Falstaff Magazin International Nr. 1/2022

wine / BORDEAUX Bordeaux

wine / BORDEAUX Bordeaux returns to the hearts of wine lovers with this vintage full of fruit, elegance and freshness. Those who have visited the Bordeaux winelands recently will have noticed it: a breath of fresh air sweeps through this distinguished region with its impressive châteaux. Of course, in terms of accessibility there still is some way to go until we see the kind of hospitality on offer in Napa Valley or Stellenbosch, where wine lovers can scoot from cellar door to tasting room and are welcomed like old friends who can – against payment of a commensurate fee – taste and explore the wines of the region. For the longest time, wine tourism was almost an alien concept for Bordelais châteaux. Visitors who had not been expressly invited simply were not welcome; buying wine at the estate was almost an absurd idea. And even if this is a slightly pointed way of putting it – this is the impression many visitors gained. To extract tannin and colour from the fermenting grapes, their juice is regularly pumped over. IT IS EVIDENT THAT THE 2019 VINTAGE MAY WELL BE THE START OF A REAL TRANSITION. By now, however, more and more estates are open to private visitors, offer surprising tasting packages, informal restaurants and smart overnight stays. The various regions that come under the Bordeaux umbrella thus show themselves in an increasingly open and contemporary light. It is the same in vineyard and cellar, a whole new generation of winemakers have moved with the times and by now roughly a quarter of the famous estates in the 1855 Classification are either already certified organic or in conversion, while many others farm according to biodynamic principles. Estates like Château Latour or Palmer are amongst those fully certified, while Château d’Yquem, Lafite Rothschild or Cos d’Estournel are in conversion – along with ten other top estates. Or look at the completely revamped packaging of the Lafite-owned sweet Sauternes wine Château Rieussec 2019 – it is evident that this vintage may well be the start of a real transition. The beautiful round barrel room at Château Lafite Rothschild is like a temple to Bordeaux. A MOST WINNING VINTAGE Seasoned observers may be inclined to quip: “Another vintage of the century? Not again!” But if one thing is certain, it is that the 2019 vintage moves at a truly high level. The science experts at the University of Bordeaux tasked with putting each vintage through the most stringent oenological tests – impartially – have come to the following conclusion: the 2019 vintage offers remarkable white wines, the sweet wines are precise and aromatic while the reds are expressive, juicy and delicious. The scene is thus set for lovers of Bordeaux wines. Cabernet Sauvignon, the region’s key variety, benefitted from the great conditions towards the end of the growing season and could be harvested at optimal ripeness. The wines from soils richer in clay are very good, perhaps not exquisite across the board in terms of concentration, but nonetheless show great fruit and fine tannins. On the best sites of deep gravel, Cabernet reaches world class; the wines from Pauillac are the prime example with their sheer consistency. As regards the release prices on La Place de Bordeaux, the network of distributors through which Photos:Danon-Boileau/Chateau Lafite, CFrançois Poincetbis, Clay McLachlan/Chateau Haut-Bailly 52 falstaff mar – jun 2022

BEST BORDEAUX For everyday drinking 94 2019 HAUT-BAILLY II Pessac-Léognan Delicate nougat and herbs, fine nutty aromas, dark berries and some cassis. Full-bodied, ripe cherries, chocolate, well-integrated tannins, mineral, fine fruit expression on the finish, lingers, a most elegant food wine. ••• 94 2019 LE PETIT LION, LÉOVILLE- LAS-CASES, Saint-Julien Fine herbal spice, red forest fruit, a hint of oak, cherries and blueberries, a hint of iodine, typical Léoville Las Cases DNA on the nose. Juicy, red berry fruit, fresh and silky on the palate, fine tannins, mineral and salty, will benefit from bottle age. •••• 93 2019 GRAND VIN DE REIGNAC ROUGE Bordeaux Supérieur Dark berries, some liquorice, tobacco nuances, herbs and candied orange zest. Full-bodied, elegant, ripe cherries, silky tannins, mineral, freshness and length, fine nougat on the finish, good ageing potential. •• 93 BIO 2019 CLOS PUY ARNAUD Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux Ripe dark berry fruit, a hint of liquorice, some cherry, fine tobacco spice, mineral touch. Complex, juicy, ripe cherry, carried by rounded tannins, shows length and ageing potential, complex food wine. Great value for money. •• 93 2019 CHÂTEAU DALEM Fronsac Dark ruby colour, opaque core, purple reflections. Fine dark forest fruit, dark cherries, pleasant oak spice, candied orange zest. Juicy, elegant and full-bodied, ripe cherries, fine and supporting tannins, good freshness and minerality, lingers, some nougat, shows length and ageing potential. •• 93 2019 CHÂTEAU COUHINS-LURTON ACTE II Pessac-Léognan Hints of oak and nougat, black cherries, delicate cassis and liquorice, tobacco nuances. Juicy, elegant, ripe cherries, well-integrated tannins, mineral finish, good freshness, elegant, delicious now but has ageing potential. ••• Château Haut-Bailly is a Cru Classé of Graves in the Pessac-Léognan appellation. Left: Haut-Bailly also produces this affordable wine – perfect for everyday drinking. most wine is sold, the châteaux were quite clear-headed about the way things stood at the time – we are talking about early summer of 2020: Covid was the dominant theme, the markets in the UK, the US and Asia were saturated. A significant price cut was a means of choice. Amongst the classified growths in the Médoc, the PR darling of recent years, Château Pontet-Canet, volunteered as test pilot. By opening with a 30 percent discount on the previous year’s release prices, they made an offer that the market neither could nor wanted to refuse. Likewise, Château Lynch-Bages went down by 26 percent while first growth Lafite Rothschild made a concession of 16 percent. Noblesse oblige. Mouton Rothschild went down by a full 31 percent compared to 2018 and distributors fought over their allocations – no wonder: they had been amongst the lucky few who had been able to taste the wines en primeur and knew what a bargain it really was. With a release price of €330 a bottle, super-elegant Château Margaux was down 19 percent on the 2018 price. ACROSS THE BOARD It was a similar story on the Right Bank, where alcohol levels – unlike in the Médoc – stayed at their usual elevated levels while the wines themselves came across as far more lively and thus much less opulent. Merlot-dominated Saint-Émilion brought forth numerous wines that are lush and readily accessible, the fine Pomerols are taut, tightly-woven and finely structured. Likewise, the red wines from the numerous satellite appellations of the Right Bank are similarly vivid. The words of Pierre-Olivier Clouet, technical director at Cheval Blanc, thus ring pleasantly: “2019 was the fifth rather warm vintage in a row and yet in < mar – jun 2022 falstaff 53