February seems both long ago, yet only recent, with both the rhythm of seasons and life partly frozen and confused by lockdowns. This tasting took place in Napa in February 2020. Writing in September 2020, in Melbourne, we remain in lockdown. In our city, this means being permitted only to travel up to 5 kilometres…Continue readingBordeaux 2015 tasting in Napa
Tag: Saint-Émilion
Last weekend, the annual Institute of Masters of Wine Bordeaux tasting in bottle of the 2014 vintage took place in Sydney. I expected this to be a much more popular event than the previous year’s tasting of the 2013s (you can read my reviews of that tasting here) which was a poor vintage. But in…Continue readingInstitute of Masters of Wine Bordeaux 2014 in bottle Sydney tasting
Held in Sydney by the Institute of Masters of Wine on the weekend, this was a first close local look at the 2013 vintage of Bordeaux. The 2013 vintage in Bordeaux was, of course, rather dire. It saw a dismal spring, an early summer and catastrophic flowering. The vintage culminated with tropical weather at the…Continue readingIMW Annual Bordeaux tasting – 2013 vintage
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Château Canon 2012
This is another good wine from the tiny subregion of Canon-Fronsac near Saint-Émilion in Bordeaux. Fresh aromatics of ripe plums and chocolate. The palate is balanced, young and fresh with spice and plum characters. A very moreish release. Rating: GoodAbv: 13%Price: please askSource: sampleVendors and website: http://www.bordeauxandbeyond.comTasted: 2015Continue readingChâteau Canon 2012
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Château Gaby 2008
This is a delicious wine from Château Gaby in Canon-Fronsac imported by Bordeaux and Beyond. Canon-Fronsac is a very small appellation (about 250 hectares under vine) that sits just west of the township of Libourne close to the Gironde estuary. It’s surrounded by the larger Fronsac appellation, with Saint-Émilion and Pomerol to the east. In…Continue readingChâteau Gaby 2008
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Chateau La Confession 2011
The 2011 Bordeaux vintage has been described variously as a good but not great one, following as it does, immediately after the great Bordeaux vintages of 2009 and 2010. It saw drought conditions in the first half of the growing season, but then a very cold July, and ended up with a very early harvest.…Continue readingChateau La Confession 2011
Dark, deep and structured, this is a serious and powerful Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé from Château La Dominique. Its aromatics remind of leather, cooked plum and licorice. The palate is rich, full bodied and saturated with flavours of dark plums, licorice and cedar. Despite its evident power, the flavours are nonetheless in harmony and…Continue readingChâteau La Dominique Grand Cru Classé Saint-Émilion 2010
Stratospheric pricing means that certain wines that helped to define previous generations of wine lovers and wine writers are out of the reach of many, if not most. I write specifically with the Bordeaux first growths in mind, but the same may be said for the leading wines of Burgundy, which are frequently not only…Continue readingA first growth Bordeaux tasting of the 2008 vintage