- 1999 Château Bouscassé Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh - France, Southwest France, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh (2/5/2008)
A strong scent of pineapples, pears and minerals. Full bodied, fat even, but with some nice citrussiness. An almost Rhone-white-like weightiness and oilyness. Nice! - 2001 Château Montus Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec - France, Southwest France, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec (2/5/2008)
This smells very anonymous/international - the Barrique treatment has destroyed any sense of grape or place. Limpid fruit, toffee, lots of oak, some citrussy acidity to keep it refreshing. Not flawed, but for me not interesting either.
Then we continued with, mainly, a theme of 2000 reds:
- 2000 Château Montus Madiran - France, Southwest France, Madiran (2/5/2008)
Very oaky, meaty, dark fruit. The oak nearly manages to mask the Madiran-aromas underneath. The palate isn't so overoaked: vibrant, dark, masculine, brutishly tannic, wild. I like parts of it, but really would require less oak to be able to enjoy it thorougly. - 2000 Château d'Aydie Madiran Odé d'Aydie - France, Southwest France, Madiran (2/5/2008)
This is meaty and red toned and also has the blue floral notes of the basic Madiran, but this sadly shows sings of Barrique on the nose. The palate is fairly low in acid, not as vibrant as the basic Madiran, but with much ripe tannin and some attractive red fruit - again it is a more feminine style of Madiran. Sadly the aftertaste is both oaky and abrupt. - 2000 Château d'Aydie Madiran - France, Southwest France, Madiran (2/5/2008)
An earthy and meaty nose, with lots of blue flowers and red berries, elegantly animal. Lively, vibrant, red toned but tannic. This seems very natural and perfectly delineated, though it is perhaps a "feminine" style for Madiran. A lovely wine. - 2000 Château Bouscassé Madiran Vieilles Vignes - France, Southwest France, Madiran (2/5/2008)
The oak is overwhelming. Very strange for Bouscassé VV. Undrinkable, modern, anonymous - very different from the early-mid-'90's VVs I've had recently. - 2000 Château Montus Madiran Cuvée Prestige - France, Southwest France, Madiran (2/5/2008)
Blueberry oak, tarry like a Barossa Shiraz(!), yet with a wild meatiness and a very attractive cigar aroma underneath the oak and over-ripe black fruit. Flabby/almost acidless, yet very tannic, lifeless fruit, too oaky. One of the weirdest and un-Madiranny Madirans I've ever tasted. I'm not convinced. - 2000 Château Montus Madiran La Tyre - France, Southwest France, Madiran (2/5/2008)
This was made in an international/anonymous style, yet it is very, very well made if one doesn't mind a modern bent: much fruit of great, dark depth, unnaturally soft (yet copious) tannins for Madiran, fairly low in acidity yet still lively. It may not be my preferred style (too much oak), yet here I can see what the fuss is about. - 1998 Château Bouscassé Madiran Vieilles Vignes - France, Southwest France, Madiran (2/5/2008)
Meaty, some red tones to the dark fruit, animal, herbal, leafy - quite a wonderful nose! The palate is a bit disappointing: slightly sweet red fruit, short in length and in structure. Compared to another recent bottle this was disappointing on the palate, yet I couldn't find any outright flaws. - 1998 Château Bouscassé Madiran Cuvée Alban Brumont - France, Southwest France, Madiran (2/5/2008)
This is apparently a one-off cuvée in memory of Alban. A beautiful nose of sous-bois, leafyness, vibrant red fruit, meaty and floral. The oak seems to have integrated fully. Elegant for a Madiran, but still with a great tannic structure and lively acidity and enough fruit to promise an elegant future. Lovely. - 1996 Michel Carrier / Domaine du Miralie Madiran - France, Southwest France, Madiran (2/5/2008)
There is some nice red, lingonberry-like fruit and earthiness, yet an unattractive scent of rhubarb also. The palate is too much like a tart, sugarless juice to be much fun. I'll pass.
We finished with a few sweets:
- 2002 Château Barréjat Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh - France, Southwest France, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh (2/5/2008)
A very pure and refreshing nose of wet rock and crystallised fruit. Vibrant, moderately sweet, citrussy acidity, refreshing - light yet moderately intense. A very charming dessert. I like it very much - especially for the 10€ or so that it costs! - 1999 Alain Brumont Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Octobre - France, Southwest France, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh (2/5/2008)
Oaky, some refreshing aromas, elegant botrytis. Sweet, moderately light for a dessert wine, yet oaky. Competently made, but not really to my taste. - 2000 Alain Brumont Madiran Doux Brumaire Novembre Pacherenc-du-vic-bilh - France, Southwest France, Madiran (2/5/2008)
Very oaky, botrytised nose - smells like an oaky, heavy styled Sauternes (à la Rieussec). Intense, heavy palate, oaky, creamy. Probably very good, but a bit too much for me. - 2000 Château d'Aydie Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh - France, Southwest France, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh (2/5/2008)
A very interesting wine as its spends 10-12 months in acacia barrels. It is oxidative and appley, not too woody, sweet and refreshing. I like it! - 2000 Château d'Aydie Vin de Liqueur Maydie - France, Southwest France (2/5/2008)
Dark, inky, brooding, herbal and medicinal - almost like a Barolo Chinato! Sweet and tangy, wild and dark. Quite wonderful in a freakish way!