2012 Bordeaux Grands Crus Wine Tasting Notes
/This past Thursday we attended the 2012 Bordeaux Grands Crus Wine Tasting hosted by Total Wine at The Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel. We had purchased VIP tickets allowing us access at 7PM (30mins before general admission). This was great as it wasn't too busy and we really got a good head start. As we entered, we were handed the pricing list, a book describing all the chateaus present, a little tasting notebook, and of course a wine glass each. With over 80+ Chateaus it was a little hard knowing where to start
Alright, here we go straight into the Pessac region with Chateau Pape-Clément, one of the oldest properties in Bordeaux - and let us tell you what a great wine to start with! We've been wanting to try Chateau Pape-Clément as we heard many great things about it and are huge fans of the owner, Bernard Magrez's, other wines. As expected, a wonderful medium body with low tanins. Next up, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte impressed us with a very smooth wine yet strong on the side of red berries. A very promising vintage to begin drinking within the next 3 years. Interestingly enough, they explained to us their method of bio precision - a topic we will cover in more detail on another post!
Moving into Margaux we were ready to taste the 2012 vintage of one of our favorite regions! Chateau Labégorce, Chateau Lascombes, Chateau Ferrière, just to name a few were all introductions into what ended up being an amazing evening. As we made our way to Chateau Brane-Cantenac we met with the Commercial Director, Marie-Hélène Dussech who was really nice. Through sips which left you enjoying its beautiful maturity, we chatted about the chateau, the vintage and her stay so far in our city. By the way, if you haven't tried the 2005 Brane-Canternac, I highly recommend you do!
Next we decided to head over to the regions of St. Julien, Paulliac and St. Estephe. Those that topped our list in each of these regions were Chateau Beychevelle, Chateau Léoville Barton, Chateau Gloria, Chateau Talbot, Chateau Lynch-Bages and Chateau Phélan Ségur.
Last but certainly not least, we moved into the charming region of St. Émilion. Having been there this past May, we went directly to Chateau La Gaffeliere - it was our last and best wine of the night! It was great to see a Chateau that we had visited in person at the event. We got to meet the owner Alexandre de Malet Roquefort, a truly humble and genuine man. An immediate connection, we conversed for quite some time, enjoying the aroma and sensual, silky wine with each sip. Alexandre, merci beaucoup pour votre gentillesse.
A simply fantastic evening where we met some interesting people, tried some amazing wines and discovered a few new favorites. Drink young or keep for a few years - it will definitely be an enjoyment!
À bientôt!