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This is the last dispatch from our trip to Bordeaux. Stay tuned as more wines become available for pre-arrival purchase. Our up-to-the-minute selection is always available at our 2009 Bordeaux page.

Wally’s blog will be publishing the comments and tasting notes of co-owner and Bordeaux aficionado Christian Navarro as he travels throughout Bordeaux tasting the 2009s and visiting with friends. Be sure to follow him on his twitter for even more commentary and notes from the trip.

Tuesday April 13th
Today thankfully is more of a leisurely pace. It is a welcome break from the grind of the days before. First up, Chateau Palmer. This has always been one of my favorite Chateaux in Bordeaux. Having spent much time with one of the owners, James Sichel, and the Director General Thomas Duroux at the Surf & Turf dinner the night before, both Geoff and I were extremely excited about this particular visit. Upon arrival we were greeted by the communications director Bernard de Laage. The first wine up was the 2009 Alter Ego. Shocking. The color is very dark, a rich, deep red with purple edges. On the nose I found notes of scorched earth, spice and ripe red fruits. The finish is very long and creamy, which must have to do with the large proportion of Merlot in the blend. In fact the blend is 51% Merlot and 49% Cabernet Sauvignon. Ahhh, now the Grand Vin. This Palmer is unlike any other Palmer from my career. Dark, almost a black purple. On the nose I find it dense, yielding slight nuances of Briar, dried herbs along with sweet blackberry pie. That said, there is a tight-wound spring-like character that makes you feel as though there is going to be a rapid uncoiling that will explode in your mouth. I mention to Thomas and Bernard that looking back at my historical notes this wine has many similarities to the legendary 1961, except denser. If this turns out to be true, we have one of the world’s greatest wines before us.

Moving back up to St Julien, we stopped off to see Ms. Lilian Barton Sartorious, the Dame numero uno of the Barton group. We are really starting to see a thread running through the top wine estates. The Second wines rule. And they rule at a fraction of the price. The Langoa Barton is no exception– dark red with purple edges, this wine has an amazing amount of fruit for a Langoa and a certian suaveness that I usually don’t associate with Langoa. Defiantely St Julien. And very tasty.

The Leoville Barton is just a treat to drink. Year in and year out, this wine always delivers bang for your buck. On the approach this wine has a more dynamic quality than the Langoa, with powerful black currant and earth aromas leaping from the glass. On the palate, the wine is its typical large-scaled delicious delight with this superfine, rich core of fruit. It is scandalously long on the finish, with waves of sweet ripe tannins rounding out everything in one tight package. This is something you will definitely need to have in your cellar.

Chateau Pichon Lalande is my friend Jack’s favorite stop. We arrive to be greeted by the elegant and very knowledgeable director general Gildas d’Olleone. He is noticeably upbeat and happy. When I ask him about his mood he tells me “taste for yourself and you will see why.” The first wine he pours is the smallest wine of the family, Chateau La Bernadotte, their 3rd wine if you will. This is yummy stuff. Bright fruit with a round flavorful finish. The best wine from Bernadotte to date. Now we taste the Comtesse, obviously much more serious than the previous wine. Dark, tight and designed for the long haul. Finally, we get to the Pichon Comtesse Lalande. This wine is a show stopper. It is a high Cabernet Sauvignon vintage with 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. I say to Gildas that this wine really reminds me of the great 1996. He says in fact, that is exactly what he is thinking. He rings down to the winemaker Thomas, who runs up with a bottle of the 1996. We pop the cork and yes there are many similarities. The large percentage of Cabernet shows through on the ‘96 as well. Obviously the ‘96 is all put together, but I think ultimately the ‘09 will surpass the ‘96.

Tonight’s dinner was at Chateau Talbot with the owners the Cordier family. This is a gorgeous Chateau filled with 19th and 18th century antiques and art. The dinner was very interesting– we had lampois (Bordeaux eel), Spring Pauillac lamb and asperge all coming from the region. I believe that this was the first all-Bordelais meal we had the entire trip. The wines were perfect with the meal. The 2000 and 1996 were drinking surprisingly well.

Wednesday April 14th
9:00am Chateau Calon Segur. This morning we were lucky to have an audience with Madam Gascaudon, the Grand Dame of St. Estephe. She has an amazing story: after her husband’s death, she took over the property with no experience and not only maintained the quality level but surpassed what her husband achieved. Her 2009 is another excellent example of the high quality that was produced from St. Estephe in this vintage. I believe Pauillac, and St. Estephe may be the regions with the highest quality. The 2009 is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon which is very high for this estate. The color is a classic red with purple edges, notes of dusty sweet cherries on the nose which follow on the palate. The finish is long and broad. The structure is there but you just can’t feel it yet.

I took the gang back over to Pessac to have lunch with Daniel and Florence Cathiard of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte at their home just across from their hotel, Sources de Caudalie. They cooked an amazing Moroccan couscous and chicken dish with great spices. They served their new Rose with the course and it went perfectly. They also shared their 2003 and 2000. As good as these wines are, it’s hard to get my mind off what I feel is there best effort ever, the 2009. I think this vintage will go down in the annals of Smith Haut Lafitte as their greatest ever.

Tonight’s dinner is being hosted by FOW (Friend of Wally’s) Bruno Borie at what I feel is the best property in St Julien, Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou. Bruno loves cooking and is an accomplished chef. Bruno has this great eat-in, state-of-the-art kitchen where everyone can participate in cooking. This is always a highlight of the trip. I especially liked the white asparagus wrapped in proscuitto and the rotisserie Veal was so tender and moist. Then the avalanche of wine came down on us! We had a complete vertical from 2009 through 1995 (Yes I said 2009.) The ‘09 is already so complete, we actually enjoyed drinking it at dinner. The 2008 was shaping up nicely and well deserving of Parker’s high praise. I did however notice that the 2000s I have been tasting are coming around sooner that I anticipated. They are showing more roundness and complete qualities than I last remember. Bruno’s wines were no different. He noted that 2000 will not be as long-aging as some other vintages in recent years. I asked him what he thought the life of his 2000 would be, causing him to shoot back with a very serious face and “no more than 40 or 50 years I would think.” I just hope I live long enough to see if he’s right. From all of the wines, the one that was the biggest surprise was the 2007. Beautiful perfume nose, rich sweet fruit on the palate, and a long finish. This is a wine I will definitely be keeping my eyes on.

Thursday April 15th
9:30am Headed back to the right bank to spend the day tasting and touring the Moueix properties. We are met at the offices by my friend and newlywed Edouard Moueix. He invites us back to his office were we taste all of their 2009’s including Petrus, Hossana, Trotanoy, Certan de May, Magdelaine, Bel Air, Latour a Pomerol, La Fleur Petrus, and last but not least, Providence. It is truly amazing how this family is able to make so many great wines year in and year out. I found the Petrus to be a candidate for wine of the vintage. The wine is simply an amazing combination of texture and density that are unparalleled even in this vintage. The Hossana is utterly fantastic, deep with a mocha-java quality that will age for a very long time. Trotanoy may actually rival Petrus this vintage. I believe the Trot may have even more power. The Certan de May, although directly across the street from VCC, is completely opposite in style from its neighbor. The Certan is very large in scale and more backward than many of the 2009’s tasted on this trip. Delicious, but massive. The Providence is a walk on the wild side– rich and opulent, this is more in the newer style of Pomerol. The balance is amazing. The wine to watch is the Chateau Bel Air. The St. Emilion’s vineyards are perfectly situated in the heart of the best spots of the region. The Moueix family is putting so much effort and money in this place it will be a true star in short order. The ‘09 sure puts them on the fast track. The incredible amounts of fruit, plush texture and the most important component, balance. A super effort.

12:30pm For lunch we roll in to what may be the hottest property in Pomerol, Chateau Providence. A small property with a gorgeous house. The lunch is from the outside grill. We had one of the best cote de boeufs I can remember along with two of my favorite wines from magnum– 1995 Chateau Bel Air and 2000 Chateau Hossana. With the 2000 Hossana, my glass seemed to empty every five minutes. I couldn’t get enough.

Dinner Tonight is our last dinner in Bordeaux and is being hosted by Alfred Tesseron and his niece Melanie at their Chateau Pontet Canet. I get a chance to re-try the 2009 and I find it better than the first time. The wines are changing so much at the moment. At dinner, Alfred serves a white Burgundy, a 2006 Camille Giroud Chassagne Montrachet. It is so refreshing to taste Chardonnay! For the reds, he serves a slew of 2001’s – Bon Pasteur, Leoville Las Cases, Pontet Canet, and Haut Brion. 2001 is overlooked by many, but it is a vintage I find really delicious and affordable. Worthy of my cellar.

Friday April 16th
Today we head off to Ville Franche for a few days R&R. It is always important to take a small break after tasting so many wines!

Tags:   2009 Bordeaux · Bordeaux · Christian Navarro · FuturesNo Comments.

Wally’s blog will be publishing the comments and tasting notes of co-owner and Bordeaux aficionado Christian Navarro as he travels throughout Bordeaux tasting the 2009s and visiting with friends. Be sure to follow him on his twitter for even more commentary and notes from the trip.

Monday April 12th
10:30am Chateau Pavie is a magnificent estate nestled up against the plateau de St. Emilion which perhaps (along with Ausone) has arguably the best vineyard sites in the region. For decades the chateau languished in disrepair, but Gerard and Chantal Perse have completely modernized it and really elevated the name of this property over the last ten years. It’s no secret that they frequently garner many of the top scores year after year from Parker and many other critics. While I think they’ve made some very good wines over the past decade, most notably the transcendent 2000, this is a property that’s known for a very modern, polished style of winemaking that often pursues ripeness and hedonism over balance and a sense of terroir. Knowing the style of the house and having heard about right bank Merlot coming in with an average alcohol of over 15% in 2009, I head into the tasting room like a dog being dragged to the vet. “Here we go” says Geoff as we brace ourselves for the lineup of fruit bombs…

Okay, I have to say I’m shocked! Tasting through the wines we found some wildly different highs and lows but not at all what we expected. Monbousquet is a disappointment, surprisingly thin and brittle, it has some sweetness on the nose but doesn’t follow through on the palate. There’s a huge hole in the middle of this wine. Imagine that you’re driving down the Wilshire corridor and hit a deep pothole. This is an example of a wine that is just plain over-extracted. 2009 Pavie however is surprisingly balanced and restrained. Henrique Da Costa states the reason for this is the high quality of the Cabernets in the blend– 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. These minority varietals give it a deftness coupled with knockout power reminiscent of Sugar Ray Leonard.

11:30am Chateau La Conseillante is right on the border of St. Emilion on the Pomerol side overlooking Cheval Blanc. This has always been a true wine lover’s property and La Conseillante has always been a wine of delicacy and elegance. 2009 is no different. This year’s blend is 81% Merlot, 19% Cab Franc aged in 100% new oak. The wine is translucent in color with a sweet ripe red cherry tone. On the finish the wine is silky and long with an essence of violets. Jean Michel Laporte (winemaker) states this is a true classic style for La Conseillante, in fact he says this 2009 may be a modern day rival to the legendary 1989.

12:00pm We just mozy down the dirt road to Chateau Cheval Blanc. If there were First Growth properties in St. Emilion, this would surely be one of them. Geoff and I found the wines spectacular. First, they introduced us to a wine they are overseeing from a property just to the west named Chateau Latour du Pin. Pierre Lurton, the director of both Cheval and Chateau d’Yquem, states “this is a small property of our friend who we are happy to help.” The wine delivers everything one could expect for a $30 St. Emilion. It exhibits excellent sweetness and a dusty, ripe finish. Next we taste the Petite Cheval, their second wine. The Petite is a blend with more than 65% Cabernet Franc, the remainder being Merlot. This wine is amazingly dark and concentrated. I found it so expressive on the nose that I would never peg it for a second. This wine could stand toe-to-toe with the best wines of St. Emilion. We finally get to the ‘Big Boy’, the Grand Vin Cheval. The color is even darker than the Petite with aromas of dried herbs, black cherries and mocha leaping from the glass. Geoff and I both say “ooohh.” On the palate, this wine is similar to its aromas with the plushness of a chocolate mink stole. This wine reminds me of the 1990 except with more freshness and brighter acidity. Surely one of the superstars of the vintage.

2:00pm During a simple lunch on the square of St. Emilion we receive a terrific phone call from the Vaultier family. Luckily, their plans had changed: they would be at the Chateau and delighted to greet us. We immediately drop our forks and make a mad dash up the hill to Chateau Ausone. It’s always magical to visit this tiny historic property tucked away on a hillside just down the road from the town center in St. Emilion. The chateau is currently undergoing some minor renovations, which is in stark contrast to the ancient caves and medieval ruins that make up most of the property. The first wine is Chateau Fonbel, a wine we have historically been very successful with. And the 2009 will be no exception. This wine is truly an over-achiever. The dark, rich, reddish color indicates what’s coming. On the palate, there are notes of sweet currants and a dusty, long finish. Surely a great buy at twenty bucks. The next wine is Ausone’s second wine, Chapelle d’Ausone, which has a drawing on the label from the small Chapel they have on the property just above the Chateau. The wine is very dark, almost black. The nose on this sample is a little reserved but has slight notes of mineral and black currant. The flavors are full, with a core of black fruit. The wine is more precise than broad. Great structure but unfortunately only 6-8000 bottles produced. Next, the main event! I couldn’t wait to taste the Ausone. I wanted to know what made James Suckling cry. Was it the quality, the scarcity or the price. This 2009 blend is 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. Mr. Alain Vaulthier states that the wine is a whopping 15% alcohol. The color is a black opaque purple. The nose is brooding, with dried herbs and briar with layers of black fruits and newly tanned leather. On the palate the wine is so dense that it takes us twenty minutes of swirling to start to pull out its flavors. Amazing amounts of cassis, wet stone and spice coat my palate. Although the wine has richness, I would say it is extremely focused yet broad. The finish stays with me all the way down the driveway. I can see what brought Jim to tears. It appears that it is truly all three. This will be a wine for the ages. I will just keep my tears in private…

3:00pm Vieux Chateau Certan. This is always one of my favorite stops, an estate that translates the soil without compromise or ego. Their 2009 is the perfect expression of Pomerol. This wine has a deep red hue and purple edges. Pure and ripe on the palate no appearance of extraction. It whispers and sings like a world-class tenor. I Love This Wine. A blend of 84% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon.

4:00pm Chateau Canon is the last winery of the day. This is another one of the beautiful estates owned by the Wertheimer family and run by our friend John Kolasa. This wine was much deeper in tone than any other barrel sample I have experienced from Canon with aromas of raspberries, spicy nutmeg and lanolin. The weight and power of this wine is commendable. The best effort of recent memory. This shows that hard work in the vineyard coupled with vision can make magic!

7:00pm Now on to the long journey back to the Medoc where we will be staying at the best hotel in the area, Cordeillian Bages, owned by the Cazes family who also own Chateau Lynch Bages. Tonight is also the when my partner Steve Wallace arrives. We have just enough time to get checked in and freshened up before heading out to the main event, Wally’s annual Surf and Turf dinner for Steve’s birthday. Every year we fly in 100 kilos of live Maine Lobsters and 100 pounds of Prime, dry-aged Kansas City steaks and host a Birthday Party the vignerons of Bordeaux never forget. This party is literally a who’s-who of the Bordeaux elite. We take over one of the great restaurants in the region, Le Restaurant Le St Julien, owned by the larger than life Claude Broussard. With a band playing American classics– from the Eagles to the Beach Boys– its like a beach party in Bordeaux. We finally wrap up around 3:00am, with cigars and Tesseron 29 Cognac on the veranda.

Christian’s next installment will be his last from the trip, so stay tuned!

Tags:   2009 Bordeaux · Bordeaux · Christian Navarro · FuturesNo Comments.

Wally’s blog will be publishing the comments and tasting notes of co-owner and Bordeaux aficionado Christian Navarro as he travels throughout Bordeaux tasting the 2009s and visiting with friends. Be sure to follow him on his twitter for even more commentary and notes from the trip.

Friday April 9th
9:30am Our first stop of the day is perhaps the most complete wine estate on the planet, Chateau Margaux. The sheer majesty of the Chateau and perfectly manicured grounds is always jaw dropping. Tasting with Margaux’s director Paul Pontallier is like having a meeting with the Pope. He says he’s never seen a vintage anything like 2009. He remarks that you would have to think of a hypothetical blend of the plushness of 1990 and the power and concentration of 2005. But 2009 has even more depth than either. Only 35% of the production went into the grand vin this year, a shockingly strict selection that Paul says was fairly easy as they only put the oldest, best parcels into Chateau Margaux. It’s getting hard to think of Pavillon Rouge as a second wine, it’s the best ever in 2009 showing more elegance and richness than many grand vins in the appellation and even some lesser vintages of Chateau Margaux. Because the selection was so strict this year, many of the barrels that would normally go into Margaux were added to Pavillon Rouge. I highly recommend adding some of this to your cellar. Now we move on to the grand vin which is flat out spectacular. The blend is almost 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and opens with a nose of refined red fruit, hints of minerals and pain grille. The wine is incredibly silky and pillowy on the palate. It’s rich and concentrated but extraordinarily delicate, almost like floating on air. While there is substantial structure on the end, the tannins are ripe and caressing. It’s a pure embodiment of grace and femininity. If Latour is the king of the vintage, this is the queen. Superb.

As we taste through the wines, owner Corinne Mentzenopoulos joins us with her adorable beagle Zorba in tow. I’ve know Corinne for a long time and it’s a pleasure to spend some time with her catching up discussing the past, present and future of Chateau Margaux. One interesting topic that came up is the fact they had so many high quality grapes this year there might be a chance of a third wine from Margaux for the first time. I made the suggestion that it should be named Margaux de Margaux.

10:45am Heading up the Medoc we stop at Chateau Talbot in St. Julien. Some of you may have some large format Talbot in your cellars from our offering last year that came straight from the property’s library. Great bottles of 1945, ‘50, ‘52, and ‘55 with impeccable provenance. This is a historic house and Geoff and I can’t wait to see what they’ve done in ‘09. We’re greeted by the winemaker who tastes us on a very good ‘09 Talbot, dark and spicy on nose with great freshness and a strong tannic backbone. A remarkable find is Talbot’s 2009 Caillou Blanc. This delicious white has a fresh nose full of mineral and lemon zest that is broad on the palate with nice volume and a powerful long finish. This will be relatively inexpensive and Geoff notes that it is perhaps the best value white we’ve tasted outside of Graves. Many of you may recognize this as it is the white wine that Chanel serves at all of their events.

11:15am We now head down the road to see our old friend Bruno Borie at Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou who is one of the most charming bon vivants you will ever meet. Upon arrival we’re treated to a particularly enthusiastic tour of the chateau by the Maitre d’Chai who speaks not a lick of English, but somehow we get the gist nonetheless. This is always one of the coolest stops in Bordeaux as this medieval-looking chateau houses a great collection of modern art including a number of original street pieces by Keith Haring that line the tasting room walls. Meeting up with Bruno, we taste through his lineup of wines, standouts include the amazingly dense and concentrated 2009 Ducru Beaucaillou as well as Chateau Fourcas Borie, a great new Listrac-Medoc property that Bruno is deservedly proud of. This will come in around $30 and is full of ripe, sexy red fruit with nice weight and ripe tannin. We were able to acquire some of the equally enthralling 2008 which will be available soon and offers serious value.

Continuing up the Medoc we stop in the small village of Bages for a much needed casual lunch at one of our favorite spots, Café Lavinal . We order up some foie gras and poulet frites and a few glasses of 2000 Chateau Cordeillan Bages. Geoff, apparently feeling adventurous, chooses a tripe sausage salad, something you definitely don’t see too often in L.A. This charming brasserie is at the center of a newly constructed town square that Lynch Bages’ visionary proprietor, Jean Michel Cazes, has created in Pauillac next to the excellent Hotel Cordeillan Bages. This charming village also includes a great boulangerie and the Bages Bazaar which houses a fine wine shop and a clothing boutique. If you are planning a visit to Bordeaux, this is one of the best places to stay and an easy base for exploring the Medoc. After a quick café, we’re back in the car heading back up to St. Estephe.

2:00pm Chateau Cos d’Estournel. We have seen this property go through so many changes over the last few years. Jean Guillaume Prats has guided this storied estate into the 21st century with mastery. The massive new winery is a jaw-dropping modern marvel and all of the hard work and investment of the past eight years is clearly evident in their watershed 2009 grand vin. This wine is absolutely stunning: the most concentrated Bordeaux of the modern era. It sports an extremely deep, ripe, sweet crème de cassis nose and floods your palate with gobs of impossibly rich, thick, concentrated fruit. The viscosity of this wine is shocking and at a level I never imagined could be possible in Bordeaux. If you were to compare this wine to an athlete I’d put this somewhere between of a combination of Mike Tyson and Carl Lewis, incredible power and nimble raciness. Maybe a bit more Tyson, the power is amazing… This represents a true paradigm shift and makes a bold statement. Do not underestimate the significance of this wine, it will go down in history as a true game changer in St. Estephe. Geoff and I predict this will probably flirt with a perfect score when Robert Parker releases his report at the end of the month.

3:00pm Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste is an old favorite owned by Xavier Borie brother of Bruno. This Chateau has produced some top flight wines over the years in vintages such as 1982, 1985 and 1990. This 2009 definitely belongs in the pantheon with those and is all about Pauillac terroir. While many of the wines we’ve tasted in the Medoc impress with massive power and scale, this is a wine that is all about balance and purity of expression. It’s understated and sublime, perhaps the best modern vintage from this estate.

We now head back to Chateau Rauzan Segla where we’ll have dinner with John Kolasa, the genius Director of both Chateau Rauzan Segla and Chateau Canon in St Emilion. John first gained fame as the Director General of Chateau Latour where he remained for over two decades overseeing many of their greatest postwar successes. Looking for a change of pace he went to the Werthheimer family (owners of the Chanel Group) and offered to do the same for Canon and Rauzan as he did for Latour. They of course said yes and the rest is history. Despite his departure from Latour, he remains a close friend of Monsieur Pinault and still advises him from time to time. The dinner is a standout, the main course is an amazing duck confit potato and Truffe noir cake. It sort of reminded me of a French rendition of Shepherd’s pie but with so much more going on. Pure decadence.

It’s funny, in Bordeaux they always like to serve everything blind and essentially make you sing for your supper by guessing the wines. The first wine is revealed to be the 1986 Rauzan Segla, very flavorful with an elegant Margaux delicateness. The show stopper is the 1959 Chateau Canon from magnum. This wine is incredible and bears all the hallmarks of its legendary vintage. Still completely fresh with tons of vigor and richness. This really shows what this property can accomplish. Sometimes wines are so delicate and elegant I believe that they sometimes get missed by the press until 20-30 years later. The finale is a delicious bottle of Sauternes. After many guesses it is revealed to be 1981 Chateau d’Yquem. Along with Krug Champagne, probably the greatest wine of the vintage. This turns out to be even more special as it happens to be the birth year wine of our own Geoff Pattison. After dinner, we retire to the chateau’s game room where an entertaining game of French Billiards brings this amazing first week to a close. Though it’s a valiant effort, Geoff is no match for my considerable three-ball skills. Next week we’ll head to the right bank to see if Pomerol and St. Emilion can match the stunning achievements of their left bank neighbors. Until then…

Tags:   2009 Bordeaux · Bordeaux · Christian Navarro · FuturesNo Comments.

Wally’s blog will be publishing the comments and tasting notes of co-owner and Bordeaux aficionado Christian Navarro as he travels throughout Bordeaux tasting the 2009s and visiting with friends. Be sure to follow him on his twitter for even more commentary and notes from the trip.

Thursday April 8th
9:00am Today we start at the iconic Chateau Lafite Rothschild. The Chateau is undergoing some significant construction and renovation at the moment but we’re able to find our way to the tasting room and are presented with 2009 Carruades, Duhart Milon and Lafite Rothschild. We find the wines amazing as expected. Carruades has a lot of the character of Lafite’s terroir with plenty of graphite and gravel. Duhart Milon is a standout value in this vintage after many years of continuous improvement. The texture is pure silk and finishes with a sublime smoky mineral quality. Lafite clearly displays its trademark elegance and finesse. It comes across as pure and untouched. Charles Chevalier the master architect of the Rothschild group remarks that he has not seen a more complete wine at this stage since 1996 but says 2009 is so much better. It’s so great because it was so natural and completely made in the vineyard.

10:00am Now we are just down the road (D2) at Chateau Mouton Rothschild where we taste through a knockout range of 09s. 2009 Clerc Milon is a revelation. It’s incredibly big and assertive but with a seductive plushness at the same time. Undoubtedly the best Clerc Milon since 1986 and definitely a wine to buy. 2009 Mouton continues the streak of amazing first growths. It’s rich deep polished nose shows hints of Eucalyptus and mint and it comes across plush on the palate with great freshness and structure. Herve says it’s definitely the best Mouton since 1982 and 1986, their two most iconic modern vintages, but says we may need to look back to the 40’s to find a wine with such power and richness.

At this point I must be starting to sound like a broken record, but it’s impossible not to. Chateau after chateau we are seeing wines of unprecedented ripeness, power and integration.

11:00am We have just arrived to visit our dear friend Alfred Tesseron’s estate with the gifted heir apparent Melanie Tesseron. After tasting the two first growths next to Pontet Canet we couldn’t help thinking that Pontet Canet is now producing wine so close to first growth quality one wonders what might happen if they were to update the Bordeaux classification system today. Wait, hold on, stop the presses. This wine is profound. The nose is sweet, thick and concentrated with crème de cassis and hints of blackberry leaf. It washes over your palate with waves of thick, viscous, impossibly rich seductive fruit. The texture of the wine is absolutely incredible. Despite its massive weight it comes across as completely balanced, like pure velvet. It’s all wrapped up with a solid structured long finish. This is the embodiment of the classic expression “an iron fist in a velvet glove.” Do not miss 2009 Pontet Canet, this is outrageously good and defintely one of the top wines of the vintage.

11:45am We continue in Pauillac with a stop at Chateau Lynch Bages (unannounced) to see our friend Jean-Charles Cazes. When I see I am relieved he actually remembers me. It’s no small feat given he has seen more than 1500 people this past week. I’m not sure he recognizes his own image in the mirror today. The hits just keep on coming as their 09 lineup is impressive as well. 2009 Ormes de Pez is the greatest ever from this estate boasting a serious broad structure full of power. A truly great St Estephe and a serious value to watch for. The 2009 Lynch Bages is their best since 1989, probably better. It’s a powerful expression of Pauillac with sweet rich dark cassis fruit and excellent definition. There’s more tannin here than any other modern vintage of Lynch Bages, but the wine is so seamless you hardly notice it. This is so inviting and ready to go that you almost want to drink a glass today.

12:15pm We are now on our way to visit Chateau Du Tertre for a tasting and lunch with our good friend Alexander Von Beek who manages both Chateau Giscours and Chateau du Tertre. Tasting the 09 Du Tertre and Giscours is a pleasure. Tucked away in a serene pocket at the top of the Margaux appellation, Du Tertre is feminine, precise, and balanced. The essence of Margaux. More complete is the Giscours which is the best young wine I’ve ever tasted from this estate. Lunch is an elegant and sumptuous dining experience where we enjoy Spring Rack of Lamb with a coconut and lentils accompanied by 2003 and 1982 Du Tertre, as well as the powerful 2000 Giscours. The terrific wine and food only tell part of the story. Much to my surprise the owner Eric Jelgersma is there. An amazing man of strength, courage and vision. The Chateau is filled with all of the great 17th century master artists rivaling the great 2009 vintage for greatness. An afternoon of inspiring conversation makes this lunch end too soon.

3:00pm Chateau Malescot St Exupery. It’s always a joy visiting with Jean Luc Zuger who has a no BS brass tacks style about him where the truth always comes through. This 2009 is ripe, floral, with an incredible viscosity and velvety texture. Again this is an embarassment of riches again and again I am saying the best ever. This is just one of those years I guess.

5:00pm Now off to taste 50 wines at a notable negociant where we discover some knockout values. The discovery of the tasting is the outstanding 2006 Chateau Frontenac which offers plenty of classic terroir driven Bordeaux character and will sell for only $10.99 when it hits the shelf. It’s the perfect house wine to buy by the case. The 2006 Chateau Courreges is just as good as our best selling 2005, bursting with lively fruit and the 2006 Chateau Lusteauneuf is full of aromatic cassis and smoke giving the impression of a wine twice its price of $24.99. The good news is that unlike the 2009s these great value 06s are all ready to ship now and will be available at Wally’s within a month or so.

6:00pm Tonight we have dinner at locals’ favorite restaurant La Gravelier in the center of Bordeaux with a top negociant. This is a great restaurant that does excellent French/Asian fusion dishes. After a few bottles of great wine and some lively conversation we’re headed back to Rauzan Segla to catch some zzz’s before heading out to taste the last remaining first growth at Chateau Margaux tomorrow morning.

Tags:   2009 Bordeaux · Bordeaux · Christian Navarro · FuturesNo Comments.

Wally’s blog will be publishing the comments and tasting notes of co-owner and Bordeaux aficionado Christian Navarro as he travels throughout Bordeaux tasting the 2009s and visiting with friends. Be sure to follow him on his twitter for even more commentary and notes from the trip.

Wednesday April 7th
Today is our first day in the Medoc where early reports are saying we’ll find many of the best wines of the vintage. We’ll be visiting St Estephe, Pauillac, St Julien and Margaux which should give us a good overall glimpse of the left bank by day’s end. We first make a quick stop to drop off our bags at Chateau Rauzan Segla where our good friends the Werthimeimers have generously offered to host us. This is an historically outstanding Margaux which has made a great resurgence over the past several years under the masterful guidance of Director John Kolasa.

Back in the car we quickly head to our first appointment of the day at Chateau Montrose. We’ll be tasting with legendary proprietor Jean Bernard Delmas and winemaker Nicholas Glumeneau, who recently brought the house down at Wally’s annual Fete du Bordeaux with a stunning Operatic performance. There’s no doubt that the 2009 Montrose is one of the finest young wines ever for this estate. What a way to start off the day! Incredibly rich texture and pure rocky St Estephe terroir. Though it seems silky and inviting, Nicholas informs us that the tannin levels are about 10% higher that the monstrously tannic 2005. This wine will last for 50+ years but almost tastes like you could drink it today! Incredible. The legendary Jean Delmas, who oversaw Haut Brion for decades, compares 2009 to legendary vintages suc as 1989 and 1961. Though even he is at a loss to say that he’s ever seen anything quite like it.

Next we head down to Pauillac to taste at Chateau Latour with the dynamic director/winemaker Frederic Engerer. Despite all of the great wines we’ve had so far, we’re immediately blown away. Geoff commented that he thinks it might be the wine of the vintage, I’d even go so far as to say it’s the best barrel sample I’ve ever tasted in my 20+ years in the business. It’s massive, exalting, opulent, completely balanced. Pure luxury in a glass. Though we’re only a few days into the trip, this may be the horse to beat.

These wines are so amazing you have to wonder if this is what it was like for wine merchants to come taste legendary vintages such as 1982 and 1961 en primeur.

Now back to Margaux to taste and have lunch at Chateau Lascombes. Ever energetic Director Generale Dominique Befeve first treats us to a tasting of the component varietals of 2009 Lascombes and tasting pure 100% 2009 Margaux Cabernet Sauvignon is a revelation. You can see where the backbone of these superb left bank wines comes from. The Cabernet is ripe, defined and exceptional. The final blend is great. Lascombes has really made a great wine in their signature style here. Round, plush, opulent and full of fruit. Afterwards we are treated to a wonderful lunch accompanied by 2006 Chateau Lascombes which is showing superbly. This is a wine to buy now that offers plenty of open-knit fruit.

Now we’re off to St Julien to visit our good friend Patrick Maroteaux of Branaire Ducru. The 2009 is incredibly balanced and pure. Patrick says it was basically a gift from nature. They’re making great strides at this estate and it seems the 2009 is a culmination of a string of good vintages such as 2005 and 2006.

Dinner with winemaker Jean Rene Matrignon at Chateau Pichon Longueville Baron is the perfect end to a day of running up and down the Medoc. Jean Rene is generous enough to offer up 2000 and 1989 Pichon Baron as well as some sublime dessert wines in the legendary 1963 Quinta do Noval Nacional (a rare, absolutely spectacular vintage port) and 1989 Chateau Suduiraut Crème de Tete. A lively discussion of the vintage is the perfect pairing with these superb wines.

Now back to our rooms at Chateau Rauzan Segla to get some rest before waking up early to taste 2009 Lafite!

Tags:   2009 Bordeaux · Bordeaux · Christian Navarro · FuturesNo Comments.