The first Monday of En Primeur week is always punishing. We visited 18 chateaux in the Medoc yesterday, including 4 of the first growths. We set off at 7am and returned, with teeth as black as vampires', for debrief and dinner at Chateau Carignan.
Perked up by Bolly, we each pick our top 3 "values" and "keepers" before sharing and debating each others choices. It's a great way of working together to get a feel for the vintage. It's still early in the campaign, but from what we've tasted in the Medoc at least, 2011 is lively, refreshing and lithe. Good producers are stressing the importance of gentle extraction, and appetising textures and finely resistant tannins are a feature of many of our favourite wines. Lacoste Borie, in Pauillac, stole all our hearts with its vibrant fruit and elegant, supple energy.
I don't understand how anyone could think there's nothing of interest here, but if the predicted critical antipathy to 2011 does materialise, we will see some elegant, balanced wines at great prices.
The top producers have made lovely wines, but we're about to get down and dirty with the vintage at the much bigger and more disparate UGC tastings, which feature wines from hundreds of producers, and not just the top tier. This is where the strengths and weaknesses of every vintage are revealed.
In case you were wondering why this diary is running a day late, take a look at the wines we had with dinner last night. La Mondotte 2001, Chateau Carignan Prima 2001 in mag, Yquem 1998 (fantastic), Yquem 1997, Vieux Chateau Certan 2001, Yquem 1995, Leoville Barton 1982, Pichon Comtesse 1996.
No wonder Mouton Rothschild leave pretty bowls full of Alka Seltzer sachets in their loos.
A bientot!
Perked up by Bolly, we each pick our top 3 "values" and "keepers" before sharing and debating each others choices. It's a great way of working together to get a feel for the vintage. It's still early in the campaign, but from what we've tasted in the Medoc at least, 2011 is lively, refreshing and lithe. Good producers are stressing the importance of gentle extraction, and appetising textures and finely resistant tannins are a feature of many of our favourite wines. Lacoste Borie, in Pauillac, stole all our hearts with its vibrant fruit and elegant, supple energy.
I don't understand how anyone could think there's nothing of interest here, but if the predicted critical antipathy to 2011 does materialise, we will see some elegant, balanced wines at great prices.
The top producers have made lovely wines, but we're about to get down and dirty with the vintage at the much bigger and more disparate UGC tastings, which feature wines from hundreds of producers, and not just the top tier. This is where the strengths and weaknesses of every vintage are revealed.
In case you were wondering why this diary is running a day late, take a look at the wines we had with dinner last night. La Mondotte 2001, Chateau Carignan Prima 2001 in mag, Yquem 1998 (fantastic), Yquem 1997, Vieux Chateau Certan 2001, Yquem 1995, Leoville Barton 1982, Pichon Comtesse 1996.
No wonder Mouton Rothschild leave pretty bowls full of Alka Seltzer sachets in their loos.
A bientot!
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