UGC Week: Bordeaux 2011 - Day two

There is a continued insistence in aggressive extraction here that sadly seems to scrub out any semblance of place and whilst the wines are decently made, in their style, we left hoping the 10 minute drive to Cheval Blanc would be enough for our palates to recover from the tannic sucker punch they had just received.

And recover they did. Helped by one of the most elegant, refined and downright delicious Cheval Blancs we've tried in recent years. What it lacked in 10 intenssity and concentration it made up for in straight up class. Tour de Pin also impressed and will offer a value alternative to Cheval.

UGC Pomerol was frankly something of a disappointment. The team variously liked both Gazin and Clinet, but found too many of the others over extracted, chewy and hard work.

UGC St Emilion on the other hand, often itself very hard work, had plenty to commend. Lesser known names like Balestard la Tonelle & Couspaude have produced pleasant and most importantly drinkable wines that should show nicely 6-8 years down the line. The likes of Canon La Gaffelliere, Clos Fourtet, Grande Mayne all impressed for their combination of sweet fruit, well managed tannins and freshness - while some of these are still unashamedly modern, the vintage seems to have forced a more restrained style on these wines and we think it suits them. Once again Nicholas Thienpont has produced a sumptuous range of wines, with Pavie Macquin stealing the show for us. Sweet, bright, refined and utterly seductive.

Our next stop took us across the river to the gravel suburbs of Pessac. The ever changing portfolio from Clarence Dillon now incorporates a new St Emilion. The two grand vins were undeniably smart and less gargantuan than in recent years, parading the best traits of this vintage; taut dense fruit, tannic finesse and perfumed aromatics. The whites were sensational, combining power, minerality, complex hightoned aromatics and freshness. If only there were more affordable.

Pessac UGC followed. The reds as usual were a mixed bag, the highlight for us was Domaine de Chevalier; pure, honest and beautifully balanced. The real story here is the whites. Those that shone, and shone they did, were Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, La Louviere Blanc, Malartic Blanc and Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc. Intense, vibrant, mineral, saline and fresh. Everything you could want in a white Bordeaux vintage.

Narrowly avoiding the worst of the Bordeaux rush hour we made a beeline for Chateau Margaux. Paul Pontallier was thrilled with the "greatest" Pavillon Blanc of all time and when asked for his thoughts on the red stated simply that "the only disappointment was quantity". Margaux, so we were told was the driest appellation in Bordeaux, and furthermore they had the earliest harvest since 1893. "Maturity, density and freshness" were the trois mots proffered, Paul going to describe the 2011 as "a denser 2008, and even perhaps a denser 1996". Soundbites to one side, Margaux 2011 is undeniably classy, refined, beautifully textured and floral. Classic Margaux.

Neighbours Palmer also had a tiny crop - but the results are sensational. This is a truly exceptional Palmer, sexy, vivid, pure haunting and knocking at the door of their first growth neighbour for quality. There are only 5000 cases to be had this year. Those lucky enough to get hold of one will not be disappointed.

Our final stop of the day was at Clos de Quatre Vents with Maxime Thienpont. From little Z, up to CD4V the 2011s on show here are utterly seductive with tannins as fine and silky as we've encountered on this trip. This must surely be one of Bordeaux's finest little known wines, and year after year we wonder just what an upset would be caused were a bottle to be shown blind at the Margaux UGC. We finished with another look at the exceptional 2010s. Darker in profile and bigger in stature than the 2011s they retain the silkiness of structures and aromatic complexity fans of this estate are used to. As a value buy they are unlikely to be bettered.