Last year we attended the 2010 Bordeaux tasting at the Rosen Shingle Creek, and it was a terrific event, so we were looking forward to this year’s version. Quite a few of our friends also attended, so there were 15 of us in all. That was actually a fairly large percentage of the total attendance of 150-200, which seemed to be down from last year, perhaps because ABC provided no way to buy the tickets online.
The event was held in one of the large conference spaces at the Rosen. We’d planned to have some sushi before hand, but a large sales convention had taken over nearly all the restaurants. We ended up at the bar of A Land Remembered for a tuna appetizer.
At the event we quickly learned why 2011 is not regarded as a great year in Bordeaux. The wines were mostly tannic but green, short, off balance, and thin. Certainly nothing like the 2009s and 2010s. Interestingly, though, the better producers managed to make significantly better wines than the lesser ones. While this isn’t surprising, the stratification was noteworthy, with almost no wines in the middle. Each wine seemed to be either completely unappealing or very good, with almost none falling in between.
It only took about an hour to try most of the promising wines, although we skipped a few whites and the Sauternes. As was the case last year, the obscure Château St. Pierre was probably the best buy.
The food last year was plentiful, but this year is seemed either more limited or simply delayed, and the attendees fell on it like hungry wolves. With long lines for the hot food we decided to leave and go to Calla Bella, the hotel’s Italian restaurant. We had a fairly uninspired meal there last year, but this year, sitting at the presentation bar that faces the kitchen we had excellent food and service. The Marguerita flatbread was authentically Italian, the Chilean sea bass was done with a deft touch, and the mushroom side was great.
If they do the event again next year I will definitely go, but I suspect similar results for the 2012 vintage.
Here are my notes on the wines:
Château d’Aiguilhe
Tight 88
Château Branaire Ducru
Tannic, some potential 89
Château Brane Cantenac
Really tannic 88
Brane Baron
Balanced 90
Château Camensac
Drinkable vanilla 88
Château Canon La Gaffelière
Green 89
Château Cantemerle
Very green 86
Château Cantenac Brown
Tannic 88
Château Carbonnieux
White: SB nose, astringent 85
Red: balanced 88
Château Chasse Spleen
Very rough 86
Château Clinet
Great structure 95
Daugay
Smooth but short 89
Clos de L’Oratoire
Tight, thin 87
Ferriere
Short 86
Fombrauge
Tannic 87
Château Gloria
Great coffee nose 91
Château Grand Puy Lacoste
Balanced 90
Lacoste Borie
Tannin mint 87
Château Haut Batailley
Very drinkable 92
Château Haut Bages Libéral
Green bitter 84
Château Lafon Rochet
Tannic green 85
Château LaPointe
Varietal balanced 94
De LaPointe
Merlot 89
La Tour Carnet
Good structure 90
Château Langoa Barton
Rough 85
Château Léoville Barton
Smooth 87
Château Léoville Poyferré
Mint, nice balance 95
Château Lynch Bages
Tannic 89
Echo de Lynch Bages
Drinkable 85
Clos Marsalette
Smooth 89
Phelan Segur
Awkward 87
Château Pichon Longueville Baron
Good structure 94
Château Suduiraut
Pape Clement
Great structure 95
Pibran
Dense, chocolate, coffee, Pauillac 93
Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Coffee gravel smooth 95
Château St. Pierre
Beautiful coffee nose, great structure 94
Château Talbot
Great balance 95