Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Bordeaux 2009: The day Before…

Arrive Bordeaux on the 27th March and was welcome warmly by my friend Bruno from Vignoble Aubert who family owns Chateau La Couspaude and Chateau Haut-Gravet in St Emilion. This year I am lucky as I received my baggage without delay. According to Bruno, It was great weather last week and he was enjoying the sunny day but was windy like Chicago.
Dinner on the first day in Bordeaux in Bruno’s House and the chef, Cecile. Bruno’s wife or the duck specialise. Why? Cecile’s weekly balance diet must include duck at least 3 meals in a week.
Duck breat+liver pie with prunes and goat cheese for starter. Tasty and we down it with Chteau Haut -Gravet 2000. Main course is duck fillet back with maple syrup +balsamic and went sexy with Chateau La Couspaude 2006.

On Sunday. I ask Bruno his view regarding the hype 2009 vintage. And he says in 2009, his wine from Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux Superior( generic Bordeaux) till his premium St Emilion Grand Classe is well balance with good acid, good tannin and lush alcohol. “ We did not do a lot of treatment to the grapes in the cellar for 2009 as compare to 2007. Emily(his sister in-law and the cellarmaster of the family wineries) is happy that the grape is in perfect condition during harvest and the ripeness of the tannin.” I am comfortable with his views after series tasting of his wine the next day in my apartment in Bordeaux centre. Together in the tasting is my friend from Singapore Peter and his wife.
Bruno giving a wine presentation of Domaine de Aubert
wines

That night, Bruno’s parents in-law Alain and Benedict host a dinner in Chateau de Ribebon one of their property in Libourne . Alain and Benedict in total owns and manage in total 6 families vineyard in right bank of Bordeaux which includes Chateau La Couspaude. Lovely dinner starts with warm pan fried of duck liver with spring pear and green plum; main course is duck breast grill on the Chateau fireplace( Benedict secret is using the vine from winter pruning as wood fire)
Vertical tasting of Chteau Haut Gravet. The 2000 vintage
is serve from Magnum and decanted for 1 hour.

Highlight of the evening is the vertical tasting of Chateau Haut-Gravet 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 and the 2000 Vintage in Magnum. It is very interesting as I compare the wine of 2009 with the 2000 and find a similarity: subtleness and ripe tannin. Alain later elaborate that the 2009(gift from the god) for him is as good if not better than his 2000, he is very happy that they did not have to do many treatment for the vintage, though he was equally anxious during the harvest as everything is perfect from winter till autumn and he can’t afford any mistake in the winemaking process.
My opinion for the 2009 wine from Domaine Aubert: we have a lots of fruits, red and black synchronise with balance acid, sweet tannin cover with big alcohol. Even the basic range is well made. Good effort and well done to Alain and Emily!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why have you stopped posting ? Did both of you have an argument ?

Lionel Lau + Chris Low said...

WE HAVE BEEN MUTE FOR A WHILE, WE ARE BACK!