Bordeaux Unsung Hero Round 2 Friday, Jan 2nd, 2009 7:30pm
Find the winning Bordeaux Unsung Hero
Chateau Lalande-Borie 2004 (St Julien)
A powerful nose of cassis, violets, with menthols and vegetal notes. Plummy and juicy on the palate. Sadly, the length does not match its extensive aroma, falling on the short side.
Chateau Pipeau 2000 (St Emilion)
Deep ruby in color, fiery on the nose with complexity of a top tier St Emilion bottle – earthy, black fruits, vanilla, and menthol. A well balanced wine with a long finish.
Chateau Lafon-Rochet 2001 (Saint-Estephe)
The first impression was strikingly different from the last bottle – a potent upfront aroma of tree barks and Chinese medicine Angelica roots (Dang Gui). Austere and closed upfront, the wine opened up a bit with ample licorice and black fruits. Soft tannins, good acidity on the finish. This wine has a lot of depth, and will benefit from further bottle aging.
Chateau Bahans Haut-Brion 2001 (Pessac Leognan)
Friendly, approachable, an extreme opposite of the earlier Lafon-Rochet. A beautiful nose with sweet vanilla, menthol, licorice, and earth. Fruity on the palate. Light finish. A very easy-to-drink bottle!
Domaine de Chevalier 2003 (Pessac Leognan)
Deep ruby in color. Rich aromas of dark fruits (cassis, cherries, plums), spice herbs, tobacco, menthol, and light vegetal notes. Tannic, powerful, needs time. Ripe sweet cherries on the palate. Good finish.
Summary:
Summing up all the tasting notes, Domaine de Chevalier 2003 received the highest points, followed by Chateau Lalande-Borie 2004 and Chateau Pipeau 2000. Chateau Bahans Haut-Brion has a beautiful nose. I think its merlot-dominated blend became a disadvantage when competing with its more complex cabernet-based Bordeaux cousins.
Simon, in the spirits of the evening, ran a rating-to-price ratio. Chateau Lalande-Borie, priced at HK$280, was the best value winner, followed by Domaine de Chevalier (HK$330) and Chateau Lafon-Rochet (HK$290).
Four of the five wines come from well estabished and recognized chateaux. Bahans Haut-Brion is the second wine of the famous Haut-Brion. Lafon-Rochet, Pipeau, and Domaine de Chevalier are all Grand Cru Classes of different Bordeaux regions (Bordeaux, St Emilion, Pessac Leognan).
A young vineyard created by the Borie family in the 1970s (owner of Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, Haut-Batailley, and Grand-Puy-Lacoste), Chateau Lalande-Borie is indeed the unsung hero for the night. With direct access to the top wine-makers and experienced production techniques in St Julien, Lalande-Borie is a winery with much potential. It may no longer be an unsung hero in several years.
