JP Moueix was our first stop on day 3 as the mist lifted at 9am we arrived to be warmly greeted by Édouard Moueix and the formidable Clare Burke, where we tasted 14 wines from their own Châteaux and exclusivities. Grace and elegance is shown in their wines – our standout was Château Bel-Air Monange, yet we heard mutterings from fellow tasters who preferred Château Lafleur-Pétrus. To be honest, they were all very good and the Moueix quality always shines through in some of the more difficult vintages. As Édouard explained to us “in 2021 we looked for charm… this is an average vintage of a new era in Bordeaux.”
We then had a special appointment at Château de Sales in Pomerol, where we have been hearing great things under General Manager Vincent Montigaud’s control. They made a good wine in 2021; however, the real star is definitely their 2020 offering… that even Vincent admitted was the best wine they’ve ever made!
From de Sales we headed into the village of Pomerol to the Syndicat tasting, where we had a speed tasting for 30 minutes of all the small grower estates. This always gives us a good understanding of how Pomerol fared during 2021; unsurprisingly, it was very mixed. Château La Croix Saint Georges and Château Bellegrave were amongst our favourites.
Next it was off to Château Montlabert for a tasting with Castel Frères, as well as the Grand Cercle tasting. This is an impressive new winery built at Montlabert and they are hoping to receive Grand Cru Classé status in the next classification… results to be released in June! 2021 is a vintage that in many ways for my palate suits the modern style of Montalbert. A special thank you Alban, Mallaury and the whole Castel for their hospitality and showing us around the new chai; a property to watch.
A skirmish over the border into Saint-Émilion for our next rendez-vous at Château Troplong Mondot with General Manager, Aymeric de Gironde. He explained the new philosophy of the estate since his arrival in 2017 and the change in direction due to new ownership; wines are no longer big, bold fruit bombs, and now express the unique vineyard characteristics with finesse, elegance and charm. Another property to keep tabs on… this new focus almost reminds me of what Calon Ségur did 10 years ago. Bravo, Aymeric!
Neighbouring Château Pavie Macquin was our next destination with Nicolas Thienpont. The stable estates of Châteaux Puygueraud and La Prade were charming, juicy and well-made, however the star of the show, was of course, Château Pavie Macquin showing precision and purity.
Back onto the top plateau to taste at Château Croix de Labrie with the passionate frontman Pierre, however, Axelle (his wife) is never to be underestimated and it’s very much a team effort. The wine was super impressive, and both Andrew and I agreed, this was the best we’ve tasted on the trip thus far.
Our last visit of the day is always a special one at Château Tertre Roteboeuf with the mythical François Mitjavile; Bordeaux’s answer to Burgundy. No surprises here as the Tertre Roteboeuf was remarkable, however, Domaine, and Roc de Cambes, respectively are simply stunning wines and have all the characteristics of the famous magic Mitjavile touch. He is clearly a devoted winemaker in tune with his terroir – smart buys for any cellar.
We could have stayed all evening and listened to François, yet an invitation awaited us at Château Canon, where we tried a vertical of 2015, 2005 and 2001. The 2015 vintage was their first 100-point wine, coinciding with Nicolas Audebert’s first vintage at the property. Sadly it was sipping only as we needed a good night’s sleep before an even bigger Right Bank tomorrow with our first appointment at Château Canon La Gaffelière at 9am. The forecast looks good…
