As wine fairs go, this has an all-together more relaxed vibe than
competitors such as Prowein, but it is a wonderful opportunity to network, meet
with our suppliers and enjoy some lavish entertainment.
Tuesday was a slightly extravagant six Michelin star day, with lunch
prepared by Michel Guérard at Château Belair-Monange and dinner at Château
Margaux created by Guy Savoy. Our most generous hosts, Christian and Edouard
Moueix, welcomed us to the immaculately renovated Belair, renamed
Belair-Monange in 2008 in honour of Adele Monange-Moueix, the mother of
Jean-Pierre Moueix. We have developed a passion for the wines from this noble
terroir, and the recent incorporation of Madelaine seems to have only enhanced
the appeal. Before lunch we tasted Hosanna, La Fleur Petrus, Trotanoy and
Belair-Monange 2009 and 2010. Anyone with these wines in their cellars will not
be disappointed. The 2009s are heady and intoxicating, they are decadent and
richly textured, yet there is a precision and freshness that balances the exotic
nature of these wines.
The Belair-Monange, as one would expect from this astonishing limestone
terroir, is more ethereal and high-toned, but no less impressive. The Hosanna
and La Fleur Petrus 2010s are still somewhat dominated by their considerable
tannins - these are clearly more serious and structured wines than their 2009
counterparts and require further cellaring. The Trotanoy 2010 was the wine of
the tasting. This is everything one could wish for in a Pomerol; beautiful,
sumptuous fruit with the silkiest of textures - a wonderfully complete and
resplendent Claret. The Belair-Monange 2010 performed admirably after the
exceptional Trotanoy. The limestone terroir clearly dictates its character. If
anything, the 2010 is more concentrated and profound than the wonderful 2009
and will reward considerable cellaring.
With our rather delicious lunch, we were served Belair 1982 and 2000 - wines from a previous era of this Château. Although the erstwhile propriétaire perhaps did not bestow the estate with the love and dedication this terroir deserves, the wines were glorious in a delicate, refreshing style - testimony to the quality of the soils and Mother Nature. Since 2008, the Moueix family has restored the Château, cellars and the vineyards to their former glories. One cannot stress enough how much work has been undertaken in the vineyards. This coupled with Moueix savoir faire in the winery has elevated this estate to one of the must buy wines of St Emilion.
Corinne Mentzelopoulos was our most generous host at Château Margaux,
for the unveiling of their new Norman Foster designed winery. 450 lucky guests
were given a tour of the new facilities and the historic barrel cellars,
followed by an extraordinarily lavish reception to mark the opening. We were
spoiled with Krug Grande Cuvee from magnum before we were treated to a
wonderful flight of wines from Margaux. Pavilion Blanc 2012 from magnum was the
perfect accompaniment to our Crustacés en coque d’araignée starter. There is
such tension and wonderfully vibrant fruit, with a hint of saline and palate
cleansing acidity - it is a glorious wine, absolutely à point for
drinking right now and very, very moreish. Our main was accompanied by a brace
of Château Margaux with a combined total of 199 Parker points! In truth, the 99
point 1996 trumped the 100 point 2000 vintage, the latter, although massively
impressive is still cloaked in oak and requires more time to show its full
potential. The 1996 is the perhaps the perfect expression of Margaux: floral,
perfumed, ethereal, complex and utterly beguiling. Anyone lucky enough to have
this in their cellar should find an occasion to open a bottle.
We were then treated to the 1985 with cheese. I suspect that had we been
served this in isolation, we would have been thrilled, but one becomes somewhat
blasé after the 1996 and 2000. Initially the 1985 was a little musty and
closed, however, with aeration it began to blossom into a gentile, refined,
graceful Margaux, full of mature, nuanced flavours. Although utterly charming,
the 1985 does not possess the same level of precision as recent vintages. It
highlighted the enhancements that Corrine and Paul Pontallier have implemented
over the last thirty years. The huge investment, technical advances and now the
new winery have raised the bar and ensured this Château's reputation as one of
the preeminent estates in Bordeaux.