It started at home with Mrs G giving Charlie and myself a first class breakfast with her awesome poached eggs before we hit the road for a 3 and ½ hour trip to Luton. Squeezy jet direct to Bordeaux and then onto our first tasting with most of the 2017 Sauternes with Bill Blatch, (Sauternes Guru, Fishing buddy and encyclopedia on Bordeaux) . It was a small tasting compared to most years due the frost in April hitting many properties in Sauternes and Barsac, however, we had over 30 Sauternes to tune our palates. The Sauternes was really made from the first pickings at the end of September (approx. ¼ of the volume) and the final picking at the end of October, which was incredibly concentrated and very sweet. Bill referred it being like the 1998 vintage, also made at the beginning and end, yet with even more sugar and sweeter fruit. For us it is all about the balance… some of our favourites where Raymond-Lafon, de Farques, Suduiraut and Lafaurie-Peyraguey to name a few.
Sunday morning was still wet, but the overnight heavy rain eased, as we headed off to Clos Cantenac to meet Martin Krajewski before he drove us to his new Pomerol property, Seraphine, named after Martin’s Grandmother. It is located near Plince and Nenin on the Libourne side of Pomerol. The property is just 2.2 hectares and he is currently replanting 1 hectare, so sadly Martin only made 4 barrels this year. The Clos Cantenac wines were well crafted, good elegant wines, with less power of the 2015 and 2016. Seraphine shows great promise and a step up in quality, the blue clay terroir adds plenty of richness and structure. Seraphine is a property offering huge potential…. we will follow with interest; watch this space.
Our next stop was at Chateau Ripeau which is situated the other side of La Dominque from Cheval Blanc. Here we tasted over 100 wines in a Negociant tasting, before heading for Medoc, (near Cantemerle) for another negociant tasting, where we taste selected another 50 wines, possibly more, before we had to down glasses and rush down to Chateau Guiraud. Taking stock we tasted the portfolio wines from winemakers, Xavier Planty, Robert Peugeot, Oliver Bernard (Domaine Chevalier) and Stephan von Neipperg (Canon la Gaffeliere and La Mondotte). All showed well, overall hallmarks of a modern style with luscious, forward, creamy fruit, yet well balanced with plenty of freshness. My star of the day was Oliver Bernard’s Chateau Lespault Martillac, Pessac Leognan not because it was the best wine in the room, but it seriously over delivered on my expectations..
We have to be on the road just before 8am for our first tasting at 9am.
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