Originally posted 1/29/02
I attended the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting last week for a sampling of 1999 Bordeaux. I must say, I was fairly impressed with the way the wines showed and how consistent in quality most of them were. While certainly not a classic vintage by any means, there are many well-made, enjoyable wines, if not particularly complex.
Overall I found the wines possessed nice ripeness with supple tannins and low acidity that make for wines that offer delicious appeal and excellent near to medium-term drinking. In fact, this could be a vintage that lures lovers of California Cabernet Sauvignon back to Bordeaux as the wines seem fairly new world in style, though they hold their oak better, imo, than the Cal Cabs do. Additionally, given their drop in pricing, they make for a much better value than California wines do at the moment and they should be a godsend for the restaurant business, especially steak houses.
Brad
1999 Smith Haut-Lafitte- Pessac-Lognan
Aromas of black currant, herb and oak char. Easygoing and enjoyable now with nice fruit. The oak needs to integrate better, but pretty good stuff. B+/A-.
1999 Anglus- St. milion
70% Merlot 30% Cabernet Franc
Rich fruit and mocha aromas. Opulent, soft and sexy on the palate with delicious black fruit and spicy, coffeed oak. Theres a hint of bitterness on the finish, but it should fade when the oak integrates some. Supple tannins and low acidity make this very enjoyable now. A-.
1999 Beau-Sjour Bcot- St. milion
70% Merlot 24% Cabernet Franc 6% Cabernet Sauvignon
A touch closed on the nose, but swirling brought out black currant aromas. Nice purity of fruit on the palate, with mineral and herb flavors and deftly used oak. The wine could use a little more presence, though. A-/B+.
1999 Canon-La-Gaffelire- St. milion
58% Merlot 37% Cabernet Franc 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Beautiful, refined nose of black fruit, violets, herb and cedary oak. Shows a lot of class on the palate. Gorgeous fruit with wet black earth, chocolate and sweet spicy oak. The components are better integrated here than in most of the other wines present and it shows a little firmer backbone than others, too. Lovely wine. A-.
1999 Figeac- St. milion
40% Cabernet Sauvignon 40% Merlot 20% Cabernet Franc
Apparently there were a good number of corked and off bottles of this wine, but I managed to get a pour from one of the good ones. This is simply a swank wine, bursting with rich fruit and mocha on the nose and palate. Theres enough structure to keep the wine from becoming gobby, and to hold onto for some time, but its just deliciously decadent and very enjoyable now. A-.
1999 La Dominique- St. milion
80% Merlot 15% Cabernet Franc 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Black and red fruit, earth and oak on the nose. On the palate, the fruit is light and cant support the oak. The wood tannins give the wine too much of a bitter note. B.
1999 Beauregard- Pomerol
85% Merlot 15% Cabernet Franc
Sweet cassis, blackberries, violets and smoky oak aromas. Shows nice focus and purity of fruit on the palate, though has a bit too much wood. A-/B+.
1999 Gazin- Pomerol
85% Merlot 10% Cabernet Sauvignon 5% Cabernet Franc
Aromas of green pepper, herbs, mint and black fruit. Thankfully, the wine shows a lot more fruit on the palate than it gave an indication of on the nose and theres a hit of herb and mineral, but theres also a rather large dollop of oak to contend with. Much more so here than in most of the other wines. That said, theres enough fruit here to support it better than some of the other wines, but this is not a style I like. B+.
1999 Petit Village- Pomerol
Beautiful purity of black fruit on the nose and palate along with violets, lightly funky earth and chocolate. Theres a nice intensity about the wine and it carries its oak well. Time will smooth out some of the rough edges on the finish. A-.
1999 Branaire- St. Julien
70% Cabernet Sauvignon 20% Merlot 6% Petit Verdot 4% Cabernet Franc
Shows the least amount of oak of all the wines tried today. Sexy and voluptuous with delicious plum and cherry fruit and mineral notes. Only drawback is that it lacks the punch on the finish that it delivers upfront. Quite nice, though. A-.
1999 Gruaud Larose- St. Julien
70% Cabernet Sauvignon 22% Merlot 3% Petit Verdot 3% Malbec 2% Cabernet Franc
A small touch of Gruaud funk on the nose with herb and black fruit. Shows like your typical Gruaud: black fruit with a strong herbal component with the usually funkiness, though in a good way. Shows moderate oak. A solid wine, but one that doesnt inspire. B+/A-.
1999 Lagrange- St. Julien
Lots of ripe, fat fruit here with some spicy, sweet oak. Not particular complex, but its a tasty mouthful now. A-/B+.
1999 Loville Poyferr- St. Julien
70% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Merlot
Interesting nose with a strong, spicy cinnamon aspect to it. Plenty of fruit with a good dose of oak. Seems to me that the improved scores this estate has seen over the past few years has gone hand-in-hand with ramped up oak levels. Pleasant enough, but the oak tannins become a bit astringent on the finish. A-/B+.
1999 Talbot- St. Julien
65% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Merlot 5% Petit Verdot
Seems like your typical Talbot to me. The usual funkiness with herbs and wet earth. Barrels dominate the palate. The fruit is a bit light and the wine finishes with drying, bitter wood tannins. B.
1999 Lynch Bages- Pauillac
75% Cabernet Sauvignon 15% Merlot 10% Cabernet Franc
Fairly tight on the nose, but the Lynch Bages stink was discernable. Pleasant, if a bit light and diffuse on the palate with black currants, earth and cedar. Not bad, but nothing to get excited over. B+.
1999 Pichon-Longueville Baron- Pauillac
58% Cabernet Sauvignon 37% Merlot 5% Cabernet Franc
Ripe black fruit aromas with plenty of sweet oak char on the nose. Almost Californian in its style. This is one rich and ripe wine. Loads of sweet plums, black currants, licorice and sweet oak. The oak is much better integrated on the palate than one would think based on the nose. Drinks very nicely now, but has enough there to hang on for mid-term cellaring. Best wine of the tasting. Solid A-.
1999 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse-de-Lalande- Pauillac
47% Merlot 37% Cabernet Sauvignon 9% Cabernet Franc 7% Petit Verdot
Nice fruit and earth on the nose. Shows a certain classiness on the palate. Black fruit complimented by herb, graphite, earth and chocolate. A little tough on the finish, but overall quite nice. Low A-.
1999 Pontet-Canet- Pauillac
65% Cabernet Sauvignon 28% Merlot 6% Cabernet Franc
Subdued, but ripe nose. Chewy tannins with sweet black currants, mineral and moderate oak. The fruit is quite ripe and supports the oak well. A-/B+.
1999 Lafon-Rochet- St. stephe
60% Merlot 40% Cabernet Sauvignion
Black fruit and charred oak nose. Decent fruit levels, but the wine lacks depth and definition and finishes with astringent wood tannins. The winemaker mentioned that he took the wine out of new oak three months earlier than usual to preserve the fruit. Unfortunately, it doesnt appear to have helped too much. B.
I attended the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting last week for a sampling of 1999 Bordeaux. I must say, I was fairly impressed with the way the wines showed and how consistent in quality most of them were. While certainly not a classic vintage by any means, there are many well-made, enjoyable wines, if not particularly complex.
Overall I found the wines possessed nice ripeness with supple tannins and low acidity that make for wines that offer delicious appeal and excellent near to medium-term drinking. In fact, this could be a vintage that lures lovers of California Cabernet Sauvignon back to Bordeaux as the wines seem fairly new world in style, though they hold their oak better, imo, than the Cal Cabs do. Additionally, given their drop in pricing, they make for a much better value than California wines do at the moment and they should be a godsend for the restaurant business, especially steak houses.
Brad
1999 Smith Haut-Lafitte- Pessac-Lognan
Aromas of black currant, herb and oak char. Easygoing and enjoyable now with nice fruit. The oak needs to integrate better, but pretty good stuff. B+/A-.
1999 Anglus- St. milion
70% Merlot 30% Cabernet Franc
Rich fruit and mocha aromas. Opulent, soft and sexy on the palate with delicious black fruit and spicy, coffeed oak. Theres a hint of bitterness on the finish, but it should fade when the oak integrates some. Supple tannins and low acidity make this very enjoyable now. A-.
1999 Beau-Sjour Bcot- St. milion
70% Merlot 24% Cabernet Franc 6% Cabernet Sauvignon
A touch closed on the nose, but swirling brought out black currant aromas. Nice purity of fruit on the palate, with mineral and herb flavors and deftly used oak. The wine could use a little more presence, though. A-/B+.
1999 Canon-La-Gaffelire- St. milion
58% Merlot 37% Cabernet Franc 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Beautiful, refined nose of black fruit, violets, herb and cedary oak. Shows a lot of class on the palate. Gorgeous fruit with wet black earth, chocolate and sweet spicy oak. The components are better integrated here than in most of the other wines present and it shows a little firmer backbone than others, too. Lovely wine. A-.
1999 Figeac- St. milion
40% Cabernet Sauvignon 40% Merlot 20% Cabernet Franc
Apparently there were a good number of corked and off bottles of this wine, but I managed to get a pour from one of the good ones. This is simply a swank wine, bursting with rich fruit and mocha on the nose and palate. Theres enough structure to keep the wine from becoming gobby, and to hold onto for some time, but its just deliciously decadent and very enjoyable now. A-.
1999 La Dominique- St. milion
80% Merlot 15% Cabernet Franc 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Black and red fruit, earth and oak on the nose. On the palate, the fruit is light and cant support the oak. The wood tannins give the wine too much of a bitter note. B.
1999 Beauregard- Pomerol
85% Merlot 15% Cabernet Franc
Sweet cassis, blackberries, violets and smoky oak aromas. Shows nice focus and purity of fruit on the palate, though has a bit too much wood. A-/B+.
1999 Gazin- Pomerol
85% Merlot 10% Cabernet Sauvignon 5% Cabernet Franc
Aromas of green pepper, herbs, mint and black fruit. Thankfully, the wine shows a lot more fruit on the palate than it gave an indication of on the nose and theres a hit of herb and mineral, but theres also a rather large dollop of oak to contend with. Much more so here than in most of the other wines. That said, theres enough fruit here to support it better than some of the other wines, but this is not a style I like. B+.
1999 Petit Village- Pomerol
Beautiful purity of black fruit on the nose and palate along with violets, lightly funky earth and chocolate. Theres a nice intensity about the wine and it carries its oak well. Time will smooth out some of the rough edges on the finish. A-.
1999 Branaire- St. Julien
70% Cabernet Sauvignon 20% Merlot 6% Petit Verdot 4% Cabernet Franc
Shows the least amount of oak of all the wines tried today. Sexy and voluptuous with delicious plum and cherry fruit and mineral notes. Only drawback is that it lacks the punch on the finish that it delivers upfront. Quite nice, though. A-.
1999 Gruaud Larose- St. Julien
70% Cabernet Sauvignon 22% Merlot 3% Petit Verdot 3% Malbec 2% Cabernet Franc
A small touch of Gruaud funk on the nose with herb and black fruit. Shows like your typical Gruaud: black fruit with a strong herbal component with the usually funkiness, though in a good way. Shows moderate oak. A solid wine, but one that doesnt inspire. B+/A-.
1999 Lagrange- St. Julien
Lots of ripe, fat fruit here with some spicy, sweet oak. Not particular complex, but its a tasty mouthful now. A-/B+.
1999 Loville Poyferr- St. Julien
70% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Merlot
Interesting nose with a strong, spicy cinnamon aspect to it. Plenty of fruit with a good dose of oak. Seems to me that the improved scores this estate has seen over the past few years has gone hand-in-hand with ramped up oak levels. Pleasant enough, but the oak tannins become a bit astringent on the finish. A-/B+.
1999 Talbot- St. Julien
65% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Merlot 5% Petit Verdot
Seems like your typical Talbot to me. The usual funkiness with herbs and wet earth. Barrels dominate the palate. The fruit is a bit light and the wine finishes with drying, bitter wood tannins. B.
1999 Lynch Bages- Pauillac
75% Cabernet Sauvignon 15% Merlot 10% Cabernet Franc
Fairly tight on the nose, but the Lynch Bages stink was discernable. Pleasant, if a bit light and diffuse on the palate with black currants, earth and cedar. Not bad, but nothing to get excited over. B+.
1999 Pichon-Longueville Baron- Pauillac
58% Cabernet Sauvignon 37% Merlot 5% Cabernet Franc
Ripe black fruit aromas with plenty of sweet oak char on the nose. Almost Californian in its style. This is one rich and ripe wine. Loads of sweet plums, black currants, licorice and sweet oak. The oak is much better integrated on the palate than one would think based on the nose. Drinks very nicely now, but has enough there to hang on for mid-term cellaring. Best wine of the tasting. Solid A-.
1999 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse-de-Lalande- Pauillac
47% Merlot 37% Cabernet Sauvignon 9% Cabernet Franc 7% Petit Verdot
Nice fruit and earth on the nose. Shows a certain classiness on the palate. Black fruit complimented by herb, graphite, earth and chocolate. A little tough on the finish, but overall quite nice. Low A-.
1999 Pontet-Canet- Pauillac
65% Cabernet Sauvignon 28% Merlot 6% Cabernet Franc
Subdued, but ripe nose. Chewy tannins with sweet black currants, mineral and moderate oak. The fruit is quite ripe and supports the oak well. A-/B+.
1999 Lafon-Rochet- St. stephe
60% Merlot 40% Cabernet Sauvignion
Black fruit and charred oak nose. Decent fruit levels, but the wine lacks depth and definition and finishes with astringent wood tannins. The winemaker mentioned that he took the wine out of new oak three months earlier than usual to preserve the fruit. Unfortunately, it doesnt appear to have helped too much. B.