78 points
Entre Deux Mers. 12%
Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Muscadelle blend.
A sweet fruity cafe blend clearly pitched against New World Savvies.
90 points
Pauillac. 12.5%
Odd wine. Weedy unclean nose. Rich feral palate. Plenty of glycerol gives weight without alcohol heat. There is a ripeness and vegetal flavours.
Clearly in recent years there was a major overhaul of winemaking operations.
Nevertheless it is an interesting wine. Drink now and enjoy.
90+ points
Haut-Medoc. 13%
50/50 Cab/Merlot blend is another astonishingly attractive young 2009 Bordeaux. This has a limey tone to it which sounds awful but quite the opposite it makes it fresh and interesting.
I don’t know this Chateau but I found their impressive website. They look very innovative. They have even bottled under screwcap (after a visit to Australia)! Very good to see.
89+ points
Haut-Medoc. 13.5%
It’s interesting, and somewhat unexpected just how much the vineyard expresses itself inspite of the vintage (very distinctive, extraordinary) and the new ownership/operators – I believe that the Pontet-Canet team are in-charge and Senejac is now biodynamic.
But it’s still Senejac, with pronounced minerality even in such a sumptuous vintage. Terrior in action ?
Red fruits, firm palate, though tannins are ripe and soft. Not a blockbuster by any means, and hardly likely to stand out at a tasting. But food friendly. And cellar oriented too I think but I would expect it’s best development before 15 years of age.
90 points
Haut-Medoc. 14%
Better than their 2005. A modern chateau, the sort that really have benifitted from this vintage.
90+ points
Haut-Medoc. 14%
Intense concentrated wine, the tannins are more prominent than some, not a bad thing, this is just a more classic masculine 2009. Extraordinary value. Quite different from the muddy weedy, club clarets that Caronne St Gemme used to produce – and still be admired for, for their price.
90+ points
Pauillac. 13%
A bit closed like so many 2005 at the moment (drink the more accessible 2006). But fine, lovely relaxed balance. It’s ripe claret as 2005 is but without any obvious weight, the ripeness is just part of the whole not a standout feature. This is a characteristic of a number of fine classed growths in 2005 and 2000. Whereas is 2009 I suspect the ripeness will usually standout.
86 points
Listrac, Medoc. 13%
A bit hard and extracted. Some bitter flavours. Concentrated, rich. Lacks the succulence of 2009, much more like some of the minor 2005 that were souped up. Some minor Chateaux perhaps getting a bit too excited by the vintage or just not knowing what to do with grapes that had so much ripeness and dry extract?
90 points
Haut-Medoc. 13%
Giscours own a bit of vineyard over the borderline from Margaux so they can’t include it in their grand vin, or any other wine labelled Margaux for that matter. Hence the name.
Yet this Haut-Medoc shows Margaux character. Which is a bit of a surprise given the strong character of the vintage. Restrained oak lets the fruit sing, cassis and a touch herbaceous (in spite of the intense ripeness). Reminds me of Hawkes Bay NZ.
Another wine at a quality level far above its price due to the 2009 vintage.
88 points
Saint-Julien. 13%
good colour still.
Palate less impressive. Warm ripe wine although not obviously an 1989. Offset by some vinegar. Hasn’t really developed great complexity with age. Shouldn’t really have been kept so long.
2nd wine (although actually a separate vineyard) of Leoville Las Cases).
88 points
Pauillac. 13%
Haut-Batailley has that same elegant unforced style of Grand-Puy-Lacoste although this is more gentle and less concentrated than GPL 2004. A bit green as expected for the vintage and house style.
I hope and rather expect than in 4-6 years time this will show quite a degree of secondary aged characteristics.