Tasty SOMMary – UGC 2015 Vintage Bordeaux Review

這星期四參加了由 UGC (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux) 主辦的波爾多品飲會,如果只能用兩個字形容, 那就是 - 精彩!

因為今年是 2015 的發行年, 如果你還沒有聽過, 就讓我現在來告訴你 - 2015年真的是可以與 09 和 10 年媲美的一個 Lengen- wait for it - dary 的年份!  當場快要上百家的 Chateau 紅的白的甜的都有! 怎麼能不好好把握僅有的三個小時, 努力地把他們全部都喝完呢 (不要誤會喔, 我們在 trade tasting 都不是真的喝下去啦!! 一定都會吐出來不然還得了? 等著被撿屍啦! ) 我不得不承認, 這是我近年來最火力全開的一次 UGC tasting 了說!

在短短的三個小時之內我並沒有辦法嚐完所有的酒但也是試到了62 款, 我現在來為大家做幾個亮點介紹!

以大區域來講, 整體表現最佳的

第一名 : Margaux 區 (elegant yet powerful with great acid structure)
第二名: St Emilion 區 (complex, unique, earthy, minerally)
第三名: St Julien 區 (focused, sharp, age worthy)

基本上這個 2015 每一個區都表現得非常良好, 真的沒有什麼毛病可以挑, 酒也是一瓶比一瓶好喝, 回想到當年 2013 年份的UGC, 真的是要極努力才能夠找到幾個表現優秀的酒莊, 跟今年比真的是天壤之別啊!

其中令我印象最深刻的酒莊如下:

Les Carmes Haut Brion - The blend is mostly Cab Franc and showing classic Cab Franc signatures such as violet and purple floral. Super smooth on the palate, and generous on the mid-palate with a hint of brett (which I love, and it’s not over the top). The finish is savory and satisfying!

Canon - Very expressive and complex nose. Lots of warm spices intertwined with green and black olive notes. A hint of spicy element with glorious red floral aromas. Followed by baking spices, grounded coffee, and bittersweet chocolate. Persistent finish. 四個字 “回味無窮" !

Dassault - Focused, sharp, high intensity with bright red bing cherries. Expressive yet balanced all the way around with oak signatures of vanilla + cinnamon. A touch more herbal on the palate and finish with green tobacco, olives, and mint. Complex wine.

Grand Mayne - Quite a big presence of new oak, high-intensity wine with cranberry, cherry. It’s certainly red fruit driven. It is also layered nicely with smoke, tobacco leaves, and cigar notes. On the palate, the wine is chewy, savory, and meaty with a loooonnng finish. A firm and age-worthy wine!

 Pavie Macquin - Highly intense and expressive wine with bright and just ripe strawberries. Almost a hint of sweetness on the nose. Big mix bag of herb of Provence on the palate with elegant perfume and floral components. Generous umami covering the whole mouth, very satisfying finish.

La Cabanne - Sugar dusted cherries, a plentiful nose of sexy fruits. Smooth and beautiful mouthfeel with some spices on the finish. Firm tannin with yet another savory finish wine.

Rouget -  Did somebody said mixed red fruit pie? Packed in with Cranberry, strawberry, raspberry, you name it! Yet the acid is elevated enough to hold up to all the luscious fruit in the glass. This is the wine many industry professionals were in awe of that day.

Brane Cantenac - Elegant, floral, classic Margaux nose filled with red cherry, tart cranberry, and just ripe strawberry. Hints of wet red clay also in the background aided with refreshing acidity, smooth and integrated tannin. A complex wine, yet all the components complemented each other well.

Malescot Saint-Exupery - Super duper (yes that’s my exact note) perfumy! Just ripe red fruits mixed in with warm spices. Ripe cherry, plum, and prune all lined up nicely in the glass. The palate was broader than I imagined especially compared to other wines from Margaux. Firm tannin and age-worthy!

Rauzan-Segla - Intense red roses right out the gate. Lots of bing cherries and red currants. On the palate it’s smooth with hints of pebbles, crush rock minerality. Great tannin and acid structure. 四個字 “沒得挑剔”

Gruaud Larose - Warm, comforting spices on the nose with manly and broad fruit notes. Dense black fruits of Cassis, blackberries and plum. Touch of wet clay on the palate great acidity and freshness.

Leoville-Barton - Did I just stick my nose in a cup of hot cocoa? Vanilla, milk chocolate, lots of holiday spices stuffed together with bulk, black fruits. A high tannin and long finish wine that can use a lot more time in the cellar

Talbot - They are always consistent and this year is no different. Love the graphite notes with a touch of damp earth. Gravel and crushed rocks fills the palate, surprisingly easy drinking (I thought it would be tight and rough) quite a mineral driven wine with great balance.

Lynch Bages - Definitely a “super second” winery and well deserves the title. The wine is firm, bold, complex with my favorite note in a Bordeaux - graphite! Lots of minerality on the back drop and can definitely use more time aging!

Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - Mouthfeel mouthfeel, mouthfeel! Those Comtesse knows what they are doing! This wine is incredibly smooth in the palate with fresh, bright lively red fruity. It’s the perfect balance between elegance and power. Well done!

  

NOW, MY TWO FAVORITES FROM THE TASTING…..

Durfort Vivens - this little-known second growth from Margaux is killing it in recent vintages! There’s much power and complexity up front that almost reminded me of top wines from Pauillac! The black fruits, the graphite, it was definitely not shy and got lots to show for. Yet once in the palate, it’s light on its feet, smooth, soft, with a touch of spices mixed in. Followed by bright cherries, cranberry, strawberry, raspberry (you get the point) and they just kept on coming! The wine is so persistent in the finish I still can taste it two wines later! Amazing quality wine, and very affordable compared to many of the “well-known” second growth. A must buy!

 

Beychevelle - Hats off to Beychevelle, I loved it as soon as I stick my nose in it. Had to fight the urge to swallow and asking for a full glass refill! It was leathery, earthy, meaty, minerally, and almost sweaty (yes, I love my wines like that!) Tremendous black fruits, smoke, and cocoa continue to paint this wine into a masterpiece that it is. The palate was smooth as baby’s behind with very well integrated yet solid tannin. Both the tannin and acid are elevated which leads me to believe this can be a 25-30 years old wine, easy!

 

I had to list Durfort Vivens and Beychevelle both as my favorites because I literally could not pick just one of them. They were both done so well yet completely different in style!

PS. 當天我看到最可愛帥氣美麗的酒莊代表我全部都有照照片出來, 讓大家順便保養眼睛, 不用謝我沒關係! 哈哈

 

PSS. Time for me to buy some 2015 Bordeaux! Cheers

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