Day Three: Bordeaux Primeurs

Today’s 2011 Castillon Primeur tasting was not far away, held at the lovely little Château Ambe Tour Pourret, a stone’s throw from St.Emilion village. It was great to see a devoted tasting in a good setting for the much-deserved Castillon wines. The reason it wasn't in Castillon is because wine tasters get lazy after lots of tasting and don't like travel too far, so like the Sauternes tasting in Margaux yesterday it was a good venue for people to pop in and taste.
(Photo sign and Château Ambe Tour Pourret)

There was a big selection and although I live here, I always come across Châteaux I’ve never heard of … I’m sure Tony would tell you the same! Anyway a good tasting, but not sure about the organic wines being put on a table apart called ‘Les Bio'rdeaux’ and the rest on the ‘Les Traditionnels’ table so I have put them all together in the global tasting. The 2011 tasted good and great to see the top wines clearly standing out including Tony's own Château La Clarière-Laithwaite.

For anyone interested, here are my tasting scores out of five with simple quick notes. Those with a ‘B’ are organic. A few big names missing and would be nice to see them as people like to taste the best for a reference, it often helps winemakers to aim higher. There are a few oddities (possibly dud samples) but generally the scores come in high.

D'Aiguilhe: lovely toasty spicy wood ripe cassis and plums, concentrated balanced 4.7
La Clarière Laithwaite: strong ripe plum, elegant strawberry lift, herbal, tight but balanced good tannins 4.4
Le Pin Belcier: ripe, rich plums, savoury, balanced and ace tannins, long 4.4
Cuvee d'Lisse: deep black fruits, spice concentration good acidity and length 4.3
La Brande: spicy, black fruits, good balance long 4.2
D'aiguilhe Querre: black fruits, good weight and wood, nice tannins 4
Cap de Faugeres: elegant sweet cassis nose, tight palate 4
Roque le Mayne: grilled meat, smoky, good chewy palate 4
Cote Monpezat: grilled black fruit, lots of wood but nice 3.9
Fontbaude: black fruits and spice, good rich palate 3.9 B
Clos Puy Arnaud: elegant ripe cassis and plum 3.9 B
Peyrou: spice, black fruits, tight but rich 3.9 B
Poupille: tarte fraise, raisons, tight, balanced 3.8 B
Claud Bellevue: closed, minty, nice balanced palate 3.8
Aster de Beaulieu: slight reduction, good balance 3.7
Valmy Durbourdieu-Lange: rich nose, chewy palate, 3.7 B
Du Tertre Bel Air: clean fresh cassis, good balance and tannins, long 3.7 B
La Rose Poncet: nice fruit and spice, good palate 3.6
Brisson: green apple, red currents, good concentration 3.6
De Belcier: creamy, ripe plum, weight but short 3.6
Grand Tertre: perfumed, good fruit simple 3.2
La Roche Beaulieu: smoky bacon, tight elegant palate 3.2
Lamartine: concentrated raisons, little short 3
Bel-Air: sweet cherry and strawberry, light, perfumed 3
Fontpeyre Clement: smoky, black fruit, plums, acid a little high. Ok 3 B
Ch Brehat: perfumed, light fruity 2.9
Beynat: perfumed, ok fruit, simple 2.9 B
Ampelia: sweet cassis, fruity mid palate, acid finish 2.8 B
L'Estang: red fruits, light 2.8
Des Demoiselles: good black fruits, lots of tannin (not wood) 2.8
Prieur Saint-Florent: reduced, simple fruit 2.8
Robin: elegant cassis, light 2.7
Oryade: burnt match, light 2.6
Moulin de Clotte: light cassis, dilute 2.4
Canon Montsegur: pressy nose, light 2.3
Clos Vedelago: fresh red fruit, light 2.3
Pitray: light and green 2.2
Ch Terrasson cuvee Prevenche: red fruits, simple, brett on finish? 2
La Fleur Fompeyre: reduced, thin fruit 2.1 B
Cafol: red fruit, acid+ 2 B
Bois Robin: grilled nuts, light, acid+ 2 B
Lescaneaut: animal, acid 2 B
Les Fleurs de Trentin: brett B
Des Rochers: brett, green apple
Identité Ch. La Nauze: ethanol, green apple sample problem?
La Nauze: green apple, chocolate sample problem?
Franc Le Fleur cuvée Mouna: green apple, acid+ sample problem? B
Franc Le Fleur: sample problem? B

Time for a beer! Tomorrow I hit Saint Emilion and Pomerol.