Bordeaux 2010: An IMW mega tasting of 20+ top Bordeaux
The wines
Chateau Haut-Bailly 2010
Lithe. There’s s great black, bitter blackness to this wine – something quite ethereal. Lovely long tannins. Elegant but also just a little leafy to be grand. 18/20, 93/100
Chateau Cantemerle 2010
Leafy and furry tannins. Those tannins are just a but aggressive but there is some finesse too. Quite high acid. Long term style. 17.7/20, 92/100+
Chateau Brane-Cantenac 2010
Dark fruit. Extra ripeness and grunt of Margaux here. Dark chocolate. Lavish oak. Lots of power. Aspirational but not overwrought. Excellent really. 18.7/20, 95/100
Chateau Durfort-Vivens 2010
Black leaf, almost brackish fruit and really quite bitter. There’s a great chewiness to these tannins though – makes ’em feel real. Long term, but a bit raw and aggressive for now 17.5/20, 91/100+
Chateau d’Issan 2010
Meat. Meaty. Beefy. This looks up and down, less pure. I want this to be clearer and more compelling. But it just looks a little underpowered. 17/20, 90/100+
Chateau Rauzan-Segla 2010
The bitterness of this is quite entrancing. At once quite bitter, the oak sitting on top. But the length is really quite special. Here for the very long haul. 18/20, 93/100+
Chateau Branaire-Ducru 2010
Horsey and a bit lumpy. It’s almost Australian in its ripeness – lavish and open. It could almost be Margaret River with that sort of profile. Long, but maybe too ripe? Close, but not glorious. 17.8/20, 92/100+
Chateau Leoville Barton 2010
Lovely classic nose. The oak sticks out here but there is a absolute Bordeauxness to this. It’s not seductive yet but will outlast many. Maybe too bitter. Hold 17.7/20, 92/100+
Chateau Léoville-Poyferré 2010
Oak. Lots beyond oak. Long but so much oak! How long will it take to come out? There is so much grip and power to be had here. But gee it’s going to take some coaxing. 18/20, 93/100+
Chateau Calon Segur 2010
A wonderful hint of leaf here. Exactly what I want Bordeaux to be! Long and punctuated by that black leaf edge. Lovely. Maybe even exceptional. 18.7/20, 95/100
Chateau Cos d’Estournel 2010
Exceptionally flashy. Flashy oak, flashy fruit. It’s a bit sour too. A statement wine. Wildly concentrated though. Gold medal in power and swagger. But more like Napa than Bordeaux. I’m torn here as this is such a glorious wine. But just a little overwrought. 18.5/20, 94/100
Chateau Montrose 2010
There’s a wonderful licoricey darkness to this. Maybe just a little mixed ripeness? Slow burner this. Still a bit bitter though. 17.7/20, 92/100+
Chateau Lynch-Bages 2010
Classicness. There’s a cool mintiness here, a restraint and dark berry beauty here which transcends. Superb tannins too. Lovely. 18.7/20, 95/100
Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron 2010
Oaky, but classic. Closed for the moment but you’ll want this. Ageless. The texture here is so even. Compelling 19/20, 96/100
Chateau Pontet-Canet 2010
The autosuggestion here is that it’s more aromatic – being biodynamic and such. Indeed It’s quite lively and indeed less oaky and more elegant compared to the wines around it. Maybe it’s just a little higher in acid. Can see the bones more clearly. But I don’t love it. Less swagger. Much to come though. 18/20, 93/100+
Chateau Cheval Blanc 2010
Tasted three times with similar results. Such a different shape to this wine. It’s all about red fruit, the oak not overt, the palate quite round. The alcohol, though, is a massive distraction – it feels warm and round. At first I thought it was just me who didn’t like this. But it seems I wasn’t alone. There’s clearly structure here, but cohesion is missing. Curious. Bad bottle suspected, though two bottles showed the same. 17/20, 90/100
Chateau Figeac 2010
Meaty. Saddles. Lovely ethereal flavour of this. Almost Pinot like. Quite beautiful. But also feels just a little sweet and sour. I’d like to give this another look. 18/20, 93/100
Chateau Angelus 2010
Warm. Chocolatey. Luxurious oak. All flash. Gee those tannins are superb though. Trying so hard. But still OTT and almost like dry port. A caricature of a wine, saved only thanks to its tannins. 17.7/20, 92/100
Chateau Canon 2010
Mint chocolate. Raspberry and nettle. Quite medium bodied. This feels like a work in progress, all arms and legs, but with strong bones. Cellarable. 17/20, 90/100
Chateau Clinet 2010
Alcohol. Chocolatey and warm. Coffeed even. Looks a little underripe even. Lots of oak. Raisined edges rob this of delight. 16.8/20, 89/100
Chateau Petit Village 2010
Bretty. Coffee and spice oak. There’s some fine plum fruit underneath though. Trying so hard with that oak and such an aspirational wine. 17.7/20, 92/100
Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes 2010
Not obviously sweet at all. Rather, it’s just lightly dipped in honeycomb and lemon rind, a little custard oak and a little barley sugar on the finish. Lovely elegant flavours – hard to even see much botrytis. Gently does it. Lithe and beautiful but maybe too elegant to be a classic? Still lovely . 18.5/20, 94/100+
2 Comments
Good note, on what is a great tasting. I attended the '08 equivalent in Melbourne, missed the '09 (yes, I am still unhappy about that) and then I see the '10 has moved to Sydney! The '08 tasting had all of the first growths (excl. Latour), and so many others of the cru classé that I had little hope of trying to taste them all. I didn't really see any issues with the bottles beyond a bit of brett here and there, probably much less than the Bordeaux presumption of plenty. On the negatives, disappointing to see the first growths dropped (if not now, when to taste?), and some bottle issues. Overall, I can only agree that I wish there were more of these benchmark tasting events.
I wonder if we'll see the first growths again in a cheaper vintage (like '11)?