Notes from a tasting of St. Julien wines.
We started out with a palate cleanser and a rather nice one at that.
2012 Piper Heidsieck Brut – showing some colour, this wine had a lovely yeasty nose and some nice sweet fruit.
2010 Secret de Grand Bateau Blanc – this modestly priced wine is made from 100% sauvignon blanc with a liberal shot of oak, as a cooperative venture between Ch. Beychevelle (whose boat appears on the label). A lightly roasted nut nose and lots of flavour at a bargain price, but hard to find.
1970 Ch. St. Pierre Sevaistre – this wine was getting pale now, and showed a good red fruit nose that added earth and mushroom notes with air. This bottle had leaned out and displayed more acidity than fruit on palate.
1975 Ch. Leoville Las Cases – my bottle, chosen because the other tasters had limited experience with this often underrated vintage, Indeed, they were thinking it was a wine a couple of decades younger based on the deep colour. It was quite dark and took a little while to open up on the nose, but once if did, it was excellent. The hard tannins that had masked the finer points of the wine for such a long time ensured that there was still some around to enjoy at age 48.
1988 Ch. Gloria – quite dark in colour, with a very nice nose of forest floor and tobacco – drinking nicely now but no rush.
2019 Ch. Langoa Barton – a rather shocking difference between the old style and this polished modern wine. A ‘correct’ wine but without the secondary characteristics that make the older vintages interesting. Time will tell whether these young wines develop the secondary characteristics that make the older versions so interesting.
2014 Ch. Rieussec – this sauternes in ful bottle was a delightful way to finish the tasting. Bright, balanced and clean with a saffron nose and a middling residual sugar that suited the luncheon occasion. Delightful way to finish up.