This week I had the pleasure of attending the Bordeaux Barrel to Bottle tasting in New York, and one section of the tasting was devoted to tasting of barrel samples from members of Le Cercle Rive Droite, a consortium of producers from the Right Bank of Bordeaux (meaning that they are located on the Right Bank of the Gironde River; most of these wines are predominantly merlot). For any of you who still believe Miles from “Sideways” and think that merlot sucks, there were quite a few wines in this tasting that could change your mind in a hurry.

Evaluating barrel samples is tough- the wines are so young at this point, they can feel like something between juice and wine – they haven’t had time to settle and develop complexity yet, or else the complexity that is there is hidden behind the sometimes dominating fruit flavors.

The good news is, the fruit flavors in the 2009 vintage are very, very good. Most of the chateau owners present told me that the weather was perfect in 2009 – enough warmth to get excellent ripeness, without fear of rain that might dilute the grapes, enabling producers to pick exactly when their grapes reached optimum ripeness.

The scores below are just preliminary due to the early nature of barrel samples. The chateau included in the tasting are not quite the very highest tier of Bordeaux chateau in terms of price and prestige, but there are some heavy hitters in the lineup that can compete with just about anyone. Here are my most notable wines, followed by complete notes in the order the samples were tasted.

Top-scoring wines

2009 Ch. La Fleur de Gay – my top wine of the tasting, this showed roasted nut/earth, fine slate, and some herbal character on the nose; a bit more perfumey than the other samples, the style is not hugely powerful, but refined and classy, with varietal character. Not as much complexity shows on palate as it does on the nose at this point, but I believe the material is there – tasty fruit, good ripeness, with a hint of spice on nose that I think will develop into good complexity. 93-95 pts. Reminds me a bit of La Conseillante.

2009 Ch. Rol Valentin – my big-time sleeper of the tasting, this chateau may surprise many people with its quality in the 2009 vintage. It’s initially a little minty on the nose with sweet fruits; the palate has irresistible sweet fruit, as well as some spice. This is sweet without manufacturing it from heavy oak use, which can lead to artificial-feeling flavors; the allure comes from juicy, high quality fruit. Among the best samples today, it feels a little more evolved and less primary than most. This is not hugely complex yet, but makes an excellent showing based on the fruit, very sweet and pleasant across the palate. A real sleeper, no mistake – tasted three times to make sure. 92-94+ points.

2009 Ch. Clos L’Eglise (Pomerol) – a bit of spice and complexity; has power, quite tannic; retasted later in the tasting, this showed a little coffee on the nose, with very round fruits – refined, quite perfumey, very good, 92-94.

2009 Ch. Fleur Cardinale - a little spicy character, generous fruit, quality-wise this looks to be in line with other recent vintages of Fleur Cardinale, which have been very strong; slight bit of perfume, certainly good concentration, round in style but not getting complexity yet at this point.  92-94

Other notables

A pair of wines from winemakers Thibaut and Magali Decoster, 2009 Ch. La Commanderie and 2009 Clos des Jacobins, showed full, rich flavors in a modern style, with some herbal character showing through to give the wines more complexity.  Mr. Thibaut (nephew of the owners of Ch. Fleur Cardinale) gave me an interesting explanation about the difference between these two wines: he told me the clay-limestone in the soil of Clos des Jacobins allows the fruit to stay “fresher” than the gravel and sand at La Commanderie, enabling slower development leading to higher quality fruit at Clos des Jacobins. This, he tells me, allows Jacobins to age for 20-25 years, whereas he considers La Commanderie a 15 year wine.  I rated both of these wines 91-93 points.

Also, a pair of wines from Fronsac, owned by the Herve family, caught my attention as well.  2009 Chateau La Vieille Cure is a wine of considerable power, but also some nuance and definition.  The 2009 Ch. Moulin Haut Laroque, their longtime family estate, is deep and concentrated, showing less finesse than La Vieille Cure, but its power cuts a broad swath across the palate.  Both are impressive sleeper picks in the $25-$40 range and the top wines I tasted from the Fronsac appellation. Haut-Carles from Fronsac also made a strong showing.

Also, another surprise was a new discovery: 2009 Ch. de Pressac, owned by Mr. Jean-Francois Quenin, showed sweet fruits with a slight talcum powder feel, and a taste of his second wine, Ch. Tour de Pressac (I did not catch the vintage, but it was not a barrel sample) was surprisingly close in quality to his top wine.

Full tasting notes (with clickable links to CellarTracker info for each wine):

BORDEAUX BARREL TO BOTTLE TASTING, LE CERCLE RIVE DROITE – New York (3/11/2010-3/15/2010)

• 2009 Château de la Dauphine – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Fronsac (3/13/2010)
  Primary, strong, bit of bitterness on finish; not too much oak showing on the nose, but it shows on the palate. Has potential. 86-87 (barrel sample)
• 2009 Haut-Carles – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Fronsac (3/13/2010)
  Showing a bit more complexity than the Dauphine, a bit of spice with sweet fruit; palate is tannic, deep, spicy. Pretty impressive 89-91 very well done for Fronsac (barrel sample) (90 pts.)
• 2009 Château Fonplégade – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (3/13/2010)
  Tannic, deep and concentrated, fairly smooth, not a lot of spice; bit more power than the 06 tasted just before 89-92 (barrel sample) (91 pts.)
• 2009 Château Barde-Haut – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (3/13/2010)
  Licorice showing on the nose; grapey. Has a slightly chemical/ estery sense to the nose at this point; sweet but simple fruit. 84-87, but could improve if the chemical thing resolves. (barrel sample) (85 pts.)
• 2009 Clos l’Église (Pomerol) – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol (3/13/2010)
  A bit of spice and complexity; has power, quite tannic; retasted later in the tasting, this showed a little coffee on the nose, with very round fruits – refined, quite perfumey, very good, 92-94 (barrel sample) (93 pts.)

• 2009 Château La Fleur de Gay – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol (3/13/2010)
  my top wine of the tasting, this showed roasted nut/earth, fine slate, and some herbal character on the nose; a bit more perfumey than the other samples, the style is not hugely powerful, but refined and classy, with varietal character. Not as much complexity shows on palate as it does on the nose at this point, but I believe the material is there – tasty fruit, good ripeness, with a hint of spice on nose that I think will develop into good complexity. 93-95 pts. Reminds me a bit of La Conseillante. (barrel sample) (94 pts.)
• 2009 Château Le Moulin – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol (3/13/2010)
  Simpler than fleur de gay, not as concentrated 87-88 (barrel sample) (87 pts.)
• 2009 Château Grand Corbin-Despagne – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (3/13/2010)
  A little spice and character on the palate 87-89 (barrel sample) (88 pts.)
• 2009 Château Fleur Cardinale – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (3/13/2010)
  a little spicy character, generous fruit, quality-wise this looks to be in line with other recent vintages of Fleur Cardinale, which have been very strong; slight bit of perfume, certainly good concentration, round in style but not getting complexity yet at this point. 92-94 (barrel sample) (93 pts.)
• 2009 Château La Fleur de Boüard – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lalande de Pomerol (3/13/2010)
  Feels more evolved and less primary than the other samples; good, not huge, bit of herbal character, perfume, lead pencil. Really quite good, excellent for the appellation, and more complexity shown here than in the 2003 and 2006 vintages of this wine (I have not tasted their 2005). 91-92+ (barrel sample) (92 pts.)
• 2009 Château La Commanderie St. Émilion Grand Cru – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (3/13/2010)
  Fuller rounder sample than the Fleur de Bouard tasted just before this, showing much more power; tannic but smooth and round, with sweet fruits and some herbal varietal character that is welcome. Oak showing; this is quite nice, in a modern style. Nice bit of perfume as well. 91-93 (barrel sample) (92 pts.)
• 2009 Château Clos des Jacobins – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (3/13/2010)
  More spice than the La Commanderie; similarly tannic and concentrated. 91-93+ On retaste, same, showing a bit more green herbal varietal character. Very good. (barrel sample) (92 pts.)

• 2009 Château Boutisse – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (3/15/2010)
  Located in the commune St. Christophe des Bardes; good and round, nice acidity. This is totally decent, with not quite the power of the samples tasted just before it, and maybe a bit simple too. 88-91. (barrel sample) (89 pts.)
• 2009 Château Jean-Faure St. Émilion Grand Cru – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (3/13/2010)
  A chateau whose wine I liked very much in the 05 vintage, this shows a bit greener and herbal than most of the samples today, almost floral – owing to the high percentage of cabernet franc in the blend. Also some olive, savory character; bit of spice, medium-strong power. I expect this to be in line with the 2005, some dark notes on the finish, good concentration 91-93. (barrel sample) (92 pts.)
• 2009 Château La Vieille Cure – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Fronsac (3/15/2010)
  A little olive, fairly concentrated and deep – there’s power here. Not a huge wine, but has definition, quite nice; bit of bitterness, perhaps a bit extracted, but not as powerful as some of the others. 91-93 pts. (barrel sample) (92 pts.)
• 2009 Château Moulin Haut-Laroque – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Fronsac (3/15/2010)
  Deep and concentrated, with some sweet fruit; very impressive for what it is, cuts a broad swath across the palate, a bit rough and tumble; not as finessed as Vieille Cure but more power here 91-93. A sleeper (barrel sample) (92 pts.)
• 2009 Château Siaurac – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lalande de Pomerol (3/15/2010)
  little bit of floral, but nothing special here 83-84 (barrel sample) (83 pts.)

• 2009 Château Rol Valentin – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (3/13/2010)
  my big-time sleeper of the tasting, this chateau may surprise many people with its quality in the 2009 vintage. It’s initially a little minty on the nose with sweet fruits; the palate has irresistible sweet fruit, as well as some spice. This is sweet without manufacturing it from heavy oak use, which can lead to artificial-feeling flavors; the allure comes from juicy, high quality fruit. Among the best samples today, it feels a little more evolved and less primary than most. This is not hugely complex yet, but makes an excellent showing based on the fruit, very sweet and pleasant across the palate. A real sleeper, no mistake – tasted three times to make sure. 92-94+ points. (barrel sample) (94 pts.)
• 2009 Château de Laussac – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Côtes de Castillon (3/15/2010)
  Bottle says Cotes de Castillon/Cotes de Bordeaux. Has a very dark fruits feel, perhaps a bit extracted, but it’s got some sweet fruit to it, not hugely distinguished, but totally decent. Very grapey, very primary. 87-88 (87 pts.)
• 2009 Château La Sergue – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lalande de Pomerol (3/15/2010)
  Has broad, round fruit but not finessed, maybe slightly cheap feeling fruit with oak that imparts a bit of a plastic feel. Powerful, grapey, but nothing special here. (84 pts.)
• 2009 Château du Gaby – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Canon-Fronsac (3/15/2010)
  Nose very full, verging on dark fruits, with a hint of a plastic aroma. Palate is smooth, but nondescript. 84-85. (barrel sample) (84 pts.)
• 2009 Château Haut Ballet – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Canon-Fronsac (3/15/2010)
  Somewhat lighter nose; a bit floral; kind of dark, extracted, spicy – but not that pleasing 85-86 (barrel sample)
• 2009 Château La Rose Perrière – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lussac-St. Émilion (3/15/2010)
  Nose: little bit of red fruits, a bit of talcum powder; palate is interesting, a little spice, fairly primary, decent. A little bit of olive on the finish 85-87 (barrel sample) (86 pts.)
• 2009 Château de Pressac – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (3/15/2010)
  Fairly sweet fruits on the nose, a bit of talcum powder; palate is pleasing, very nicely done. 90-92 (barrel sample) (91 pts.)
• 2006 Château Tour de Pressac – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (3/15/2010)
  Alcohol on the nose, good decent concentration, sweet fruits happening 89-90. Very decent, quite enjoyable. Well done for a 2nd wine from an unheralded estate. (89 pts.)

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