Hi everybody,
I am sort of in a Bordeaux vibe lately and I am starting to get familiar with the grapes, the differences in the soil, the vintages and even the different AOC’s.
The wine I am going to taste today holds the AOC “Médoc”. This is the AOC closest to the sea at the north-west top area of the left bank. What is particular for me is the classification “Cru Bourgeois” on the label.
Château Poitevin - AOC Médoc 2008
As you know or may not know, the best Médoc wineries became classified in 1855 with the famous system of ‘growths’ or ‘crus’. You have the famous first growths like Chateau Margaux or Chateau Latour, and a lot of other wineries that are classified as a first, second, third, fourth or fifth growth. The classification was simply based on the QPR of the wines, and it still is a more or less honest representation of the situation today.
However, the list of growths is quite fixed, but 160 years along the road, other wineries were established and started to grow wine. Some of them deserve a special mention and that is why they invented a secondary or parallel system : the Cru Bourgeois. In 2003, the last list was published, and there are 3 categories from high to low : Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, followed by Cru Bourgeois Supérieur and straight Cru Bourgeois.
So as a little recap, in 1855 they made a fixed list of big players. But next to it, there is a more active classification system called the “Cru Bourgeois” system. What I am going to taste thus is a normal Cru Bourgeois. So I guess it should be worth a taste :)
Be sure to check the comment of Nick below if you want to know why it is so difficult to understand french wine. :)
Some other wine facts before we start:
Let’s go!
Appearance
It’s always hard to tell something useful about the colour of a wine.
This one is just very dark ruby red. I notice nothing exceptional or wrong, and maybe that’s a good sign.
Nose
I am very happy again to have a merlot based wine in my glass that was not aged in new oak. This gives the fruit so much more expression in the nose, but it’s clear the oak adds complexity. Actually, the nose reminds me of an overtoasted piece of bread, some fresh butter on top of it, and a nice thick layer of a fresh fruit jam of blackberries and blueberries.
From time to time, I also got a little hint of clove, but it’s very subtle.
I really like the nose, and I guess the wine will be very drinkable.
Taste
My description of the nose is actually pretty spot on.
Imagine you had a bite of this toast with jam.
What happens:
This wine is in balance just because of this experience. The different components make the wine interesting, and they all work together very well.
Finish
And now, it even gets better.
On the finish I get the same fruits as in the mouth, but at the same time a lot of almonds, even going towards marzipan.
This is another wine that keeps me busy and makes me fill my glass over and over again. Now that I look at the bottle, I notice it’s almost empty. Woops.
What I like about this wine is that everyone will enjoy it, from the untrained wine lover to the wine professional. At every stage something interesting is happening and the wines does not become boring or heavy.
I like.
Aaagh, it feels good to be back behind my portable, ready to write another wine review!
As you’ve seen here on my blog, I just got back from a short trip to Bordeaux. A week after I decided to blog about Bordeaux wines, I suddenly got invited to visit the region. Obviously, it was impossible to say no to winery visits, dinner parties and more. But, one thing was hard for me : not be able to take my time and reflect about what I was drinking.
So now that’s about to change, because there is only 1 bottle on the table (not 10 or 20) and no food around.
So let’s dive in.
We are tasting cuvée “Les Hauts de Martet”, 2007 from Château Martet
The Chateau is located in the AOC region “Sainte-Foy-Bordeaux” : a very unknown area at the most eastern part of the “Entre-deux-mers” area (green zone on the wine map below).
The winery, once a hub on the road to Santiago de Compostella, was completely restructured around 20 years ago when it was bought by a new family who wanted to make wine. The 3 mayor Bordeaux grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot) were planted on the 25 hectares of vineyards that belonged to the winery. And that wasn’t logic at all.
The soil type of the vineyards is typical for the right bank : clay and limestone. This is the preferred type of soil for Merlot, but not so much for the 2 Cabernets. So, what the new owners did was to replant their non-merlot vineyards with 95% of Merlot, and 5% of Cabernet Franc (just in case the Merlot based wine needed some balance adjustments)
This wine from 2007 is made 100% from Merlot grapes which is quite unique in Bordeaux, just like a bottle of Petrus. For this cuvée, “les hauts de Martet”, the grapes from the newly planted grapevines were used. The first fermentation happens in big concrete vats after which the wine is aged for 18 months in used oak barrels. They also make another cuvée, “réserve de la famille” with a blend of grapes from old & new vines, where the fermentation and ageing happens in new oak.
This cuvée can be found for €11 on the Belgian market, the “réserve de la famille” has a price tag of €22 and actually just by knowing all this, I am glad I am going to try the ‘normal’ wine.
You all know I am a fan of drinkability!
So let’s taste and see If we should keep our eyes open for wines from AOC Sainte-Foy-Bordeaux :
Appearance
Due to the age of the wine, almost 5 years now, the colour is actually pretty close to perfection. Such a nice deep ruby red colour that lost all of its younger characteristics. I also like the legs on the wine, the density of the colour and the glossy surface. Jep, lookin’ good.
Nose
Oh, I am glad I picked this cuvée. No oak in the nose, only deep and complex dark fruit. Typical for Merlot, I get hints of chocolate, hazelnut peel and fresh tobacco. Plus, a nice plum jam that is lifted by a certain energy.
More and more, I am looking for this energy: you can actually smell that your wine is alive and is willing to tell you his story. And for me, it’s often the soil that gives this energy. I’m not speaking of minerality, because I find it difficult to find that in a red wine, especially with a round and soft grape like Merlot. Let’s call it soil soul.
Taste
Told you so! It’s fresh and alive.
The balance on this wine is really really good. The tannins are soft and smooth, there is just enough acidity to keep your mouth juicy enough. (You will never get a high acidity crispy wine with Merlot) and the flavour comes through in the end. Even the alcohol 13% is nicely covered.
I might be a bit brief in this description, but I just have nothing to add. It’s very nice to drink!
Finish
The finish has more fruit then the nose. The hazelnut peel and tobacco notes are gone, only the chocolate stays. But, we gained some fruits : plum is still there, but I got some nice blueberry and blackberry notes as well.
This is just SO good actually.
I like the fact that the wine is so easy and so interesting at the same time. There is a subtle evolution from the nose to the finish that makes me refill my glass and have another go at it. Jep, this deserves a gold medal. I would really suggest my friends to try this.
#wine #badboys #bordeaux (Taken with instagram)
Sippin’ #cremant de #bordeaux on a boat in the sun. I know :) #wine #winelover (Taken with instagram)
This picture is the perfect resumé for the #wine from #chateau #biac : fun and serious. Really enjoyable!! #bordeaux (Taken with instagram)
This is how the back looks like :) (Taken with instagram)