Popular Posts

Tuesday 23 February 2016

The CWB Bordeaux-Off

A Bordeaux tasting with wines from Crus Bourgeois, Private Cellar and Cambridge Wine

This was more accurately a Medoc-off as all the (red) wines were from the Medoc.

We started, however, with a Chablis Premier Cru.

Aperitif

Domaine Ellevin 2012 Chablis Vosgros Premier Cru 2012 ripe orchard fruit, fresh, precise, mineral and just starting to gain some aged character. Very Good.
Starters

2012 was a coolish year in Bordeaux and the resulting lighter, fresher wines matched well with vegetable antipasti.

Bernadotte 2012 Haut-Medoc, Cru Bourgeois light, berry-fruited, vibrant, elegant and fresh. Well-made and adept.

Clement Saint-Jean 2012 Medoc Cru Bourgeois more depth and more substantial underpinnings. Good.

Mains

2011 was also not a great year, but these third wines matched well to a rich beef casserole.

Expression de Margaux, 2011 Margaux ripe, plump dark berry fruit, spices and supple tannins. Very Good.

Expression de Pauillac, 2011 Pauillac classic Pauillac profile; black fruits, inky, intense palate of beautifully structured black fruit, with mineral / pencil lead. Very Good.

Cheese

Cheese needs acidity and low tannins, so red wine is not always a great match. However, a mature Bordeaux with secondary aromas and softened tannins worked brilliantly.

Rousseau de Sipian, Medoc 2005 ripe bramble fruits and pencil shavings; plump harmonious, supple. Good.

My wine of the night was the Pauillac - but that's hardly the point. Each of theses red wines costs around the same, mid-teens, but they are all very different from each other. Different ages, different vintages, different availability.

There is no doubt that the white-labelled Expression wines are an absolute bargain, but they are no longer easily available. The same applies to the Rousseau, which has doubled in price since I first bought it.

The Crus Bourgeois, by contrast, are current-vintage, very well made and match well with lighter foods.

Other related articles
Domaine Ellevin, Chablis
Rousseau de Sipian 2005 - And a Lesson in Aging

No comments:

Post a Comment