Wine ChroniclesPomerol panache!
Posted on May 1, 2016
Seduction or power from Pomerol #bdx15 barrel samples: you pays your money, you takes your choice
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
1 May 2016
Readers take note: Revised note for La Cabanne based on new sample
The appellation as a whole is successful in 2015. Indeed, many writers have propelled Pomerol to the top of the vintage pedestal. It’s in that vicinity at least, with plenty of superb samples, from moderately-priced estates (for Pomerol, that is) to the most famous. And that’s saying a lot for the smallest of Bordeaux’s major fine wine regions, spanning only three kilometers wide by 4 kilometers long.
Fellow taster Ella Lister has the right look on her face. VCC was so good that maybe I was just perplexed about it.
But I found something rather interesting about this vintage. First off, alcohol levels were quite high for many Pomerols, as were the tannins. The best estates balanced everything very well. But readers who prefer freshness and elegance should know that Pomerol is not as homogenous as some say, at least in terms of style. Indeed, I found generally speaking two distinct styles. On the one hand, I found barrel samples that indeed harkened back to a combination of the 1985 and 2005 “5” vintages, as mentioned in my introduction to the 2015 barrel samples. On the other hand, very high tannins and alcohol levels encountered especially in many estates of Jean Pierre Moueix reminded me, too, of a modern version of 1975. Christian Moueix said that IPT levels reached 90 for some and alcohol up to about 14.5%. Many came across as “serious” samples, stressing power over sensuality. My most enthusiastic reactions in Pomerol are thus elicited by barrel samples stressing both seductive and bright tones, and underlying structure. Read More
Mad about Margaux #Bdx15
Posted on April 30, 2016
The best Médoc appellation in 2015
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
30 April 2016
With 21 cru classés châteaux – more than any other commune in Bordeaux, and ranging from first to fifth growth – Margaux is the most sprawling of the famous Médoc appellations, and is usually the most heterogeneous in quality because it is so big, some 3,677 acres, about 8.5% of all the Médoc, and variable.
Smaller Saint Julien typically gets the award for consistency in most barrel tasting seasons, but in 2015 Margaux wins the consistency prize in the Médoc, in spite of its large size. A general increase in quality over the past few years among many Margaux producers combined with the particularly favorable vintage conditions here are two reasons for this success.
As explained in my introduction to the barrel tastings, with only about 30mm of rainfall in September, it was the driest part of the Médoc, which helped make the tannins particularly smooth, from fine cru bourgeois level wines to the very top: Château Margaux is easily a top five 2015 barrel sample.
2015 is also generally – and clearly – better than 2014, which was merely solid last year for Margaux. With expected price hikes, smart buyers should seek mid-range priced estates, as almost all Margaux was wonderful. Although not all cru bourgeois samples I tried were successful, I found gems from the Alliance of Cru Bourgeois tasting, which will be excellent off-the-shelf buys in a couple of years. Read More
Spring frosts hit Bourgogne winegrowing region unusually hard
Posted on April 29, 2016
Press release from the Burgundy Wine Council – 29 April 2016
I was in Champagne, at Duval Leroy, when this terrible news was reported, and Champagne was also hit by some frost, as I contributed to this decanter.com story. But it seems that the Bourgogne region was particularly hard hit by springtime frosts over the past few days. What follows is the text of a press release from the BIVB, or Bourgogne Wine Council.
Temperatures fell below freezing across the region on the night of 26-27 April, with visible consequences on the vines.
This event is causing a great deal of stress among winegrowers, who once again feel helpless in the face of the whims of the weather, and are concerned about the potential of the future harvest.
Zind Humbrecht shines yet again in 2014
Posted on April 26, 2016
After a superlative 2013, 2014 an excellent follow up
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
26 April 2016
About one year ago, I was singing praises for Zind Humbrecht 2013. Not meaning to be a bore, but I have to sing praises yet again for the 2014. Although overall, I may give a slight edge to 2013, it is still early days and certain wines – take the noteworthy example of Riesling Rangen de Thann – seemed even more vivid, vivacious and vibrant in 2014.
Reading the harvest report, spring and early summer months were marked by high heat and dry weather (mainly in the spring), which lead to precociousness. Flowering started end May, about two weeks earlier than average, and finished rapidly around 10 June for all the vineyards, after some extremely warm conditions. Fast and homogenous flowering was good, but then temperatures reaching 37° Celsius (over 98°F) led to some coulure and flowers aborted because of the extreme heat, usually rare so early in Alsace. Read More
Confusion over Bordeaux’s latest “great” vintage
Posted on April 25, 2016
2015 has excellent barrel samples. If priced too high, seek 2014
Update! Best bargain wines #Bdx15
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
25 April (to mid-May) 2016
Tasting notes by appellation/region (watch for updates!):
Mad about Margaux – Pomerol panache! – Subtle, smooth, successful Saint Julien – Pessac-Léognan (and Graves) pizzaz – Merlot al Dente (and other tales from Saint Emilion #Bdx15) – Intriguingly Pauillac – Sauternes satisfaction
Greatness?
Internationally acclaimed flying winemaker Michel Rolland reportedly complained about wine journalists during en primeur week as quoted in this Drinks Business story: “For me 2015 is a great vintage. Too many arseholes [that’s us hacks] won’t notice of course. We’ll see in 10 years though, as always.”
He could be on to something. Blend barrel samples with (sometimes overly) proud wine writers and you get premature pronouncements. Definitive assessment comes in a bottle and – even better – 10 years down the road, as one can experience HERE.
With wine critics Yves Beck and Elin McCoy at Bordeaux stadium, tasting #Bdx15 from barrel.
But let’s get real. Barrel samples tend to define the vintage, rightly or wrongly. My conclusion? 2015 is often excellent, but in a lower key to the all encompassing “great” – especially for people expecting large-scaled wines à la 2010. Read More
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