(mostly) 2009 Bordeaux Tasting

I went to a tasting of the 2009 Bordeauxs at the local K&L Wines. At least, mostly 2009s. There were a few others in there as well.

2010 Clos Floridene, Bordeaux Blanc: Lemon and grass smells, lotsa acid to this one, the sour overcame the sweetness. Not quite to my liking.

2009 Haut Vigneau, Pessac-Leognan: Buttery aroma. Smooth and soft on the tongue, light tannins that hit the tongue late, not very fruity.

2009 Rollan de By, Medoc: Very light and earthy, this wine almost tasted like a white wine, could hardly feel the tannins. Very light plum fruit, some acidity, and a citrus finish.

2009 Ormes de Pez, St. Estephe: Very fruity nose, full of red fruit, raspberry, red plum. Taste was similar to the nose, raspberry and strawberry flavors. Soft tannins.

2009 Langoa Barton, St. Julien: Plummy, with very green flavors. Green bell pepper was suggested by the host of the event, and that seemed to fit the taste well. Plenty of fruit in this one, with soft tannins. I’d buy this to put down for a dozen years or so.

2009 Leoville Barton, St. Julien: Sweet and ripe fruit on the nose. some heat, with bolder tannins than the previous wines. I could taste the oak in this one. Noticeably long finish. Another I’ll consider buying to set away for a dozen years.

2009 Lynch Bages, Pauillac: Restrained nose, there was very little aroma. Fresh fruit taste, nice heat to it, but not in a bad way. I tasted some cherry, and some earthiness in this one. Full and solid feel. The host suggested that this wine will do very well in 10 to 20 years, and it really needs that time to bring out the real power in this wine. Another on the list.

2001 Chateau Lanessan

2001 Chateau Lanessan, Haut Medoc: The last couple reds switched to some aged Bordeauxs to give a comparison of the kind of things that might happen in the bottle with some age. This had a grassy nose, cherry, sweet, smoother, and mellow tannins.

I ended up buying a bottle of this to have with dinner, since it was only 20 bucks. It was pretty tasty. The thing I notice most is that it just isn’t really harsh at all. It just sits there in the mouth, and allows you to taste the fruit, taste some of the oak, notice the heat and acidity, and without powering it down your throat.

It wasn’t too full of flavor after the initial sip though, all the flavor is on the initial attack, and as it sits in the mouth, not much more developed. It was tasty, but restrained, not giving too much flavor or anything.

I really enjoy the lower alcohol levels, it seems to hit differently, not as strongly, and not as intoxicatingly (that’s a word. Promise).

The more I drink these older Bordeaux wines, the more I wonder why I am wasting my time with these California Cabernets. The California stuff seems like a loud obnoxious kid compared to this stuff. I’m pretty sure I’d rather drink even this mediocre, unimpressive Bordeaux than a oakfruitheatbomb Cabernet.

2000 Domaine Chevalier, Pessac-Leognan: Sour nose, this had a cough syrup taste to it. It was sour, plenty of acidity, not too much tannins. This tasted like it was decent for what it was, but it was not to my taste. The host of the tasting said that the Pessac-Leognan wines have a certain funk to them, and it tends to be the most “love it or leave it” of all the provinces in Bordeaux. I think I’m a “leave it” type.

1997 D’Arche, Sauternes: Good Lord, this was tasty. I could have drank this all afternoon. Or rather, I would have liked to (though I would probably get a nice raging headache). This had the sweetness of a dessert wine, with a pear, lemon, and orange citrus and acidity flavor to follow up the sweetness. The sour finish offsets the sweetness. I dubbed this wine “delicious” and bought a bottle. It was a pretty decent deal at $40. The only problem is that I have no idea when I will want to open a whole bottle of this stuff. Can’t drink all that on my own, even over a couple days. Probably. This is gonna be a delicious wine to drink this summer.