Past Issues: Tasting Bordeaux -- Saint-Julien

We so enjoyed our last Tasting Bordeaux installment – Margaux – that we’re tempted to just stop there and revel in it indefinitely. But onward and upward, well North-ward anyway, to Saint-Julien. Another high-end Medoc appellation, Saint-Julien is a small enclave of some 1700 acres along the river, where the soil generally contains more clay than Margaux, and the wines are then thought to be correspondingly richer. Like Margaux, Saint-Julien emphasizes Cabernet Sauvignon over Merlot in the blend percentages.

And so, once again, off we went to do a little shopping. As with our previous Bordeaux tastings, we simply purchased a selection of what was available at a local wine store. We paid little attention to vintages and did not do any advance research on particular wine reviews. The idea here, again, is to get a practical experience with the wines – and that includes the shopping experience!

Here’s what we picked up:

Chateau Leoville-Las Cases 1999 St. Julien $102
Chateau Leoville-Poyferre 1997 St. Julien $55
Chateau Leoville-Barton 1997 St. Julien $60
Chateau Gruaud-Larose 1998 St. Julien $58
Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou 1999 St. Julien $66
Chateau Lagrange 1996 St. Julien $49
Chateau Langoa-Barton 1997 St. Julien $48
Chateau Beychevelle 2000 St. Julien $32 (375 ml)
Chateau Hortevie 2000 St. Julien $22

We’ll report back next issue with our tasting notes!