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With just over 80% merlot in the blend, this is naturally a rich and flamboyant wine, with hints of sweet plums and cocoa. The tannins are present, but there are masses of dense fruit to support them and give an overriding sensation of warm ripe flavours.
With just over 80% merlot in the blend, this is naturally a rich and flamboyant wine, with hints of sweet plums and cocoa. The tannins are present, but there are masses of dense fruit to support them and give an overriding sensation of warm ripe flavours.
A complex set of aromas ranging from coffee to forest floor, herbs, licorice, blackberries, cassis and cherries all seem to jump from the glass, and then are joined by a hint of charcoal as well camphor. This is an impressive, full-bodied, dense, concentrated wine that is more up-front and approachable than the 2005 was at a similar stage, but it is remarkably expressive, full-bodied, dense and capable of lasting 20-25 years. Showing better from bottle than it did from barrel, this wine comes very close to equaling the prodigious 2005. Cropped at 25 hectoliters per hectare from the limestone hillsides of this terroir, the final blend was 81% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc that tipped the scales at 14.6% natural alcohol. It is a brilliant sample of wine, as this has long been one of the great terroirs of St.-Emilion, but under-exploited until nearly a decade ago. Drink: 2012 - 2037
This is another 2009 that does not live up to the extraordinary quality of the 2005, but it is a fascinating wine nevertheless. Composed of 81% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc, it tips the scales at 14.8% natural alcohol. The wunderkind team of Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt has produced a dense, rich, soft, relatively seamless, elegant example of Larcis Ducasse, without the concentration found in the 2005. The 2009 reveals a generous sweet spot in the middle along with lots of glycerin, and a wonderful round opulence, but I did not see the potential complexity or sheer concentration of their best wine to date, the 2005. Look for the 2009 to age easily for two decades. Drink: 2010 - 2030
Seductive aroma of crushed red-berry fruit. Exceptional fruit and flavour. Fine tannins, freshness and length. Real personality. As good as 2005. Drink 2016-2030.
South of Pomerol lies the medieval, perched village of St Emilion. Surrounding St Emilion are vines that produce round, rich and often hedonistic wines. Despite a myriad of soil types, two main ones dominate - the gravelly, limestone slopes that delve down to the valley from the plateau and the valley itself which is comprised of limestone, gravel, clay and sand. Despite St Emilion's popularity today, it was not until the 1980s to early 1990s that attention was brought to this region. Robert Parker, the famous wine critic, began reviewing their Merlot-dominated wines and giving them hefty scores. The rest is history as they say. Similar to the Médoc, there is a classification system in place which dates from 1955 and outlines several levels of quality. These include its regional appellation of St Emilion, St Emilion Grand Cru, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé and St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, which is further divided into "A" (Ausone and Cheval Blanc) and "B" (including Angélus, Canon, Figeac and a handful of others). To ensure better accuracy, the classification is redone every 10 years enabling certain châteaux to be upgraded or downgraded depending on on the quality of their more recent vintages.
