Wine Words & Video Tape

Wine, Words and Videotape

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Posts Tagged ‘Chateau Branaire-Ducru’

Bordeaux 2008 at four years: St Julien

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

Once again the overall feeling here in St Julien is of wines that have shut down, drawn into themselves and left their raw elements exposed. This is probably as you’d expect in a fairly cool, ‘classical’ Bordeaux vintage like 2008. There is sufficient depth of fruit in most of the wines for them to develop well in the medium term and you do feel that they need that time, now that they are caught out in No-Man’s Land, with all their hard edges poking out.

Bordeaux 2011 Primeurs: St Julien

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

 

Chateau Léoville-Las-Cases is fantastically good in 2011

St Julien is one of Bordeaux’s most homogenous red wine appellations and the quality level is uniformly high. Once again in 2011 this commune didn’t reach the giddy heights of 2009 or 2010 but if priced correctly this could be a good vintage for consumption. That said at the top end Chateau Léoville-Las-Cases fantastically good, a wine made from extremely low yields and what was an extremely dry vintage overall. For me it tops the commune and is up with the very best wines of the vintage. Its strength and density are reminiscent of Latour, which it neighbours of course.

Bordeaux 2007 four years on: St Julien

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

The barrel cellar at Chateau Léoville Poyferré

St Julien is usually the most consistent and dependable appellation in Bordeaux for reds, year in year out. The best wines in 2007, notably all the Léovilles, have performed as well as you would imagine and Chateau Lagrange has turned in a very good effort. Still this is a sinewy vintage at best, even here. 2006 and 2008 are stronger vintages at similar prices.

Bordeaux 2009 in bottle: St Julien

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

As you’d probably expect from Bordeaux’s most consistent appellation, no one has put a foot wrong in St Julien in 2009. Outstanding wines have been made at Chateau Léoville-Barton and Léoville Poyferre and Chateau St Pierre has produced an absolute blinder. All three are junior first growths. The same could probably be said of Chateau Léoville-Las-Cases and Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou I imagine but they don’t show at the UGC. Chateau Langoa Barton has produced a phenomenal wine too and Branaire-Ducru, Gruaud Larose and Lagrange are all impeccable. Chateau Beychevelle looked a tad bottle shocked. It was such a wonderful wine from barrel, I’m sure this will settle. Chateau Talbot also looks good. Finally a word about Chateau Gloria which, as I mentioned a month back, has produced a wonderfully precocious and vibrant St Julien at a fraction of the cost of its peers.

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