2009 Croix de Beaucaillou

Tasting this soon after the 2009 Fleur de Clinet, it seems that the second wines of the Bordeaux big brands are really good and are ready for drinking now in 2014.

This second wine of Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou was ready to drink almost right out of the bottle.  Medium bodied and very pleasant. It is not a strong wine but is soft, fruity with a hint of sweetness. Goes well with some meats cooked Chinese style -  like roast pork and suckling pig!  At less than $80, I am glad I had bought a case of this.  Let's see how it progresses.

Fleur de Clinet 2009

 

 Chateau Clinet scored a perfect 100 points from Robert Parker for their 2009 vintage.   Jancis Robinson scored it 19/20.  This must be an amazing wine.  However for mere mortals the cost of perfection is prohibitive.  The next best thing is to go for their second wine, Fleur de Clinet.  It tasted far better than we had expected from a second wine.  With just less than an hour of opening,  the wine was breathing well.  This is a fine, smooth, full bodied wine with a bouquet and taste of dark cherries and blue berries. Went very well with the cheese that was served on that day.   At less than $80, it is a bargain.  The trouble is that this is not easy to locate here in Singapore.

A Tale of Two Chablis

Recently I had tasted two bottles of Chablis from the same maker but from different vintages and from different climats.  I was amazed by the big differences. The common factor in both bottles was the producer Jean Paul & Benoit Droin.  The first bottle was a 2007 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot

Over a Teochew dinner, I had high expectations of this Grand Cru. However much to my disappointment, this bottle turned out to be very average, not any different from any generic Chablis. Pleasant drinking but low on concentration and taste.  Fortunately, the producer redeemed themselves after I had the chance to try a bottle of 2009 Chablis Grand Cru Vaudesir.  

The difference was like day and night.   Here was a wine with character and complexity. With a delicate nose, it tasted of a combination of mangos and apricot with a strong hint of minerality. It had a long finish.  I believe this one has the potential to age. It will be interesting to taste this again after 3 to 5 years.

2011 Domaine Bruno Clair Marsannay Les Longeroies From one of the best producers in Marsannay, this was a fruity light wine to go with some local snacks on this sunny afternoon. A bit too sharp on the palate for my liking,  but the kueh pai tee was delicious.

Clos du Marquis 2004

Very soon after drinking the 2006 vintage of this wine (see earlier post), I had the opportunity to taste the 2004 at a Chinese lunch. With a cepage of 57% cabernet sauvignon, 38% merlot, 3% petit verdot, 2% cabernet franc, this was a softer wine with a fruity taste of cherries.  At ten years, the tannins have fully mellowed, giving the wine a very smooth texture. It went perfectly with the xiao long paos you can see in the picture.

Clos du Marquis 2006

A second label by the good people of Chateau Leovillle Lascases, the Clos du Marquis is an understated wine from St Julien.  It had a bouquet of dark plums and a hint of oak.  Not very concentrated, but smooth.  A very good wine to go with medium flavoured meats.  In this case, it provided good accompaniment with the tuna tempura which tasted more meat-like than fish.

2009 Alain Hudelot Noellat Chambolle Musigny

This bottle of Chambolle Musigny was very well-rounded and delicious.  Its plummy rich taste made it a good pairing with some of the meat dishes done Chinese style.  Here you can see the claypot pork belly and the lamp chop.   Flavourful dishes but not too heavy as to overwhelm the delicateness of this burgundy.