With just 5 hours in bed the alarm wasn't welcome, however it was a great night out and Louis' first time at the Ban du Millesieme banquet. The weather had changed and the clouds were heavy with rain as we headed to Chateau D'Issan in Margaux for our first tasting at 8.30 am where we tasted their 70th Anniversary vintage with Emmanuel Cruz the owner of D'Issan. From D'Issan it was a short 5 minutes to Chateau Palmer which is now completely biodynamic. Both Alter Ego and Palmer were exceptional. Thomas Diroux talked us through the wines and the Palmer was so good that I am happy to call it first growth quality and it will certainly be in our Top 10.
From Palmer we headed to Du Tertre for the Margaux UGC tasting. We had tasted them all before but it was a good opportunity to reconfirm our previous judgement, Malescot Saint Exupery was the clear winner. It was a quality field and only a couple of wines Ferriere and Rauzan Gassies didn't really perform. From du Tertre we headed to Rauzan Segla for a barrel tasting in the cellar where we had a really informative discussion on oak barrels and their influence on the wine. In total they use 10 different coopers, a trade steeped in tradition, it's one of the tools of the winemakers, master coopers and their barrels are highly sought after. Interestingly 65 % of the Rauzan Segla 2015 is in new oak. The 2015 is very good with fine tannins, wonderful balance and purity of fruit. Simply delicious Margaux.
From Rauzan Segla we headed across the road to Chateau Margaux to see the impressive Norman Foster new winery (for the Pavillon Blanc). We were hosted by Thibault Pontallier, son of Paul Pontallier who passed away two weeks ago and is sadly missed, he was one of my wine heros and a true Bordeaux legend. Both Louis and I were totally blown away by both the Pavillon Rouge and The Grand Vin. Of the crop 35% has gone into The Grand Vin (Ch Margaux) and 28% has gone into the Pavillon Rouge, it was interesting to note that the selection for the Pavillon Rouge is almost as strict as for the Grand Vin. Thibault told us that Jancis Robinson mentioned the Pavillon Rouge reminded her of Chateau Margaux 1985.. Thibault quoted the "The 2015 has the strength of 2005, charm and generosity of 2009 and the subtly and balance of 2010".
From Margaux it took us 10 minutes to get to Chateau D'Arsac for the Cru Bourgeois tasting. We only had 20 minutes so a little speed tasting was called for. Our favourites where Loudenne, Tour St Bonnet , Senejac and Pomies Agassac. From D'Arsac we stopped for a very late lunch before heading to Haut Bailly for a 3.30 pm tasting. This was the best Haut Bailly I have tasted since the wonderful 2010. We then headed for our final tasting of the day at Haut Brion, where we tasted an impressive collection of wines from Domaine Clarence Dillon. We were hosted by HRH Prince Robert of Luxembourg. Both La Mission and Haut Brion were outstanding; a photo finish for first place. We were also really impressed by Le Dragon de Quintus and Chateau Quintus..
We had planned to go to the Pessac UGC tasting at Malactic Lagraviere however this was abandoned when we hit stationary traffic on the Rocade...
We are in Barsac and Sauternes tomorrow for our final day of our trip, now heading back for a beer.
