Tonight’s wines were presented in three flights, but firstly we posed the question, “is there still such a thing as Good Ordinary Claret?”  We looked at three basic Bordeaux at under £6.

In the ensuing flights, we examined left Bank wines from both the Medoc and Graves.  Here, the gravelly soils are preferred by Cabernet Sauvignon, so the blends tend to be firmer in structure, more long-lived and, to the English palate, more “classic”.

Initially, we looked at three wines from La Canicule (“the heatwave”) of 2003.  Launched in a blaze of hype, many have fallen short of their promise.  Cabernet Sauvignon fared better than Merlot, but the worst were overblown, lacking balance and acidity.

We then turned our attention to  4 successive vintages between 2002 and 1999.  Although we used different Chateaux, we wanted to see if there were recognisable differences in styles caused by seasonal variations.

FIRST FLIGHT

1.         Les Cinq Pattes 2003 Bordeaux £3.29

Nicely packaged, but French supermarket plonk of the worst kind.  Thin, with a hint of red berry fruit, this had hard tannins, a hot mouthfeel and a harsh, bitter finish.  Nasty.  (CHP 8, Bin Ends 0 votes)

2.         Terra Burdigala 2004 Bordeaux £4.20

Made under the auspices of leading wine consultant, Stephane Derenoncourt, this had a fine structure, with pleasing characters of plums, leather and tannins, with freshness and balance, although it lacked substance.  Lightweight.  (CHP 14, Bin Ends 0 votes)

3.         Tanners Claret NB Bordeaux £5.90

A Merlot-based blend by Sichel, this popular claret failed miserably.  There were some red fruits, but altogether lacked depth and complexity, made worse by an element of cork-taint.  (CHP 12, Bin Ends 0 votes)

Conclusion:  Don’t bother with claret at under £6.00

SECOND FLIGHT   2003 vintage – variable ratings from 5 – 9 (out of 10)

4.         Chateau Fonreaud 2003 Listrac £7.95

The wines of Listrac are generally regarded as more robust, if not a little rustic, and some producers report Cabernet Sauvignon is difficult to ripen.  Quality can be uneven.

No problems for the 2003 vintage, which had lovely red fruit with wood-shavings.  It was fresh, with good structure and balance.  Most agreeable.
(CHP 16+, Bin Ends 7 votes).

5.         Chateau Villa Bel-Air 2003 Graves £10.65

South of Bordeaux, the better reds are labelled Pessac-Leognan but, in the Graves, the quality can be hit and miss.  The wines here, though, are made by the Lynch-Bages team, and so quality  is assured.

A 55-45 Cabernet/Merlot blend and, like many Graves, a little more open textured.  Although there were pronounced woody influences, these were never allowed to predominate, and overall, it was fresh with pleasing tannins and balance.  Good.
CHP 16, Bin Ends 1 vote.

6.         La Sirene de Giscours 2003 Margaux £11.95

Second wines are a great introduction to the great growths of Bordeaux.  Not only are they affordable, but are made to mature more quickly, and at least offer a glimpse of the Chateau’s style.

La Sirene is the second wine of the 3rd growth, Giscours, a property which, since new owernship in 1995, has undergone extensive renovation and revival.

This had ripe juicy cassis fruit, melting tannins and a soft texture and mouthfeel.  Elegant in spite of the heat, and  plush.  My wine of the night.  (CHP 18, Bin Ends 12)

FLIGHT THREE

7.         L’Abeille de Fieuzal 2002 Pessac-Leognan £11.75 (second wine)

A cool summer was rescued by a dry sunny September.  The later-ripening Cabernet benefited more than the Merlot.  Similar to 2001, but with perhaps higher levels of acidity.  Vintage rating 6/8.

Chateau de Fieuzal is a leading Pessac-Leognan estate, with a reputation for weighty wines with marked black fruit characters.  L’Abeille demonstrated black cherry and wax polish, with lovely structure, tannins and length.  Delicious. (CHP 17, Bin Ends 9 votes)

8.         Chateau Coufran 2001 Haut Medoc £12.90

A cool September with rain at harvest.  Cabernet had difficulty in ripening, and Merlot fared better.  (Vintage rating 6/8).

At the northern tip of the Haut-Medoc, Cabernet has more difficulty in ripening.  The result is that Merlot represents 85% of the estate, which made this wine atypical.

Again, this was plush, with more fleshy plum fruit, with soft, ripe tannins and leather.  Soft, smooth and silky, this was very fine.  (CHP 17, Bin Ends 6 votes).

9.         Chateau Verdignan 2000 Haut-Medoc £12.90

The 2000 vintage saw late flowering and a damp start, but an outstanding late summer produced a truly classic vintage.  (Vintage rating 8/10).

Chateau Verdignan is a sister property to Coufran, but with a more typical blend of 50  Cabernet Sauvignon 45 Merlot.  It has a reputation for good value commercial wines.

This was still tight, with characters of black fruit and wood-shavings, with firm structure and spice.  The finish was pleasing, but not outstanding.
(CHP 17, Bin Ends 12 votes)

10.       Chateau d’Agassac 1999 Haut-Medoc £12.90

The ripe 1999 vintage was diluted by rain.  A year for early drinking.

The property is located to the south of Margaux, and the old chateau is a moated keep.  Purchased by Groupama in 1996, the manager Jean-Luc Zell is hell-bent on restoring the property’s fortunes.  75% is aged in wood and 25% in tank.

Universally, the most popular wine of the night, this was fully mature and evolved.  It was a lovely blend of cassis and wood, with intriguing textures and flavours.  The structure and length were sublime.  (CHP 17, Bin Ends 15 votes).

Tanners list the 2003 at £13.80 and the finer 2000 for £15.30.  (also see Nickolls & Perks)

Incidentally, at a recent Tanners tasting, my pick of the 1999s, in terms of quality and value was Chateau Bernadotte Haut-Medoc at £15.80 – it had the edge over the d’Angludet at nearly twice the price!

Conclusion

In the short history of Bin Ends, , this was one of our most thoughtful and ambitious tastings.  Lessons were there to be learned, notwithstanding that claret under £6.00 is a non-starter.

Firstly, I was extremely surprised by the consistently high standard of the 7 wines tasted, in flights 2 and 3.  There was not a bad wine amongst them, and the voting spread confirmed this.

Secondly, the tasting demonstrated that you don’t need to spend a fortune on pleasurable claret.  Look for second wines of the top chateaux, or find some producers with a good reputation, and the wines will give pleasure year in, year out.

Thirdly, the better producers can generally be relied on to make good wines, even in difficult years.  So, instead of making a beeline for the marvellous 2000 or 2005, and the over-hyped 2003, go for the 2001, 2002 and 2004, which have produced affordable classic styles in less well-regarded or overlooked years.

Lastly, for immediate and mature drinking, search out the more forward 1999 vintage, which is now yielding some really pleasurable wines.

COMING UP …..

Tuesday, 19th December 2006
A chance to brush up on the various Port styles,
From Ruby and Aged-Tawny to Vintage Port.
We’ll  be enjoying these with Stilton and mince-pies.
Contributions of cheese and mince pies welcome.

*****

Saturday, 27th January 2007
Bin Ends Annual Dinner
At Opus Restaurant, Birmingham
Margaret Hale now requires the balance on deposits,
Please e.mail her on: margaret.hale@tiscali.co.uk
For her address to send her your cheque

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Tuesday, 27th February 2007
Languedoc Reds
Get to grips with this fascinating patchwork of appellations,
Producing some of the best-value red wines
Anywhere on earth.

Please note my website link:
www.clives-wines.com