St.-Emilion – It was my first visit to this beautiful town early this year. I was immensely captivated by the impeccable site (more hilly than any Bordeaux regions) and rich history behind this old town. The main town of St.-Emilion is built along a steep hilly street that runs through ancient limestone buildings. Those medieval buildings and chapels (including the famous bell tower) combined modern-looking souvenir shops, café, wine shop…etc. to provide a contrast, yet uniquely charming character to this historical town of Bordeaux. Anyone who visits Bordeaux, this is a “must” tourist destination to be in.
The Soils – In St.-Emilion, two distinct sub-regions were divided – 1) The Côte, which consists of vineyards (or Châteaus) that are situated on the hillside where soils are largely limestone based. 2) The Graves, referring to vineyards that are located at the bench, where soils are predominantly gravel and sand. The differences in soil and altitude created two distinct different styles. For Côte, where vineyards are on the hills, wines made are more powerful and tannic. The Graves, on the other hand is rich in gravel and neighboring it is the southeastern Pomerol region. Wines made here are lushed and fruity with early accessibility.
The Grapes and The Wines – Like Pomerol, this is home of Merlot grape. The early ripen Merlot is generally planted at the limestone-based soil of “Côte” district, where the chalky soil helps to ripen the grape faster. Some of the St.-Emilion best-known wines like Ausone, Angélus, Canon-La-Gaffeliere, L’Arrosée and Pavie are from here. Cabernets are mostly planted in the “Graves” district, where the well-drained gravel soil produces some of the area’s richer, luscious most opulent wines. According to many observers, the best achievers in 2004 are producers that utilize high percentage of Cabernet Franc on their blend, names like Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Angelus were some of the best examples.
Overall Views – The Union Grand Cru tasting for St.-Emilion was held at La Couspaude, which was another emerging estate that made famous by their consultant, Michel Rolland. In general, I was pleased with the overall results of St.-Emilion and Pomerol. They are not long haul wines with many already providing great drinking pleasure. These are fruit-front, velvety, soft and attractive wines to be consumed upon release, but will continue to drink well for the next 6-8 years. Some exceptions like Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Angelus would have no problem to last for a decade or more. Overall, this is some of the most consistent group of wines I have tasted this trip. Unlike 2003, which was generally perceived by Bordelaise as a vintage of an extreme, and to some extend freakish? Wine from 2003 often featured wine of exotic roasted element and liqueur-soak fruits. 2004 appeared to be returning to a classic Bordeaux restrained style, with finer more balance palate that shown fresher and cooler fruits and aromas.
A word on buying 2004 Bordeaux en primeur - All prices quoted are ex Bordeaux and in Singapore dollar. All prevailing taxes (GST), alcohol duty and freight charges are not included in these prices. We only accept case purchase* for all 2004 en primeurs. We do not accept loose bottle or mix-case purchases. Order upon confirmation will be non-refundable and non-exchangeable (we are sorry for that). (* Haut-Brion Blanc, Laville Haut-Brion and d’Yquem are packed in 6-bottles cases.)
2004 Château Angelus, St.-Emilion Premier Grand Cru
This estate, which under the capable hands of proprietor, Hubert de Boüard de Laforest has consistently turned out some of the most exciting wines of St.-Emilion. In 2004, Angelus made one of the best wines of the appellation. De Boüard de Laforest credit this to his early crop thinning in June and gentle skin extraction during fermentation which was the key in succeeding this uneven quality vintage. 2004 Angelus was made from a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc which impressive color. The wine is firm, yet charmingly displays such attractive fruits of kirsch, black raspberries in a rich and thick palate. Sweet and lush with excellent precision and freshness. The tannin is noticeable, but was generally doing the supporting role to keep the overall equilibrium. The price for Angelus 2004 was down by 38% compared to 2003 according to the recent survey done by The Wine Spectator. - Excellent
2004 Chateau Ausone, St-Emilion Preimer Grand Cru
Chateau Ausone is a small vineyard with great historical significance. The estate was making inferior wines in the 50s and 60s until the hiring of new régisseur, Pascal Delback that resurrected the quality and placed it alongside Cheval Blanc and regarded as two of the finest wines of St.-Emilion. The vineyard is densely planted with 6000-6500 vines per acre and the average vine is between 45-50 years old. The wine consists of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc. In mid 1990’s, when the estate became solely owned by the Vauthier family, Alan Vauthier removed Pascal Delback involvement in the winemaking and installed the world most prolific and influenced consultant, Michel Rolland. Pascal Delback remained in-charge of the vineyard until these days. Despite the transition which was criticized by fans of old style Ausone, which previously made in a more tannic, formidable style that pays-off with aged, but the world’s most influential critic, Robert Parker seem to approve the stylistically changes by consistently rating Ausone above his neighbor, Cheval Blanc.
2004 Chateau Canon-La-Gaffelierè, St.-Emilion Grand Cru Clessé
Since the dynamic young proprietor, Stephen Von Neipperg took over the controlled of this estate in 1985. This estate has been on a hot streak. Assisted by one the most famous wine consultant in St.-Emilion, Stéphane Derenoncourt, this estate is clearly making one of the most exciting wines in the region. Neipperg claimed that he made one of the most successful wines for 2004 and comparing it with his previous 1998. He further added, “our vines here have very deep roots, and there is no dilution from the rain in 2004…the pHs are close to 1998, which wine will evolve very slowly.” Neipperg stressed that, to succeed in making good 2004, one must handle all the “solid” parts of the grape genteelly. He eliminated less-than-perfect fruit, both after and before the destemming to avoid crushing the pips during “pigeage” and over-extraction. 2004 is saturated in color, with intense cassis note. Juicy palate with no hard edge and surprisingly upfront aromatic at this youthful age. Seamless and charming efforts with well delineate acidity. - Very Good
2004 Chateau Cheval Blanc, St.-Emilion Premier Grand Cru
Cheval Blanc has consistently been two of my favorite Bordeaux (the other being La Mission). Over the years, prices for this impeccably run estate has continued to rise, especially when Robert Parker attended the vertical tasting of Cheval Blanc hosted by Helga & Hardy Rodenstock in Munich in 1995. All 1921, 1947, 1948, 1949 were all in pristine condition and offering such mind-boggling quality, noted by Parker. Today, Cheval Blanc is far out of reach for my limited financial capacity. April 6 morning, we arrived the estate with high anticipation. We were not disappointed. In 2004, Cheval Blanc was among the earlier to harvest at between September 20 to October 5. Two green harvests were carry out in early July to bring down the yields to 35-40 hectoliter per hectare. Only 50% of the crop made it into the final blend. The wine is very stylish and came across lighter (which is typical for young Cheval Blanc) than the rest of the first growths. Not a blockbuster, but a wine of precision, elegant, purity with incredible smooth and refined palate. The tannin is evident and fruits are still at it infancy stage, but, the precise black berries with menthol are so distinctly, Cabernet Franc (55% Cabernet Franc was utilized) and classic Cheval Blanc. - Excellent
2004 Chateau Grand –Pontet, St.-Emilion Grand Cru Clessé
The gurus of Bordeaux, professeur Emile Peynaud descript this Chateau as, “at such a level of quality, this is not just simply a gift of nature, but a masterpiece of human work.” Grand-Pontet is currently owned by the Bécot family, which also owned the neighboring Chateau, Beau-Séjour Bécot and La Gomerie. The present manager is Sylvie- Becot-Pourquet, which according to Parker, is making one of the sleeper of the 2004 vintage!
2004 Chateau Pavie, Premier Grand Cru
Pavie is considered by many for having one of the finest soils of St.-Emilion equal only be Ausone. In 1998, Chantal and Gérard Perse bought the estate from the Valette family, and considered by most American critics, the true wakening of this hidden gem. Avant-garde is what many St.-Emilion describe the new Pavie under the Perse leadership. Being an outsider, Perse was not bound by the past winemaking techniques practiced by this historical estate. He re-built the cellar, installed state-of-art winemaking equipment such as wooden fermentation vats with temperature-control. A substantial increase of aging his wine in new wood barrels and malolactic fermentation in new oak barrels. Resulting is what Robert Parker called it, “the most monumental wines Bordeaux has ever produced.”
Pomerol
In general (despite being hard to generalize), Pomerol has turned well for 2004. Merlot (accounts for 70-75% grape planted in Pomerol) is the primary grape here and was harvested later than most Merlot planted in Médoc (mostly picked in early October and before the weather deteriorated again in middle of the month), which I believed to benefit from the subsequent dry weather. To many critics, the late-picked Merlot in Pomerol also enjoyed an extra hang time to achieve more thorough ripening. The relatively small vineyard size of Pomerol (best vineyard here range from 20 and 34 acres or smaller, compared to left bank Chateau such as Lafite, which comprised a total of 247 acres) enables the vineyard workers to work more efficiently in crop thinning, particularly with such big harvest like 2004 vintage. Many lush, rounded, charming fresh Pomerols were made, particularly those from northeast appellation where soils tend to be finer with a tendency towards sand rather than gravel. Producers such as L’Evangile, La Conseillante and Vieux Chateau Certan were among the top-achievers in 2004.
2004 Chateau Clinet
This 9 hectare vineyard located at the plateau of Pomerol was first owned by the Constant family and subsequently change hands to Audy, where Jean-Michel-Arcaute, son-in-law of Audy begin to revamp the reputation of this estate. Arcaute installed the ubiquitous Michel Rolland and changed the vineyard practices by harvesting late, hand picking the fruits, rigor fruits selection through sorting table and introducing a second wine called, Domaine du Casse. The percentage of new wood used for aging also increased and so does the aging which was extended to two years. All those changes have dramatically improved the quality of Clinet. In 1991, Audy sold Clinet to the French insurance group, Le Gan, but in 1998, Arcaute regained controlled of Clinet with the help of Jean-Louis Laborde, his partner in the Hungarian Tokaj estate of Chateau Pajzos. Arcaute has further commited that, no expense will be spared to strive for even higher quality at Clinet for the coming years.
I was impressed with Clinet 2004, which consisted of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Quite a shy nose with hint of wild flavor (leather?). The palate is pristine and focused with precise blackberry that came across sweet and fleshy. Plush and structured with noticeable tannin. Not particularly massive, but with good concentration and verve in this stylish efforts. - Very Good
2004 Chateau L’Evangile
L’Evangile in French means, “gospel”. Indeed, the glory performance of L’Evangile in 1947, 1950, 1961, 1975…etc. have continue to passed on and some believed, it has the potential to rival the region’s finest producers such as Pétrus and Lafleur. Like Petrus, L’Evangile soil consists of what is call, cap de far, with topsoil of sand/clay with stone atop on iron-rich subsoil, which is similar to those of Pétrus. This well situated estate (border to Cheval Blanc to the south and Pétrus to the north) is planted with 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Franc. It has been always in the hands of Ducasse family, and despite the Rothschild (of Lafite Rothschild) purchased a controlling interest on 1990, Madame Ducasse continue to runs the day-to-day operation of L’Evangile. If La Conseillante is known for their finesse and femininity, than L’Evangile is masculine and broody. 2004, L’Evangile has increased the Merlot blend to 89%, resulting a less masculine effort but broody, dense, sexy style of wine. Sweet, with attractive black raspberries and mineral quality. Not massive, but stylishly pure, vibrant, with good verve and lovely sweet, ripe fruits lingering in an elegant, finesse way. - Very Good
White Graves – Pessac - Léognan
Graves is the name derived from rocky, stony terrain of the region, where the stony soil radiates heat at night and thus making the grape here ripen early than other Médoc regions. For many first timers who visit Graves, the sub-commune of Graves, Pessac and Léognan which were in fact two different “villages” with Pessac on the north western of Garonne River and Léognan on the south western. Departing from Bordeaux city, it only took less than 20 minute to reach Pessac, but it would require a good 45 minutes to an hour to reach Léognan through highway 113. The appellation of Pessac- Léognan was granted in 1987 to distinguish a higher quality Graves from two precise villages. Another village also noticeable for their quality is Martillac, which is located near Léognan but toward the eastern border, nearer to Garonne River.
Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc were the two key grape varieties for white Graves. Save for Semillon, which I do not believe anywhere in the World made better dry Semillon than here. Their Sauvignon Blanc is distinctly different from those of Loire Valley and New Zealand. First, most Sauvignon Blanc here are aged or fermented in new oak barrel, which sharply depart from the herbal, grassy, citrus style of Sauvignon produced elsewhere. Secondly, the broadness and aging potential of Gravel’s Sauvignon also surpassed all his peers outside this touchstone area. All the leading Graves estate produces a white wine, which often only account for 20% of the total production. Such limited production in addition to the vintage variation. A good white Graves are hard to come by. The following taste notes are my early April tasting in Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte and Chateau Haut-Brion. It was extremely difficult to access, as most wines were suffering from late completion of fermentation and late blending. Many samples were very youthful and the acidity was overwhelmingly tart (also trace of malic acid). After comparing my notes with Tanzer and Tom Cannavan, I realized many of my following recommendations have fleshed out since than, putting on more weight, textured and aromatic component. All evidence seem to indicate that 2004 is an exceptional, classic, long-lived vintage for white Graves.
2004 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Léognan
A true connoisseur’s wine”, this is how Robert Parker descripbed this estate. The estate has been owned by the Ricard family since 1865 and was subsequently sold to a distilling company called, Lucien Bernard & Cie in 1983. Despite the changed of ownership, Claude Lucien remained involved and influenced with current owner, Olivier Bernard. The father of modern-day Bordeaux, Emile Peynaud was consulting for this estate in the 80s and was subsequently passed on to his successor, Pascal Ribereau-gayon. Denis Dubourdieu, the inventor for macération pelliculaire (cold maceration) that revolutionized the white Graves was also brought in to consult the white. For 2004, the nose is shy, with wave of vanillin note. Very elegant palate of melon, lemon and mineral. Good texture and seem trimmed and tight due to the youthful acidity found in the wine. There are no shortage of energy and vibrancy on this beauty. - Very Good
2004 Chateau Pape Clément Blanc, Pessac
This estate was named after the first owner, Bertrand de Goth and later became, Pope Clément V. After several changes of ownership, it was later acquired by the famous French poet, Paul Montagne. The estate has undergone some quality turbulence in 50s, 60s and 70s due to lack on investment, until in 1985, when a young and enthusiastic manager, Bernard Pujol was hired. He immediately resurrected the quality and released an impressive 1986 Pape Clément that rivaled some of the best wine in the region like La Mission and Haut-Brion. 2004 Pape Clément is madeup of 50% Sauvignon and 50% Semillon. The wine posed obvious richness with good ripe fruits of quince, peach, honey element. More juicy and mouth-filling richness. The acidity came across less as being forceful and hidden under the wealth of fruits. More showy than the rest. - Very Good
2004 Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte, Martillac
Florence and Daniel Cathiard made a textbook style of white Graves in 2004. Made from 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Semillon. The grapes were brought in three batches - one is early September, and subsequently in September 20th and 27th. The wine was fermented in barrel, with 50% new and 50% one-year-old barrel. After fermentation, the wine continues to age in barrel and its lees with regular stirring to enrich the texture. 2004 seems to have suffered from a reductive, sulphur-like nose. The palate showed plenty of citrus elements with green apple, grapefruit and mineral. Crisp and tangy with well delineated personality. The underlying sweetness suggested that it seemed to have the stuffing to support the present overwhelming acids. Tasting this wine reminded me of Sauvignon made by Didier Dagueneau from Loire. - Very Good
2004 Chateau Laville Haut-Brion, Pessac
I am a big fan of this fabulous white Graves. If you do not have a decade patience to wait for this wine to reach it full blossom, I suggset you should pass this offer. This vineyard, which only produces an average of 1,100 cases per year is made predominanly with Semillon and remaining madeup of Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. The wine is fermented and aged in 100% new oak barrel and remained aging with it lees for another 13-16 months. I often found this white to be fater, more waxy, more honey, more generous, more aromatical than Haut-Brion Blanc. Unveiling more Semillon personality, 2004 departed sharply from the Laville I was familiar with. The wine came across trimmer, more skinny, with carmomile tea-like of flora, mint tone in addition to pure and vibrant palate that contributed largely from it’s sound acidity. Very elegant and remarkable verve for a Semillon wine. Up to 83% of Semillon was used for this vintage instead of the usual 70%. - Excellent
2004 Chateau Haut-Brion Blanc, Pessac
This this clearly the finest of all Graves blanc for 2004 vintage. Haut-Brion Blanc consist of 51% Sauvignon Blanc and 49% Semillon. The wine unveiled the most complex nose of all 2004 white Graves, with grapefruit, barley, carmomile, cinnimon that is all so inviting. The palate displayed great depth and density that come across richer and riper than all early spciments. Ripe Sauvignon peach intertwined with honey and toasty nuanced is simply irrisistable. Despite the size and denseness, the wine is well harmonized by the well buffered acidity. I can’t resist but to think that the wine must have improved much more since my early April tasting. Tanzer called 2004 Haut-Brion Blanc, “A monumental white!” Incredible stuffs. - Excellent
2004 Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux, Bordeaux
There is no question that this simply is the best white under the generic Bordeaux classification. Made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc and fermented in one-third new, one-third one-year old and remaining two-year-old barrels. This is a rich and ripe style of Sauvignon with honey-melon, stone-citrus, mineral, lanolin, even with a hint of orange blossom. The profound aromatic quality and the fat, voluptious texture could easily be mistaken for a condrieu from northern Rhone. Both Robert Parker and Paul Potallier considered the 2004 Pavillon Blanc as the finest effort ever. I could not agree more. - Excellent
Sauternes/Barsac
I must be honest, I am less a “sweet-tooth” person and rarely drink enough pudding wine to justify any assessment for wine in this category. I like acid in white, and occasionally, I will agree to drink at late-harvest vendange tardive Alsace or a German Auslese. Those wines have adequate acidity hidden under the overripe sweet personality. Frankly, I found botrytis wine to be overwhelming rich for my palate. However, after learning 2004 being not as rich or exotically overripe like 2003 Sauternes, I am actually very anxious to find out those unusually vibrant, elegance, racy and bright 2004 Sauterne turnout
2004 Chateau Climens, Barsac
Made from 100% Semillon. This estate is perhaps the most famous and consistent in making the best sweet wines from Barsac. Owned by the famous Lurton family, which own prestigious estate in St.-Julien, Graves and Margaux. The wine is 100% barrel fermented from one-third new oak. The wine is subsequently aged for 12-18 months. Climens is the contrast with the power and rich Suduirant. Refined, elegant and racy are what this wine is all about.
2004 Chateau d’Yquem, Sauternes
Needless to say about this “King of Sauternes”, the estate has been historically owned the Comte de Lur-Saluces family until the dispute which caused the estate to be subsequently sold LVMH in 1999. Today, this crown jewel of Sauternes are overseen by the highly capable and talented Pierre Lurton, who also manages Cheval Blanc. D’Yquem is madeup of 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc from an average of 25 year-old vines
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