Tuesday 29 April 2008

2007 Bettane/Desseauve - RVF.


BETTANE & DESSEAUVE
CHATEAU LAROZE 2007 - 15/20
Good colour, fresh bouquet with its palette of red fruit and hints of green pepper; a mature, balanced wine.

REVUE DU VIN DE FRANCE
CHATEAU LAROZE 2007 - No score
This classed growth always has difficulty distinguishing itself as a future. The sample tasted had taken on a lot of wood and had hints of unripe greenness. It was tight and constrained, yet was not lacking in substance. Needs to be tasted again to give it a reliable score.

Jean-Marc Quarin commented: “blackcurrant bud”, B&D: “hints of green pepper”, Ph. Maurange (RVF): “unripe greenness”, Jancis Robinson: “Almost overripe nose”, J. Lawther (Decanter): “fresh and elegant in style”.All these people tasted the same wine at different times describing their own sensations.I have three comments to make:- These olfactory comments underline the 20% proportion of Cabernet Franc in the sample, which will be the same in the final blend. This is, of course, a lot for a Saint-Emilion and sets us off against the others in comparative terms. We will come back to this in the mid- and long-term and I am confident about the quality of the vintage, how long it will keep and its ripe fruit aromas that almost everyone identified on the palate.- When Ph. Maurange (RVF) tasted the wines it was stormy with blustery rain. The wines were closed and displayed nothing, a little like a good pupil on the day of the oral exam, who knows all the answers, but cannot bring out a single word.- In April, there are so many changes in atmospheric pressure from one day to the next that this can have an effect on the taste of wines when they are in the middle of taking on wood. Both phenomena can combine, which can explain why the comments vary so. Of course, I tend to lend credence only to the best – J.M. Quarin and J. Robinson – but that goes without saying…

Monday 28 April 2008

jean-Marc Quarin


Château LAROZE St-Emilion Grand Cru 2007 15,75 - 16
Dark robe, purple with normal intensity. Fresh, fruity bouquet that includes a hint of blackcurrant bud. Quite complex. Lovely initial sensations – the wine caresses the palate, then develops to deliver lots of fruit. It is silky and tasty with a subtle feel on the palate. Subsequently, rich, the palate slowly reveals taste, density and depth. Nice smooth, subtle tannins. More great work by Guy Meslin. Blend: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc.

Watch carefully! Jean-Marc Quarin has become increasingly better known, recognised and read as an attentive observer of Bordeaux wines and how they develop. He assiduously does a lot of remarkable spade-work with the result that today few wine writers have such accurate and recent knowledge of Bordeaux wines as he. The Bordeaux trade has picked him out. On his website he is the only commentator to go further and address subjects such as value for money, which is of real interest for final consumers of the wines as well as for speculators. Go to his site.

Monday 21 April 2008

The end of the Spring frosts?

- The weather forecast has announced the arrival of Spring as of next Wednesday.
Frost:
The risk of Spring frosts is now over, I think, because the full moon is behind us. During the night of Sunday 6th to Monday 7th, we came very close to frost when temperatures reached minus 2°C. Some areas around Bordeaux were affected more than others, but not enough to say outright that Bordeaux was hit by frost.
This explains why in our region we have very little equipment to combat frost, because it is such a rare occurrence – the last serious case was in 1991 – and it does represent such a heavy capital investment.
Some systems such as positioning flares throughout the vineyard are less expensive, but very polluting, because of the heavy smoke they produce. I did not see any this year.




Jancis Robinson: 2007 futures



Ch Laroze 2007 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé 16 Drink 2012-17
Almost overripe nose. Very sweet and round with a much gentler finish than most. Full and lively. Pretty promising...
Nez presque surmûr. Trés enrobé et rond avec une finale beaucoup plus douce que beaucoup. Plein et vivant. Prometteur...

_______________________________________________________________

I find these sincere comments satisfying. It’s a good score, when you consider the overall evaluations of the vintage. I like the precise, reliable way she tastes. She appears to be aware of the sense of harmony that emanates from a group of tactile sensations, and isn’t just focused on assessments of strength and levels of wood, etc.
And because the “primeurs” event took place at Laroze this year, involving 43 out of the 46 Saint-Emilion Grands Crus Classés, I was pleased to be able to get to know her (albeit very briefly) as we helped her set up in the journalists’ tasting room.
I found her (and her colleague too) unpretentious, easy to approach and friendly. No airs and graces. There are other journalists like that too, but by no means all!



The Blog of Château Laroze, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé


Hello everyone,
The purpose of this blog is to give Château Laroze a higher profile beyond the newsletters that already exist on the Laroze website.This blog will replace the website News page.
I will not be posting daily news, but will provide articles as the news of the estate, its vines and its wines happens and as events in the wider wine-growing context take place.