Past Issues: Tasting Bordeaux --
Medoc & Haut-Medoc Tasting Notes

Chateau Citran 1997 Haut-Medoc ($22). Nice and fruity, with juicy blackberry and cherry fruit on a medium frame. Subtle earthy and dark chocolate accents. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years.

Chateau Camensac 1998 Haut-Medoc ($24). Appealing bouquet leads to soft black cherry and plum fruit that show some richness and finesse. Earth and mineral notes. Nice finish. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years.

Chateau Patache d’Aux 1999 Haut-Medoc ($11). Good value on this medium-bodied, pleasing wine. Berry and cherry fruit, with smooth chocolate and oak notes. Ready to drink now.

Chateau Pontoise Cabarrus 1999 Haut-Medoc ($11). Earth and mocha notes on the bouquet continue on the palate, with straightforward berry and cherry fruit. Ready to drink now.

Chateau Sociando-Mallet 1999 Haut-Medoc ($30). This was the most expensive wine of the tasting – and also the best. Seductive bouquet leads to concentrated cherry and plum fruit, with earth and tobacco notes developing on the generous finish. Good structure and complexity. Ready to drink now and over the next four or five years.

Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) 2000 Medoc Reserve Speciale ($15). A good buy – focused plum and currant fruit, with leather and dark chocolate accents. Medium-bodied, solid finish, smooth tannins. Ready to drink now and over the next five years – if not longer!

As an aside, we also had the opportunity to taste a 1988 Chateau Loudenne Medoc. Released at around $10, it would probably sell in the $20-$25 range now. Although it was showing a brownish red color, it was still perfectly drinkable and pretty tasty. Rich cherry fruit with espresso and oak notes, with a solid finish. Although 1988 was a good red Bordeaux year, this particular wine didn’t receive very high marks when it was released. It was a nice reminder for us of how well these wines age – and what remarkable things time can do to wine!

So what did we think of these wines? We liked them! Again – there is a range of quality here, with the Sociando-Mallet being the obvious favorite. We tasted the wines blind (with the exception of the 1988 Loudenne), and it turned out that the most expensive bottle was also the favorite. This is certainly not the case in all of our wine tastings; we'll have to keep an eye on this possible trend as our Bordeaux tastings progress!

Primarily, we’re really enjoying getting over the intimidation hurdle and into buying and drinking Bordeaux. Next up are Listrac and Moulis – one more relatively inexpensive tasting before we hit the pricier stuff!