Yesterday the Farr Vintners team were at the UGC tasting in London to re-taste the much hailed 2010 vintage, to see if the wines held up to their rave reviews across the board during the En Primeur trip in spring 2011. The event was as busy as usual, the wine trade descending en masse, keen to see how the wines are holding up after some time to settle and homogenise.
The crowds at UGC
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Starting with the dry whites, there seemed to be good levels of ripeness in all the wines – the concentration of fruit taking well to oak and the crisp acidity mean that the wines are well balanced. My standout was the Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc – very open on the nose, ripe grapefruit and lemon character, hints of florality. The palate is very well balanced, crisp acidity giving zing to the fruit character that follows from the nose with some nice spice on the long finish from the oak.
Henry Matson getting reacquainted with the 2010s
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The reds proved to me what an outstanding vintage 2010 is. The quality across the board is very impressive, with some real standout wines raising the bar even further. The concentration, weight and power of fruit seem to have really harmonised with the tannic backbones that will give these wines such long lives. There is acidity and firm tannin that gives classic structure to these wines – making them more typical of Bordeaux than the 2009s. The wines all have a powerful ripe fruit core that shows the quality of harvest for the vintage, and though they are all very young, they are absolutely delicious. There are no doubts that this is one of the great vintages for Bordeaux. My three highlights of the day were Pichon Baron, Rauzan Segla, and La Conseillante.
Below are the tasting notes of wines that stood out in the tasting:
- Pichon Baron – Pronounced aromatics of blackcurrants, black cherry, black plum, nutmeg, cloves and vanilla. Very complex and dark in profile. Powerful and full bodied on the palate with layers of black fruit and spice. Freshness of acidity holds together the ripe black fruit profile. The oak is present but perfectly in balance, melded well with the fruit on the very long finish. Outstanding.
- La Conseillante – Very perfumed; blueberries, cherries and vanilla. Ripe red and black cherries on the palate – really juicy texture with lots of soft tannin. There is power here but it is well controlled, with balancing acidity and a long finish. The highlight in Pomerol from the wines on show, a true expression of this right bank appellation, and of the Château itself.
- Rauzan Segla – Floral, layered nose – depth of ripe black fruit, violets, and spice. Smooth texture on entry, silky black fruit. Tannic backbone rises with the balanced acidity as the richness develops in the fruit – black cherries and black plums, nutmeg and vanilla too. Complexity builds on the long finish. Very, very impressive. The best Rauzan Segla ever?
Rauzan Segla ready to be tasted
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- Batailley – Smoky, black cherries, and nutmeg spice. The palate is grippy from the tannin but there is a good weight of fruit, lovely balance and a nice spiciness from the oak.
- Canon – Violet perfume to the red cherry nose, very aromatic. The palate is ripe and rich but still with a good backbone. Lots of ripe fruit on evidence here.
- Cantemerle – surprisingly complex – layers of black and red cherries, nice hint of spice on the nose. Good concentration and power, juicy fruit on a long finish – nice hints of spice too.
- Domaine de Chevalier Rouge – Ripe black cherries, and a wet stone-like character on the nose. Freshness and power to the fruit on the palate. The acidity holds the wine together, a very good effort and a classic wine from this property.
- Figeac – Classic Figeac – fresh aromatics, graphite, blackberry and black plum. There is a freshness to the palate that is not achieved by many Saint Emilion’s, good grip and great balance. A very fine effort.
- Fieuzal Rouge – Graphite and concentrated blackcurrants on the nose here. A brooding wine with lots of dark fruit and spiciness from the new oak. Depth that will need time to settle.
- Langoa Barton – (unfortunately Leoville Barton had been finished by the time I made it to their table) Juicy, ripe cherries and black currants on the nose. Lovely crunchy ripe fruit on the palate. Liveliness from the acidity and smoothness from the use of oak. Very well made.
- Lynch Bages – Lots of blackcurrant jumps out of the glass, along with sweet spice from the use of oak. The palate is very powerful and dense, with lots of fruit lasting on the long finish. Complexity from the oak and structure from the grippy tannins and balancing acidity make this a great Lynch Bages.
- Poujeaux – very accomplished, with good concentration and balance. Real quality here, and the tannins are melding very well with the fruit at this stage.
- Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge – Inky, blackberry nose here. Firm acidity and tannin lift the black fruit profile – cloves and spice add complexity here. This wine will need plenty of time before being ready.
- Du Tertre – Floral, perfumed nose here. Smooth and feminine in style, red as well as black fruit, silky texture – ripe cherry and sweet vanilla on the lingering finish. Very good.
