruit finish. Still young, but this wine is starting to show a little of what it has in store for the patient collector. (94 pts.)

1995 Chateau Lynch Bages, Pauillac – Ripe dark red fruit and a little forest floor on the nose. In the mouth, black cherries and red currants combine with roasted nuts and some spice. Soft in the mouth with a little tannin still present. Nice acidity and sweet dark fruit carry through to the medium-long finish. (93 pts.)

1995 Chateau Leoville Barton, St. Juilen – Nose of the night, with red and black fruit, forest floor and baking spices. In the mouth, nice sweet dark cherries, red currants and some blackberry combine with grilled nuts and forest floor. This has good acidity and is very silky in the mouth. Very nice sweet dark fruit on the long finish. (95 pts.)

For dessert, we had a pear brown butter tart and a wine to go with:

2007 Chateau Suduiraut, Sauternes – Nice and light melon, tangerine and a touch of honey on the nose. Good fruit in the mouth, melon, pears and some bees wax. Decent acidity with a hint of spice on the medium-long sweet honey finish. (92 pts.)

It was another wonderful evening spent with friends from afar. While I may not be buying a large quantity of wine from the 2013 vintage, there were some good wines made that you could enjoy while you are waiting for the 05’s, 09’s and 10’s to come to maturity.

Next year, the wines of 2014 should be a noticeable step up over the 13’s. We look forward to the next tasting in just a few short weeks!

Better Late than Never: 2015 Bordeaux Fete in San Francisco

On August 3, 2015August 3, 2015 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

It has been a busy year! We are so far behind in our blog, but have every intention of making up for lost time.

To start, here’s the recap we have to add from last January’s (gasp!) Annual Bordeaux Fete. We need to get this down for the record before next year rolls around in a few short months!

Bob Watt, Christina Watt, Jean-Charles Cazes from Lynch Bages and Nancy Rugas from Chateau Suduiraut.

I was very happy to be able to go this year, as I missed last year. This year, Christina and I attended the one put on by K & L Wine Merchants and the participating Chateaux in San Francisco, since we had just moved to the Bay area. The Bordeaux Fete was at One Market Restaurant and we tasted the new 2012 releases from:

Ch. Langoa Barton, St. Julien

Ch. Leoville Barton, St. Julien

Ch. Ormes de Pez, St. Estephe

Ch. Lynch Bages, Pauillac

Petit Figeac, St. Emilion

Ch. Figeac, St. Emilion

The 2012’s while not in the same league (or price) as the 2009’s or 2010’s, they are good in their own right. The 2012’s are medium bodied with good fruit/acid/structure and will be good to drink while you are waiting for your 2010’s to mature in your cellar. These wines will be a pleasure to drink in the near-mid term, particularly with food.

This is always a fun event to taste the new wines and talk with the Chateaux proprietors that we have gotten to know over the years. This year in addition to Jean-Charles Cazes from Ch. Lynch Bages and Lilian Barton-Sartorius from Ch. Leoville Barton, the event included Chateau Figeac, with proprietor Hortense Odoine Manoncourt. We had spent some time with Hortense at Chateau Figeac on our trip to Bordeaux and it was great to see her again.

The tasting format in San Francisco is a little different than what they do in Seattle. In San Francisco, they set up three tables with all of the new release wines being poured by the proprietors and you get to taste them over an hour time period. After tasting the new releases, we were given a glass of non-vintage Thienot Brut Champagne as we made our way to the dinner tables. Once at the dinner tables, the older wines were poured to enjoy with the food courses. Here are the other wines that we tasted with the meal:

2013 Blanc de Lynch Bages – Tangerine, lemon mineral nose. Very nice bright clean lemony white fruit, with a little stone mixed in. Lively acidity, smooth mouth feel, medium-light body. Nice long lemony energetic fruit finish. This is a very nice white Bordeaux wine that is only produced in smaller quantities, so it may not be easy to find, but is worth the effort. I will have to track some down for the cellar. 93 pts.

2009 Figeac – Ripe black/red berry fruit nose. This wine is lush with sweet black/red fruit, some spice and a little forest floor. There is good acidity to the wine, medium-full bodied with lots of very fine ripe tannins (iron fist in velvet glove). It is nice to taste a right bank right wine if a field of left banks, just for comparison. This is a very nice wine from a great vintage. 93 pts.

2005 Langoa Barton – Subtle nose of red / black fruit. In the mouth crunchy dark red and black berries, hints of forest floor and tobacco, with bright acidity. Nice medium – long dark fruit finish. 91 pts.

2005 Lynch Bages – This wine has a suave nose of spicy dark cherry fruit. In the mouth, the rich sweet dark black/red cherry fruit combines with baking spices and just a hint of leather. The wine has very nice acidity and very fine ripe tannins. The wine has great balance to it and a very long sweet spicy dark fruit finish. This wine is still very young, but is just starting to show what it has in store for a very long future. The 2005 Lynch Bages can be enjoyed now with air time, but will reward further cellaring. It wine will gain even more complexity as it is still on the uphill climb to maturity. Drink now or over the next three decades. 95+ pts.

2003 Figeac – Very ripe red and black fruit nose. In the mouth, very ripe dark red bing cherry and black berries, decent acidity, with a very tannic fine grained structure. Medium – long very ripe dark fruit finish. Over the course of the evening, the wine seemed to lose some of it’s acidity that supported the very ripe fruit. I would drink the 2003 sooner rather than later, over the next 10 years or so. 91 pts.

1995 Lynch Bages – Rich dark cherry fruit nose. In the mouth, plush sweet dark red / black fruit combine with forest floor and baking spices. This wine has good acidity, soft mostly resolved tannins and a long beautiful dark spicy fruit finish. The wine is drinking really well now and will continue to do so over the next 10-15 years. If you have some of the ’95 in the cellar, open one now and enjoy it. 94+ pts.

1999 Leoville Barton – Black cherry fruit and spice nose. In the mouth, very concentrated dark black cherries, spices and a little forest floor. Nice acidity, with some very fine grained ripe tannins still present. The wine has a very nice sense of balance, with a very long dark sweet black fruit finish. This wine is drinking really well right now, but I think it will continue to improve. 94+ pts.

2004 Suduiraut – Orangey-yellow in color, nose of very ripe fruit and butterscotch. In the mouth, again very ripe tropical fruit, over ripe melon, honey and butterscotch. This wine is too ripe for my taste, it doesn’t have the acid to back up the sweetness, so it comes across as heavy. Medium length very sweet finish. 82 pts.

It just so happened that the same day as the dinner, the Seattle Seahawks made the finals for the SuperBowl. Since Seattle was the next stop on the tour for our winemaker friends, we zipped into the city early to buy them a little something so they could show their support at their next dinner.

Jean-Charles Cazes of Cht. Lynch Bages, Christina Watt, and Lilian Barton- — Jean-Charles Cazes of Ch. Lynch Bages, Christina Watt, and Lilian Barton-Sartorius from Ch. Leoville Barton. They were very good sports about showing their Seahawks support!

Too bad the Seahawks didn’t pull through this year – but perhaps those hats will come in handy again next year! It will certainly be here before we know it…

Fete du Bordeaux 2014 – Year Six

On February 8, 2014February 8, 2014 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

Authored by Christina

As previously noted, this was the first year I attended the annual Bordeaux dinner in Seattle alone, as my husband had to be out of town. Alas, I wasn’t entirely left to fend for myself, as good friend Bill Schallert from Young’s Market Company made a great stand-in date (thanks Bill!).

Bill Schallert from Young's Market Co., Nancy Rugus, representing Chateau Suidaraut, Jean-Charles Cazes from Chateau Lynch Bages, Christina Watt, and Damien Barton Sartorius with Chateau Leoville Barton. — Bill Schallert from Young’s Market Co., Nancy Rugus, representing Chateau Suduiraut, Jean-Charles Cazes from Chateau Lynch-Bages, Christina Watt, and Damien Barton Sartorius with Chateau Leoville-Barton.

One of the highlights of the evening is always hearing from the representatives from the various estates whose wines we’re tasting – we appreciate their efforts to be here. We were pleased to welcome Jean-Charles Cazes again from Chateau Lynch-Bages and Chateau Ormes de Pez, as well as Damien Barton Satorius, from Chateau Leoville-Baron and Chateau Langoa-Barton. The dinner was held on the day of the Seahawks Victory Parade that brought out over 700,000 fans into the streets of Seattle. Ever mischievous, Jean-Charles had a little fun with the theme, bringing Seahawks “Lynch: Beast Mode” jerseys to describe the Lynch-Bages wines.

Damien is the grandson of Anthony Barton, who has visited for dinners in the past. Damien’s mother Lillian has also joined us on a few occasions. Damien is currently finishing up his Masters Degree in International Business, and this was his first trip to the United States and second wine dinner in which he was asked to provide remarks on behalf of the estate, which he did very well. You can certainly see the resemblance to his very gracious grandfather, and we look forward to hearing more from Damien in the future.

Chateau Montrose was notably absent in representation again this year, citing ongoing construction work that kept them from attending. Here’s hoping they get that construction done soon – it’s always nice to hear from the Chateaux themselves at these events. Nancy Rugus did a nice job explaining their wines, however, and also those of the venerable Chateau Suduiraut, whom she represents and who makes exceptional Sauternes.

Just a few things to taste through... — Just a few glasses to taste through…

This was the year we tasted the 2011’s, coming off of the major hype of the ’09’s and 10’s, and even the very good year of the ’08’s.

Here was the line-up:

2012 Blanc de Lynch Bages
2011 Chateau Tronquoy Lalande
2011 Chateau Ormes de Pez
2011 Chateau Langoa-Barton
2011 Chateau Lynch-Bages
2011 Chateau Leoville-Barton
2011 Chateau Montrose
2000 Chateau Langoa-Barton
2005 Chateau Lynch-Bages
2005 Chateau Montrose
1990 Chateau Lynch-Bages
1990 Chateau Leoville-Barton
1998 Chateau Montrose
2003 Chateau Suduiraut

Now let me preface my remarks by saying that in general, my wine of the night has typically always been one of the older vintages, which makes perfect sense, right? Well, in 2010, I actually prefered the 2010 Chateau Montrose as my wine of the night – there was so much potential there, but you could still get an immediate sense of the power and complexity. (I tend to prefer the 10’s to the ’09’s, though I wouldn’t turn any of them down!)

Which is my long-winded way of saying that while the 2011’s are admittedly young, honestly, I struggled to differentiate between them in any meaningful way, and to my taste, they seem to be wines to drink sooner, rather than aging for later. This was the general opinion of my tablemates as well, though we all admitted to not having a crystal ball! At the end of the day, we decided it’s not a bad idea to have a few bottles of good Bordeaux to drink now rather than later anyway. I will say that the 2011 Chateau Lynch Bages had a nice earthy nose and seemed to have some good potential, and the 2011 Chateau Montrose, though very tight, had some of the characteristic earthiness and complexity I’ve come to associate with these wines – it would be interesting to come back and taste this wine again once it gets a little age on it, as it appears to have some good structure behind it.

1990 Chateau Leoville Barton. Was a crowd favorite.

To that end, I struggled a little with the older wines to pick a definitive wine of the night – there were some nice wines there. The 2000 Langoa-Barton particularly stood out, but perhaps especially because of the shift to a significantly older wine after the 11’s! It was a good, round, earthy wine with a great nose, and a nice pairing for the roasted loin of Ostrich we had for that course.

The final three wines of the night, the 1998 Montrose, 1990 Chateau Leoville-Barton and 1990 Chateau Lynch-Bages were all drinking well. The 1990 Lynch-Bages was probably my favorite of the evening – it was still a little tight, but the nose was dreamy – green bell pepper and barnyard – one of those that I could just sit and smell and not even drink and be happy! The 1990 Ch. Leoville-Barton was also very good – I heard several of my tablemates claim it as their favorite. Really, I wouldn’t turn any of those wines away.

The chef also did a masterful job of pairing the 2012 Blanc de Lynch Bages with a seared sea scallop dish – the wine and the briny flavors of the scallops worked really well together. Of course, I’m a huge fan of this white, and I know from this summer that it also pairs well with charcuterie and just about anything else you can think to nibble on. They’ve done a nice job with the consistency of the profile year over year, peachy, earthy, grassy – just green enough, but still a round, full wine with a crisp finish and good minerality – it’s one of my favorite whites these days. (That’s typically code for, okay, honey, you can buy more if you can find it!)

Which, at the end of the day, is always the fun of these dinners – tasting things you may have in your cellar to see how they are drinking now, and deciding what to add and age for later. Me? I’m happy that I usually have help making these decisions, but no matter, the discussion and company is always fun while you’re forming an opinion!

Looking forward to next year…

The Morning of Day Three: Chateau Lynch Bages

On November 13, 2013January 28, 2014 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

We kicked off the weekend by checking out of our hotel to head into the city of Bordeaux. But first, we headed to Chateau Lynch Bages to take a tour and participate in a blending session.

One of the very first Bordeaux wines that I ever had was a 1985 vintage of Chateau Lynch Bages from Pauillac. I don’t remember the specifics of having that particular wine 22 years ago, but I became hooked on Bordeaux and Lynch Bages from that point on. I have been a long time fan of Lynch Bages and have really enjoyed getting to know Jean-Charles Cazes over the last six years. Chateau Lynch Bages makes big muscular cabernet dominant wines that become elegant with age and are classic Pauillac in style.

The stainless vats. — The stainless steel vats.

The wine style of the Chateau may be very traditional, but it uses state of the art technology (stainless steel vats, optical sorting) to help produce their wines, which is a real asset to ensure consistency. Chateau Lynch Bages is one of the few Chateaux in Bordeaux to have their own bottling machines, as most rent bottling trucks – talk about a crazy business during the crush!

Lynch Bages is one of a few Chateau that has its own bottling equipment.

We also saw where they are producing their whites – the Blanc de Lynch Bages that we had enjoyed at a previous Bordeaux Fete wine dinner in Seattle. It’s a wonderful wine – crisp, floral, bright fruit with juicy acidity and minerality – we bought a bottle on our way out of the Chateau – and happily drank it a few days later, wishing we could get more at home.

The Chateau also houses a small wine museum, where they keep old winemaking equipment as a nod to the not-so-far-off techniques of their winemaking past. They joked that in a pinch, they could also roll out this equipment to help with a harvest should technology ever fail them! The more rustic equipment was juxtaposed with very contemporary art, combining to make it a hip and cool viewing experience.

The wine making and art museum. They say no one has fallen through the floor yet!

While we were at Chateau Lynch Bages, we had the opportunity to take part in a blending session. We were given four wines of a single grape varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petite Verdot, all from the 2008 vintage and without any oak influence. These were the component parts of the 2008 Chateau Lynch Bages, and it was really interesting to taste them in their “raw” state, pre-blending. Each varietal brings it’s own flavor profile and characteristics, from the mellow Merlot to the more wild Cab Franc.

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon – Deep red/black sweet dark cherry fruit, dry and very tannic.

2008 Cabernet Franc – Darker black fruit, wild, brambley, slightly sour and more acidic, very tannic.

2008 Merlot – Sweeter red fruit, rounded in the mouth, tannic but not dry.

2008 Petite Verdot – Darkest of the four, wild blackberry and spice, hint of tobacco, powerful, very dry and very tannic.

The four varietals - and the finished product! — The four varietals – and the finished product!

At the end of the blending session, we were given a taste of the 2008 Lynch Bages – the blend was made up of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petite Verdot, with aging in 75% new French oak barrels. The blend was so much better than any of the individual parts – and it gives you a real appreciation for the subtleties the winemakers are working with. Here’s my review of that wine:

2008 Chateau Lynch Bages – Sweet dark blackberries, with a little bit of red pie cherries, rich spicy fruit flavors that were slightly dry and very tannic on the medium-long finish. This is a very nice wine, but it’s still just a baby.

A few of us were then given the opportunity to try our own blends. I decided to reduce the Cabernet Sauvignon, and pump up the Cabernet Franc, so I made a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petite Verdot. The results were a very dark wine of sweet black berries that were spicy, rounder in the mouth and with a smoother tannic finish. Who knows how my wine would’ve aged, but you could definitely taste the difference a few small percentages in one direction or another makes – it’s certainly fun to experiment!

Next up, exploring Bordeaux city…

A Lunch to Remember: Restaurant le Lion d’Or

On November 5, 2013January 28, 2014 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

Authored by Christina

On our first evening in town, Jean-Charles Cazes from Chateau Lynch Bages had offered to set us up with a lunch at what he described as a very local restaurant. He said they had a wine locker there, and that it would be hard for us to get in on our own because the owner was a bit particular, but that he would take care of it. And he most certainly did.

When we arrived at the Lion d’Or, we were completely charmed by its quaint exterior. The interior was divided into two rooms with a small billiards table on one side. We were greeted in French by a thin, bespectacled waiter who seemed somewhat disgruntled by our presence. He led us to a table in a dark corner at the back of the restaurant, picked up a key from the table that was marked, “Lynch Bages,” and in a very authoritative voice (and broken English, bless him), said, “You may have ONE bottle of wine from the locker.” Honestly, it was all we could do to keep a straight face.

The Lynch Bages wine locker at Le Lion d'Or. — The Lynch Bages wine locker at Le Lion d’Or.

I couldn’t resist following Bob into the other dining area where he was led to the Lynch Bages locker. While Bob was discussing our wine choice with the waiter, the crowded table near the locker was inspecting Bob. Suddenly, one of that party hopped out of their seat to take a picture of Bob removing a bottle. At this point, I was about to start laughing out loud.

We got the distinct impression from the staff that we were interlopers, outsiders, but honestly, we were so charmed with the novelty of the experience, I think we managed to charm the staff right back. We managed to muddle through the menu together, and order some outstanding food. Duck confit, these little fried potatoes – not quite pommes frites, not quite waffle fries – so good. But the star of the show was the wine.

You see, we had made a bit of a tactical error in our trip planning – or rather, our expectations of what we would be drinking. We drink enough aged Bordeaux at home to know how we like it, but it’s a tough pill to swallow when you know what you paid for the wine you have aging at home, and then you see it on the restaurant menus for more than ten times the price. And naturally, at the tastings, most of what were sampling was newly released – you could taste the potential in many cases, but that was about it. Not a lot of serious drinking for the pure enjoyment of it.

The waiter had prompted Bob to select a bottle of 2001 Chateau Lynch Bages, and the moment we tasted the wine we were so grateful for it. Bob has handled the technical aspects of the wine in his review below, all I can say is that the wine took me immediately to my Bordeaux happy place. We smiled, and toasted Jean-Charles. Suddenly, I understood why the waiter said we could only have ONE bottle!

Christina with the 2001 Chateau Lynch Bages.

2001 Chateau Lynch Bages: Deep dark garnet color, with a very good nose of red/black fruit, baking spices, forest floor and a hint of charred wood. In the mouth, deep rich flavors of blackberry and dark bing cherries, with medium acid keeping it all lively. The wine is full bodied, broad and expansive on the pallet, with a great combination of spices on the velvety smooth long sweet fruit filled finish. The tannins are mostly resolved and the wine is drinking very well at this point in time, but will continue to add more complexity over the next decade. If you have this wine in your cellar, the hard part will be not drinking it now. The 2001 Lynch Bages is very elegant and a truly classic Bordeaux wine.

We later learned from other reviews of Lion d’Or, that the owner can be fairly temperamental. Perhaps attitude is everything, or perhaps we got a good day. At the end of our meal, the owner came out and sat at the table nearby, conversing in French with that group. Then, turning to us, smiling and rubbing his generous belly, he asked us in broken English, “es good?” We could only smile back our agreement.

Merci beaucoup, Jean-Charles!

A Very Krug Welcome to You

On October 12, 2013October 22, 2013 By Bob WattIn France2 Comments

Bordeaux 2013 3508 — Bob in St. Emillion.

We were barely off the plane and settled into our first hotel, the beautiful Cordeillan-Bages in the heart of Bages city, when we caught up with Jean-Charles Cazes, whose family owns the Lynch Bages Estates. We’ve met Jean-Charles in Seattle many times over the years for the Bordeaux Fete dinners, but it was nice to have a chance to catch up at a normal (though jet-lagged) pace.

We heard about Jean-Charles’ latest travels to Brazil over appetizers and enjoyed the perfect start-off to the trip – a bottle of Krug. Ever the gentleman, Jean-Charles went over our itinerary with us and suggested a few additions – including setting up a very fun lunch we’ll describe later.

He was a great host, and he was absolutely right about one thing – he DOES know a great cure for jet-lag – we highly recommend Krug for a great night’s sleep!

Fete de Bordeaux 2013 – Year Five

On February 19, 2013February 6, 2014 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

This was the year to put the 2010’s to the test. 2009 vs. 2010 – the raging debate – the only thing standing between me and the final verdict was the fact that we couldn’t taste the vintages side by side.

The guests of honor this year were Jean-Charles Cazes of Chateaux Lynch-Bages and Ormes de Pez and Anthony Barton of Chateaux Leoville-Barton and Langoa Barton. We were sad to miss Nicolas Glumineau, who represented Chateau Montrose in years past, because he had moved on to a roll as head of Roederer’s Bordeaux Properties including Chateau Pichon LaLande. Herve Berland, now representing Chateau Montrose and Tronquoy Lalande had a last minute conflict and could not make the dinner, we hope to meet him next year.

The wines served were:

2011 Blanc de Lynch-Bages
2010 Chateau Tronquoy Lalande
2010 Chateau Ormes de Pez
2010 Chateau Langoa-Barton
2010 Chateau Lynch-Bages
2010 Chateau Leoville-Barton
2010 Chateau Montrose
2005 Chateau Langoa-Barton
2003 Chateau Lynch-Bages
2000 Chateau Montrose
1999 Chateau Leoville-Barton
1995 Chateau Lynch-Bages
1995 Chateau Montrose
1997 Chateau Suduiraut

So now, the big reveal. 2009, or 2010? Honestly, I have to be as cagey as the critics and say the proof is in the aging. I have happily begun putting down both vintages in the anticipation of a future vintage taste-off. My wife, however, is firmly in the 2010 camp, having declared the 2010 Montrose her Wine of the Night in an unusual twist (normally, the older the better as far as she is concerned). She described the 2010’s as more round and approachable and having darker fruit than the 2009’s, but to be clear, she’s not saying the ’09’s are any less complex than the ’10’s – it’s just a style she prefers. They say that the 2009’s are more of an American vintage with a little more plush fruit and the 2010’s are more of a European vintage, being slightly more tannic with blacker fruit. If that’s the case, I’m definitely okay with her assessment – but only time will tell.

I leaned towards the Montrose as my top pick of the 2010’s, followed closely by the Leoville-Barton and the Lynch-Bages. My Wine of the Night was the 2000 Montrose, though I have to agree with my wife – the 2010’s were very compelling that night.

The surprise of the night was the impressive 2011 Blanc de Lynch-Bages, with strong minerality and great acid energy. Jean-Charles said a customer once described it as a real “porch pounder.” (He was quite pleased with that description!) It’s not exactly how I would put it, but I admit, I’d happily drink more of it!

Fete de Bordeaux 2012 – Year Four

On February 19, 2013February 4, 2014 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

We were very much looking forward to this year given all of the hype and press around the 2009 Bordeaux vintage and the subsequent 2010 vintage. The 2009 wines did live up to their reputation, though I do remember wishing we could try the 2009’s and 2010’s side by side at that time.

On hand representing the estates were Jean-Charles Cazes of Chateaux Lynch-Bages and Ormes de Pez; Anthony Barton of Chateaux Leoville-Barton and Langoa Barton; and Nicolas Glumineau of Chateaux Montrose and Tronquoy Lalande.

Here are the 2009’s we tasted:

2009 Blanc de Lynch-Bages
2009 Chateau Tronquoy Lalande
2009 Chateau Ormes de Pez
2009 Chateau Langoa-Barton
2009 Chateau Lynch-Bages
2009 Chateau Leoville-Barton
2009 Chateau Montrose
2001 Chateau Lynch-Bages
2001 Chateau Leoville-Barton
2001 Chateau Montrose
1996 Chateau Langoa-Barton
1996 Chateau Lynch-Bages
1996 Chateau Montrose
2007 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes

The 2009’s definitely lived up to the hype. The 2009 Chateau Montrose was my first pick of the ’09’s, followed by the Lynch-Bages. My Wine of the Night was the 2001 Montrose followed by the 1996 Langoa-Barton – both were both drinking incredibly well. My wife was very happy to hear that we have some more of the 2001 Montrose in our cellar at home. I hope she’ll be equally glad to hear that we’ve acquired many of the 2009 vintage releases as well! I know it’s been said before, but I believe it’s true – the ’09 vintage is a must-purchase for any Bordeaux wine lover. I look forward to seeing how this vintage matures.

Fete de Bordeaux 2011 – Year Three

On February 19, 2013February 4, 2014 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

In 2011, the dinners moved back to the Columbia Tower Club, where they have been hosted since. This was also the year we coerced a few friends into coming with us, and they’ve been back every year for more as well.

The guests for this dinner were Jean-Charles Cazes of Chateaux Lynch Bages and Ormes de Pez; Anthony Barton of Chateaux Leoville and Langoa Barton; and Nicolas Glumineau of Chateaux Montrose and Tronquoy Lalande.

The 2008 new release wines served were:

2008 Blanc de Lynch Bages
2008 Chateau Tronquoy Lalande
2008 Chateau Ormes de Pez
2008 Chateau Lynch Bages
2008 Chateau Leoville Barton
2008 Chateau Montrose
1998 Chateau Langoa Barton
1998 Chateau Lynch Bages
1998 Chateau Montrose
1988 Chateau Lynch Bages en Magnum
1988 Chateau Leoville Barton
1988 Chateau Montrose en Magnum
2006 Suduiraut Sauternes

I distinctly remember picking the Chateau Montrose as my favorite of the 2008 Vintage, followed by Leoville Barton, and the Lynch Bages, with the 1988 Lynch Bages from magnum as my Wine of the Night. I also distinctly remember looking forward to tasting the celebrated 2009’s the following year.

Fete de Bordeaux 2010 – Year Two

On February 19, 2013February 4, 2014 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

In 2010, the Fete dinner moved to the Rainier Club, where we tasted the new 2007 vintage releases. While I have the list of wines served thanks to our friend Bill Schallert, unfortunately, I do not have anything to actually jog my memory about the wines we drank that night.

I do recall though, that this was the year that Chateau Montrose was substituted for Cos d’Estournel on the tour, and Nicolas Glumineau joined the dinners from Chateau Montrose. It was the first time I’d literally ever heard anyone sing for his supper – his impromptu Opera singing was very impressive indeed.

In addition to Nicolas, we were joined by Jean-Charles Cazes of Chateau Lynch Bages and Ormes de Pez, as well as Anthony Barton of Chateau Leoville Barton and Langoa Barton. Here were the wines served: