Bordeaux tasting of wines from 69 châteaux 2023, Villa Solliden, Stockholm (27-09-2023 by Robert Jonasson, Wines We Love, and Nenad Jelisic)
It does not happen very often that one gets to taste wines from 69 Bordeaux wine estates (chateaux) during one and the same tasting. Especially not in Scandinavia. Winefinder has again organized this traditional (annual) tasting of primary wines (En Primeur-wines) and older wines from Bordeaux. In this case, primary wines refer to wines from the 2022 vintage in Bordeaux. The wines from vintage 2022 were barrel samples. They will remain in barrel and bottle, before being released on the market, for about 12 more months. In addition to the primary wine, most of the wine estates (chateaux) also had an older wine as a reference. The tasting was held on the 5th of September 2023, at Solliden at Skansen in Stockholm.
The best primary wines (En Primeur-wines) of the Bordeaux tasting:
Domaine de Chevalier, Rouge, 2022, red dry blend wine, Pessac-Léognan, 4,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP (94 points of 100 points). Winefinder's price: 920 SEK ex VAT and excise duty
Domaine de Chevalier always delivers well both on the red and white side. But this time it was the 2022 vintage of the red wine that really shone. I do not think that I have tasted a more open, accessible and perfect primary vintage (En Primeur-vintage) of Domaine de Chevalier. The vineyard is planted with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2,5% Cabernet Franc and 2,5% Petit Verdot. The wine itself consists of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Domaine de Chevalier Rouge 2022 will develop into a wonderful wine.
Château Clinet, 2022, Pomerol, red dry blend wine, 4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (92 points of 100 points). Winefinder's price: 1,153 SEK ex VAT and excise duty
Perfumed, with lush fruit and a very long aftertaste, and high acidity that refuses to let go of its grip on the palate. Elegant! If I should be forced to buy only one wine of all the Pomerol wines of the 2022 vintage, Château Clinet would be one of them. The vineyards consist of 11 hectares planted with 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine consists of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Château La Conseillante, 2022, Pomerol, red dry blend wine, 4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (90 points of 100 points). Winefinder's price: 3,046 SEK ex VAT and excise duty
Another Pomerol wine estate (château) that delivers in absolute world class. The wine consists of a grape blend of 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc. The wine already now feels drinkable, but it has the potential to be one of the best wines of the vintage. Velvety tannin structure, deep aromas of black berries and black fruits, and good balance.
At Winefinder's Bordeaux tastings, one always looks forward to taste the older vintages of the wine estates’ (châteaux's) wines. It gives an insight into how good the wine estates’ wines can become with a few years of aging.
The best older wines of the Bordeaux tasting:
Château Lafite Rothschild, 2003, red dry blended wine, Pauillac, 4,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP (94 points of 100 points). Winefinder's price: 16,995 SEK including VAT and excise duty
Vintage 2003 was a very hot vintage in Bordeaux with widely debated quality. The question here was, the question here was, can one of the most prestigious and the most famous wine estates (châteaux) in Bordeaux (one of four châteaux awarded the Premier Cru Classé classification at the 1855 French wine classification) deliver a wine from the 2003 vintage that is still vibrant and good? Yes, Château Lafite Rothschild proved again that even when vintages are far from good, it produces brilliant wines. Château Lafite Rothschild 2003 is nothing short of magnificent! With 20 years behind it, it is clearly noticeable that there is no primary fruit in the wine anymore. However, the wine is in a perfect maturation phase right now and can be drunk with great pleasure now. Wonderfully elegant open aroma with black currants, plums, wild raspberries, cedar, coffee and tobacco. The flavour is complex and very well balanced with perfect ripeness, good acidity, fine tannic structure and a long, long aftertaste. Château Lafite Rothschild's vineyards consist of 103 hectares planted with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The wine consists of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and the remaining 5% of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot
Château Léoville Poyferré, 2015, red dry blended wine, Saint-Julien, 4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (92 points of 100 points). Winefinder's price: 1,695 SEK including VAT and excise duty
As usual, Château Léoville Poyferré delivers at the highest level. Château Léoville Poyferré has developed into my/our favourite of the three Léoville-wine estates (the other Léoville castles are Léoville Barton and Léoville Las Cases). The 2015 vintage is dark fruity, complex and still young, has an unusually substantial tannin structure for Léoville Poyferré. It is already drinkable, but I would probably wait at least 10 years before I would start opening the bottles. Very good! The grape blend consists of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc.
Château La Conseillante, 2018, red dry blended wine, Pomerol, 4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (92 points of 100 points). Winefinder's price: 4,495 SEK including VAT and excise duty
Both vintages (this and 2022) of La Conseillante steps into the top list. Hard to spit this wine. A grape blend of 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Sauvignon gives a fantastic aroma of dark fruit with plums, blackcurrants and blackberries in the driver's seat. Add to that cedar, sweet spices and tobacco. A wonderfully smooth tannin structure with fresh acidity contributes to the wine's elegance. Château La Conseillante 2018 is still young and will benefit from aging, but it can also be enjoyed now.
The following wine estates (chateaux) participated in the tasting:
Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
Château d’Aiguilhe
Haut-Médoc
Château Cantemerle (Cinquième Cru)
Château de Camensac (Cinquième Cru)
Château Potensac
Château La Tour Carnet (Quatrième Cru)
Margaux
Château Brane-Cantenac (Deuxième Cru)
Château Cantenac Brown (Troisième Cru)
Château d’Issan (Troisième Cru)
Château du Tertre (Cinquième Cru)
Château Durfort-Vivens (Deuxième Cru)
Château Ferriere (Troisième Cru)
Château Giscours (Troisième Cru)
Château Kirwan (Troisième Cru)
Château Lascombes (Deuxième Cru)
Moulis-en-Médoc
Château Chasse-Spleen
Château Mauvesin Barton
Pauillac
Château d'Armailhac (Cinquième Cru)
Château Clerc Milon (Cinquième Cru)
Château Haut-Bages Libéral (Cinquième Cru)
Château Haut Batailley (Cinquième Cru)
Château Lafite Rotschild (Premier Cru)
Château Lynch Bages (Cinquième Cru)
Château Pédesclaux (Cinquième Cru)
Château Pichon Baron (Deuxième Cru)
Château Pichon Comtesse (Deuxième Cru)
Château Pontet Canet (Cinquième Cru)
Pessac-Léognan
Château Carbonnieux (Cru Classé)
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
Château Haut-Bailly (Cru Classé)
Château Larrivet Haut-Brion
Château Latour-Martillac (Cru Classé)
Château Malartic-Lagravière (Cru Classé)
Château Smith Haut Lafitte (Cru Classé)
Domaine de Chevalier (Cru Cassé)
Château Pape Clement (Cru Cassé)
Pomerol
Château Beauregard
Château Clinet
Château Gazin
Château La Conseillante
Château La Clémence
Château Nenin.
Sauternes
Château Coutet (Premier Cru)
Château Guiraud (Premier Cru)
Château Suduiraut (Premier Cru)
St-Emilion
Château Canon la Gaffelière (Premier Grand Cru Classé B)
Château Destieux (Grand Cru Classé)
Château Fleur Cardinale (Grand Cru Classé)
Château Fombrauge (Grand Cru Classé)
Château La Gaffeliere (Grand Cru Classé)
Château Grand Corbin (Grand Cru Classé)
Clos de l’Oratoire (Grand Cru Classé)
Château Beauséjour Bécot (Premier Grand Cru Classé B)
St-Estéphe
Château Calon Segur (Troisième Cru)
Château Cos d’Estournel (Deuxième Cru)
Château Cos Labory
Château Lafon-Rochet (Quatrième Cru)
Château de Pez
Château Phelan Segur
St-Julien
Château Beychevelle (Quatrième Cru)
Château Branaire-Ducru (Quatrième Cru)
Châteaux Clos du Marquis
Château Gloria
Château Lagrange (Troisième Cru)
Château Langoa Barton (Troisième Cru)
Château Léoville Barton (Deuxième Cru)
Château Léoville Las Cases (Deuxième Cru)
Château Léoville Poyferré (Deuxième Cru)
Château Saint Pierre (Quatrième Cru)
Château Talbot (Quatrième Cru).