JM.Quarin Laroze 2009

16.5
The best score I have given this wine en primeur
Laroze is an outsider in Saint-Emilion – you just need to take note of the quality today of the 2003, 2005 and 2008. So Guy Meslin continues to improve his quality patiently, thoughtfully and discretely. He clearly seeks to achieve long-term results: Laroze is often better at the end of ageing and in the bottle than as a primeur. I tasted all the separate batches very enthusiastically, then the final blend three times with the score this high.
The robe is dark, intense and pretty. The bouquet is elegant, fruity and subtly woody. It is initially smooth and melts in the mouth, then develops to become broad and juicy with finely chiselled texture. There is similar precision in how the fruit is expressed. The mid-palate is very juicy and the wine ends up full of flavour and impossible to spit out. It has a very strong impression of pulp and is more hedonistic than the 2005

A long, cold winter

A long, cold winter still with temperatures well below zero in the week from 7 to 13 March and morning frosts down to minus 7°C. This suits us fine, because it delays the start of growth in the vines and lessens the risk of damage from morning frosts in April. This year the April full moon falls late in the month and a last cold snap could always surprise us around the 28th, when it comes.

Gold Medal: Laroze 2006

At « Concours Mondial de Bruxelles », the past april 25,26,27th. This international recognition places Laroze 2006 at the rank of the very best wines produced around the world. We are very proud of it!

Gold Medal: Laroze 2003.

Women and wine: a very wide subject full of promise. During the "féminalise" competition on 23 April, the exclusively women tasters saluted the great quality of the 2003 vintage. This is a delightful nod to my family history because the Laroze estate was founded by a woman in 1882 (my great, great grandmother) and handed down by another in the 60’s (my grandmother).
Our soils of silica on top of clay produces wines, whose rich, powerful tannins meld into a subtle and elegant mouth feel that suits the feminine palate.
Women with good taste are not too keen on hard, rustic tannins and they are quite right.
I would like to thank all the lady tasters and wish this competition a fine future which I hope will become more and more international.

Laroze Primeurs tasting: 15-16/20

The château produces a modern, flattering style of wine. The 2008 seems to be of this pattern with a solid, no-nonsense attack, and lovely volume. It is big on the palate, the fruit appears to be very ripe, slightly crystallised and the imposing tannins are still a little sharp. The whole thing needs to meld, and then the wine will be appealing and lavish.
RVF (La Revue des vins de France)

Laroze 2008 Primeurs (16)

Guy Meslin continues to develop quality, offering us his 2008 that has the same lineage as the 2005 and 2003.
The bouquet is intense and pretty. The nose is distinctively fruity with floral and creamy undertones. It strokes the palate, then becomes silky and pulpy, while taking on size in the middle. It goes on with heaps of flavour and a hint of very ripe raspberry. It really builds up then finishes long, smooth and quite complex. It has lovely aromatic and tannic layers on the palate, without any harshness in the least.
The estate was hit by hail on 28 July, which made the fruit very irregular, even on the same bunch. M. Meslin told me he spent €85,000 to select the best grapes, and for the first time, 15% of the wine was sold off as generic. The final yield was 28 hectolitres per hectare. Blend: 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Alcohol content: 13.2°.
Jean-Marc Quarin www.quarin.com

(fifth best score of the Grands Crus Classés. I think that this score should be higher considering the quality of the comment)GM.

Laroze 2008 Primeurs (87/90)

Grape, blackberry and tare aromas follow through a meduim body, with firm tannins and a solid finish. A compact wine.
(I can't really recognise Laroze 2008 in this comment...)GM.
James Suckling (USA)

Chateau Laroze 2006 (90+)

An outstanding Laroze that’s showing even better now that it’s bottled ! It boasts creamy plum aromas intermingled with crème de cassis and broad liquefied-mineral notes, as well as an opaque plum-ruby color. Superb intensity, a medium to full-body, finessed, and deeply penetrating with plum/berry flavour and a seamless finish. It could further improve from here given its delicious complexity of flavor. One should not overlook this effort.

Alan Duran (February 2009)

Chateau Laroze 2007 (86-87+)

The tender and ripe Laroze delivers sweet plum notes intermixed with cherry, pebble, and notions of crème de cassis aromas. Opaque ruby in color, medium-bodied, plum infused, and low in acidity. It looks set to be a charming vintage to cellar and consume over the next 12-15 years.

Alan Duran (February 2009)

The hail on july 28th 2008

A quick look back on this climate calamity which devastated 30% of the vineyard. It damaged one side of the bunches and disturbed the normal maturation of a certain quantity of berries which were still intact. It was important to be able to seperate theses berries in different vats. So at the end of august, at a time where we had no certitude on the issu of this vintage except that august was cooler than usually, and the financial markets where pointing down, I decided to invest 85 000€ in the system to sort out the berries.
This system can seperate the berries which are less matured than the others by a very simple and clever density control of each berry. The result in terms of quality of work was worth the money we put in.
This hail didn't affect too much the global yield but forced us to declassify 15% of the wine produced in basic Saint-Emilion instead of Grand Cru Classé.
So the 4100 litres of wine produced by hectare gave only 2800 litres of Grand Cru Classé.
This decision saved the quality of Laroze 2008 and will improve it in the future vintages.

In fact, this decision which I basically had no choice about, once the weather had done its damage, and which forced me to take out a loan in the middle of violent stock market turbulence, had a positive impact on the quality of the harvest, not only because it totally erased the effects of the hailstorm, but also by refining our wine’s taste profile.
I expect this enhancement in quality to be confirmed in future vintages.
So the moral is, if you believe in the quality potential of your terroir, and your fundamental guideline is that every bottle of Laroze must be quite simply delicious, you take the right decisions even in a hostile economic context!
And that’s why I have a bone to pick with the cork suppliers, the majority of whom are incapable of doing what is necessary – but that’s another story, so see the article below.

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.

A major reference book for the Bordeaux trade:

The Bordeaux brokers “Les Grands Cru”, who specialise in wine transactions between the estates and the Bordeaux wine merchants, have published a superb book, unfortunately in only 800 copies (what a pity!), to commemorate their tenth anniversary.
The authors did not fall into the trap of writing what could have been a boring collection of memories, but quoted interviews with well-known characters within the Bordeaux wine trade, managing to create a clear, intelligently constructed view of the Bordeaux market, making it easier to understand how it works, its advantages and its abuses.
This book with its texts, its design and the way it is built, reflects all the energy of these young brokers who through sheer talent, a dogged devotion to hard work and clear-sightedness, have been able to establish their key professional role as a point of reference on the market of great Bordeaux wines.

Chronicling the taste of wine

In his latest January 2009 publication (no. 57), Jean-Marc Quarin, goes beyond his usual tasting remarks, revealing a little more of his own personal perceptions regarding the taste of wine and describing a little of how he personally takes his bearings with regard to aromas and tastes, so that we might benefit.
This professional goes a great deal further than a lot of his colleagues to try to explain the differences in taste between great wines and the others, with no holds barred.
You can read it on paper or on line at www.quarin.com
There is also an English version.

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.

THE 2008 WINEGROWING YEAR AND HARVEST

2008 featured a fine summer that followed a wet spring. It was back to usual weather patterns after an atypical 2007. The vegetation began growing relatively slowly in the cool, damp conditions making this year no earlier than average. However every year has its own excesses and 2008 brought abundant rain in May and June, practically three times the average for May.This wet weather at flowering time led to poor fruit set then ‘hens and chickens’, which significantly affected the potential of the harvest.July was dry with three consecutive weeks without rain and became hot in the second week with temperatures higher than 30°C and cool nights of around 15°C. The strength of this vintage is that the grapes took on size in bright light and with a lot of heat, so the skins are thick and rich in tannin. There was a lot of water in the ground, so the vines were well irrigated. Only the young vines showed signs of ‘thirst’ before 15 mm of rain fell on 28 July unfortunately in the form of a violent storm with large hailstones. Quite marked damage appeared irregularly across the various plots with fruit losses ranging between 5 and 30%. The very hot weather in August helped to heal the wounds. By 6 August, groundwater reserves had diminished considerably, highlighted by mid-August by a situation of hydric stress that set in for the benefit of fruit quality. The initial colour change heralding the onset of ripening became apparent on 30 July, reaching its mid-point at around the middle of August in the Merlots.The first three weeks in August were lacking in overall warmth with cool nights of 11°C and residual humidity with the result that the estate gardens remained green all summer. This significantly slowed down the onset of ripening, which was very spread out in the Merlots, taking a full month. Only in the last week of August did we return to real summer heat. Rainfall in August turned out to be average for the season. The hail damage on the grapes stopped them from turning colour. They remained hard and round and will doubtlessly go into the lowest quality fruit. This led us to make an unplanned investment and change our grape sorting machine acquired in 2002. We replaced it with the more recent model, which can also be used to sort the round grapes according to density and thus isolate the least ripe fruit that had been hit by the hail. This was also a good time to change the machine, which had an exchange value of €18,000. We spent an extra €85,000 on the quality of our 2008 vintage, which is decidedly a lot, especially since we will be expected to bring our sales prices down. However, it was the only solution this year to make a great wine at Laroze after the hail. So this is money well spent to ensure the quality of our brand.At the beginning of September, the skies covered over and temperatures did not go over 26°C. We removed leaves on the second side of the vines facing south and west. We also removed small sections of bunches that were late in changing colour and would never be ripe for the harvest.The first fortnight in September had regular, average rainfall that maintained ongoing humidity and cool temperatures, which did nothing to speed up ripening. By 15 September, we calculated that we would need three more weeks for the fruit to ripen adequately. The full moon in mid-September brought us an anticyclone with higher temperatures around 25°C and fine weather. We took advantage of this to lime the fruit and dry all those skins that had been damaged by the hail and had been dampened again. We needed more warmth to burn off the acids in the grapes and make them ripen.The anticyclone set in for the duration and the Merlots finally ripened. We picked a few on Thursday 9 October, then left them for the beautiful weekend on 11th and 12th which contributed significantly to quality. This was the point at which the grapes tipped over and became perfectly ripe. They remained clean and disease-free, and we harvested all the Merlots and Cabernets between 13 and 20 October. There was no need to wait any longer; now we had to work fast, because the grapes were ripe.We harvested in the Indian summer, enjoying fine weather and temperatures up to 23°C on certain days.However, on Sunday 19 it froze in the morning!This was the first year that we harvested when the Autumn colours had arrived, which gave us a powerful shot of nostalgia.The Cabernets Francs were as sweet as a treat and their tannin had lost all astringency. Who would have thought it possible back in the middle of September?This difficult year ended on a note of Nature’s generosity as if She wanted to beg forgiveness by giving us an exceptional autumn.The sorting machine with the density facility did a fantastic job ruling out all the grapes that were not sufficiently ripe. It was the right investment to make this year; compared to a uniformly ripe vintage, the machine will give us, I think, that little extra that could make the difference.The grapes are fermenting at the moment and it is still early to talk of the wine.The tannins are ripe and since more sun is required to ripen tannins than to make sugars, the content of the latter ranges from 12.8 to 13.8°.Yields are low, around 30 hectolitres per hectare of the top quality must.

2008 so far

A gorgeous Summer with a wet Spring before it.We are back to normal weather patterns compared to 2007. Growth started slowly in cool, wet conditions, so the year was not early in that respect.

Since every year something has to be excessive, 2008 had abundant rain in May and June, almost three times the average quantity for May. July was dry with three consecutive weeks without rain and the warmth arrived in the second week with daytime temperatures in the thirties, while temperatures remained cool at night around 15°C.

The positive point about this vintage is that the grapes got bigger in July, stimulated by all the light and heat, which I hope will bring us thick fruit skins, full of tannin. Water reserves in the ground were high, so the vines found all they needed, with only the young vines showing signs of “thirst”, before 15 mm of rain fell on 28 July, unfortunately during a bad storm, which also brought large hailstones. Quite marked damage appeared irregularly in the different plots with losses of between 5 and 30% of the harvest. The hot weather at the beginning of August healed the wounds.

By 6 August ground water reserves had diminished significantly and we are hoping to see hydric stress setting in by mid-August, which will be good for grape quality. The grapes started to change colour on 30 July and the mid-point should occur around 10 or 12 August amongst the Merlots.

The website

11,700 visits to the Laroze website in the accounting period from 1 August 2007 to 31 July 2008 from 85 countries, the main ones being: France 8,970, Belgium 562, Germany 461, USA 298, the Netherlands 248, Canada 169, UK 164, Switzerland 162, Ireland 64 and Italy 45.

I notice that even if absolute numbers of visitors are not very high, the number of countries is clearly increasing, which raises the international profile of our brand. This strengthens our efforts to develop export sales together with our merchant partners.