2011 Afternoon tasting

We were tasting the batches of 2011 this afternoon with our consultant oenologist from Hubert de Bouard’s team.
It was the first general review after malolactic fermentation and I felt the same sensations as when we were tasting the grapes from the vines in August and September. I said and wrote at the time that because the grape pips were so ripe so early as a result of the very dry conditions, there was no astringency and the tannins were soft without being dominant. I said I expected a 2011 vintage with soft tannins.
This is exactly what I tasted today.
The tannins are soft and clear-cut, the body is very well endowed and there is still fresh, ripe fruit on the palate. This is not a muscle-bound vintage, but one that is sensual and soft with clear-cut aromas and tannins. It is beautifully elegant and smooth, and glides across the palate very comfortably, which makes it so attractive.
This will be an easy vintage to approach that is accommodating and sociable, enjoyable early, but also worth laying down for quite a while, because it has the acidity to age well.
In fact 2009, 2010 and 2011 make a fine trilogy!

VINTAGE FACT SHEET 2011

Often the climate excesses give the specifities of the vintage. What where they in 2011?

Cork quality

We are currently ordering our dry materials ready for bottling, so we often discuss the perennial subject of corks, their quality and price and the fact that despite all the precautions we take with our suppliers, anomalies of taste and aroma are always attributable to them on one occasion or another. And this of course is true for all wines, whatever their price, that use natural corks.
When a wine is corked or its tannins are dry and its fruit has withered, no drinker thinks of complaining to the cork supplier, who in fact is fully responsible. The scapegoat is always the chateau and the brand’s reputation always suffers the consequences.
There are more and more articles by professionals and connoisseurs on this subject, because it is no longer acceptable in this era of traceability that all the work carried out to make a great bottle of wine is polluted by a defective stopper.
Attitudes are evolving, gradually technical cork-based closures are being developed and increasingly used – not yet for Bordeaux fine wines – but if the cork suppliers do not solve the problem fast, an irreversible decision could be taken in the next ten years, or even less.
I find it completely intolerable and unacceptable that our work is made a laughing stock, even if the number of instances remains very minimal, because each and every bottle must be faultless and every consumer should be allowed to enjoy the best of what the wine has to offer.

After all, that’s what she or he pays for.

The taste of Laroze 2007

I’m not sure I’m the least well-placed to discuss this, but in any case up to today, I am one of the few to have any information on the subject, because the wine has not been distributed yet, so I can “just do it” without any particular hang-ups.
If any wine has sex-appeal, this one does. All the ingredients are melded and in place. The wood is nicely blended in and quite flattering, and nicely sets off the very fresh fruity hints. The tannins are not especially powerful, but contribute sheer silk and velvet.
The finish prolongs all this with an emphasis on the aromatic freshness. This wine will be very enjoyable soon, but could also age nicely in a good cellar.

You shouldn’t miss this vintage, because it is really exceptional value and enjoyable taste for money, and has benefited from the Laroze expertise, which never ceases to grow.

How do we explain to our customers that 2008 is superb despite a cool summer?

The first fortnight in July was fine and hot at a time when the grapes were in full growth. This made the skins grow thicker to protect the fruit against the heat. This first development helped the grapes fend off outside attacks during the long final ripening period, while also producing a large quantity of tannins and colour.

The second factor was the long exceptional Indian summer, which made it possible for us to lengthen the growth cycle by a further 16 days. Instead of harvesting 45 days after the mid-point of the colour-change heralding the onset of ripening (véraison), we waited for 60 days. The bunches of fruit were clean and disease-free, which is truly extraordinary.

This longer period in no way replaced the heat, we did not get in August, but it allowed the tannins to ripen slowly. What was quite unusual was that this slow ripening process was able to take place without any excessive heat burning the tannins and changing their aromas. The outcome was tannins that were especially mild immediately after alcoholic fermentation had finished and an early impression that they had already begun to meld with the wine. The aromas are very fresh, very noticeable and very intense.

This vintage has it all. It has everything going for it and everything is in its rightful place.2008 is better than 2006, because it is richer and it is the best wine we have made since 2005.When I talk about this vintage, I usually say that it’s a Great Vintage that came in quietly by the back door, without anybody hearing …

We thank Mother Nature for surprising us again in such a splendid way.

The wine in 2008

The tannins that ripened slowly at the end of the season without it ever being very hot, are especially soft and elegant this year. Right after the alcoholic fermentation the sensation on the palate is delicate and rich like never before.
This vintage, which grew in such difficult weather, has produced a remarkable wine that no-body would have dreamed of, had the harvest taken place at a usual date. The measured power of the tannins that is nicely balanced by a steady level of acidity, ensures that this wine will age harmoniously. Malolactic fermentation is underway and the final taste profile will become apparent soon.

How to prepare a bottle for tasting ?

When I organise a vertical tasting at Laroze, I decant the very young wines such as the 2006 and 2005 vintages three hours before and the earlier vintages of Laroze and Lafleur Laroze, an hour and a half prior to the tasting. My carafes are not as wide as the one in the photo.

The older Lafleur Laroze vintages from 2001 to 2003 are just opened. I pour out a few centilitres from the bottle, which also enables me to taste the wine, to increase the surface area of the wine in contact with the air an hour and a half before.

It is best to serve an old vintage at a slightly cooler temperature, which will raise the aromatic freshness, whereas a temperature which is too high will accentuate the alcohol content. If you don’t allow wines any time to breathe, they will appear tight and closed for a while. Letting the air in enables the aromas to express themselves and the tannins to become silky and velvety.

What are great today:1994 to 20012003, 2002: drink now or wait.