Wine Words & Video Tape

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Château Poujeaux

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Address: 33480 Moulis en Medoc

Telephone: +33 (0)5 56 58 02 96

E-mail: chateau-poujeaux@wanadoo.fr

Website: www.chateau-poujeaux.com

Château Poujeaux vies with Château Chasse-Spleen as the premier estate in Moulis. Classed growth quality here and Poujeaux has a reputation for being long-lived. Its origins date back to the fourteenth century as ‘La Salle de Poujeaux’, incidentially the name of the estate’s second wine, Château Poujeaux, in the Theil family since 1921, was sold in 2008 to Cuvelier family of Clos Fourtet in St Emilion. The property is now run by Matthieu Cuvelier. Stephane Derenoncourt is the winemaking consultant. In 2009 and 2010 Poujeaux has produced extremely serious wine. 2014 is also very promising. Generally Poujeaux represents good value in the context of the leading wines in Bordeaux and can usually be bought without any fear of disappointment.

Vineyard/Terrior: 70 hectares on Garonne gravel planted with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.

Winemaking/Elévage: 12 months in oak, 50% new.

Tasting notes:

  • 2015 Deep and arterial; dense; tight to rim; aromatics reticent at first; blackcurrant cassis emerges on aeration; some minerality; pure and attractive; concentrate attack; good structure with plenty of fruit. Dense and chewy finish. Needs time. Ten years should do it. [50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc]. Drink 2023-2032. 90-91+
  • 2014 Deep and arterial in colour; attractive blackcurrant fruit; layered and pure; unadorned beauty; lovely purity here; very good; blackcurrant flavours dominate the palate; clean, fresh and concentrated. Some spice from the oak at the back but mostly soaked up by the pure fruit; length too with nice freshness. Great effort from Poujeaux. [60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 30% new oak]. Tasted 31 March ’15. Drink 2020-2030. 90-92
  • 2013 Deep-ish; purple at edge; blackcurrant fruit; feels clean and pure; elegant palate with some blackcurrant fruit and attractive purity; no wood poking through so nicely integrated; elegant but firm with a little sap on the finish. [55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot]. Tasted 3/4/14 UGCB. Drink 2018-2025. 86-88+ [Earlier note] Mid depth; lighter at core; quite pretty aromatics, some perfume, blackcurrant tones and spices; sturdy palate, elegance and fresh. [50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot 13% alc, 3.71 pH]. Tasted Clos Fourtet 2/4/14. Drink 2018-2025. 86-88
  • 2012 Deep and saturated look; tight to the edge; saline/salty edge to the aromatics; minerals; chew and extract on the palate; gutsy with mineral and wet rock tones. Tannins ripe and nicely handled. Lacks a bit of expression for Poujeaux but possibly needs a little time to show its best. Drink 2017-2027. 88 UGC Oct ’14 [Earlier note] Deep and saturated colour; tight to the edge; blackcurrant and briary fruits on the nose; quite open and seemingly a lot of fruit here; palate full and firm; lots of elements acid, tannin and fruit and considerable structure. Goodish effort – evidently lots of fruit here. 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. 87-89 UGC Tuesday April 9 2013
  • 2011 Deep and saturated look; spicy blackcurrant aromas – feels deep; stalky blackcurrants on the palate; nicely handled fruit; chewy blackcurrants. Acid and grip on the finish but a typically good effort from Poujeaux. Drink 2016-2026. 88+ Tasted Oct ’13 UGCB London [Earlier note] Mid depth; concentrated at the edge; blackcurrants, some earth and lift; oak too and black cherry; feels deep; palate perfumed with blackcurrants and cassis and a whiff of Turkish delight; lots of extract and material; chewy style with bite and tannin. Should work out well enough though. Tasted UGC. 87-89+ UGC Primeurs April 2012
  • 2010 Deep and saturated – arterial; black cherry, cassis; lots of depth on the nose; freshness and minerality; little boiled sweet note too – overall lots of cassis and fresh black fruit flavours; again blackcurrant, black cherry and spicy characters on the palate; lots of structure surrounding the fruit and firm acid. Fresh. Purer and denser than Chasse Spleen but less immediately appealing. Long term. Needs ten years plus. 91+/100 UGC Nov ’12 [Earlier Primeurs note] 2010 Deep black, saturated and arterial; quite ripe, some raisin notes but also blackcurrants and cassis; good depth. Tighter and more tannic than 2009’s beauty. Has the extract but wow real big tannins here. NOT ’09 at all. Could be great but very, very long term. 89-91+/100 [55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot 13.7 alc and IPT 81] Tasted 5 April 2011 at UGC [Second tasting] Deep and dense; legs; very dense but with super-ripe notes here; rich and thick nose – will be BIG; quite deep; thick palate, ballsy and dense; feels very solid and strong but feel it is not as attractive as ’09. More 89-91/100 Tasted 7 April 2011 at UGC
  • 2009 Deep and dense; blackcurrants; some leaf but a little closed from its extraordinary primeur self; clearly rich underneath; palate clean and vibrant; some sexy red fruits; this will settle but very closed and tannic now. Will come good and probably deserves a better score. Certainly a very long-term 2009. 90-91+/100 UGC Oct ’11 [Earlier Primeurs note] 2009 Deep black, right up to rim; very intense and attractive nose, pent up but classic; cassis and blackcurrants. Excellent. Intense and already layered. Sophisticated attractive palate. Nice and intense and with good mid palate richness. Excellent with grip and acid to balance. Tannic but plenty of flesh and concentration. This is astonishingly good! Potentially 92-93+/100 Tasted 30th March 2010.
  • 2008 Deep at centre; red at edge; rich nose, quite earthy but dense with some oak resin; muscular with blackcurrants and earth; some leaf and lift; palate earthy, dense and tannic with lots of fruit and extract but also acid and tannin; real grip here but also with the fruit here, savoury. This will be very good. Tannic and dry finish but it will develop and is an excellent effort. 90/100 UGC ‘10
  • 1996 Mid red; some mature notes; earth, tar and tobacco but elegant; palate fine and elegant, no austerity. Fine and elegant. 87/100

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