Bordeaux tasting: what to expect after 5 years ? Part 1

Bordeaux wines are meant to age.
One could even say that great Bordeaux wines should only be opened after 20 years.
They can sometimes last for a century without losing their texture and aromas.

But people are like children. 
We can't wait. Having a magnificent bottle of Leoville Poyferré in your cellar is like waiting until the morning for Santa to give you your new Nintendo game : it is distressing.
And most of the time, you end up sneaking up in the living room to get of peak of what your presents will be before dawn.
Well it's the same for wine. Most of the time, you want just a little taste. Just that one time.
The problem is: there is no putting the wrapping paper back on. When you're bottle is open: you just have to finish it up.

So that is why people hardly get to try out really old Bordeaux wines.
In restaurants they are unaffordable, and in your cellar, well, in your cellar they just don't make it to that point in time.
Shame.

The trouble is that when they are young, Bordeaux wines can seem a tat too tannic, even austere from time to time. And it is not always easy to make out what their aromas deliver...which is a pity when you paid 50 euros for your bottle.

So here is an introduction to what you can find in a 5 year old Bordeaux wine. You know the one you should keep for 20 more years. 


I will start my tasting with a Saint Julien (Part 1 of this series) and we will go on through the whole Medoc region with tastings of the 6 appellations  (Saint Estephe, Pauillac, Margaux, Moulis, Listrac and Saint Julien).

Château Léoville Poyferré, 2004

Eye: Deep red, with hues of brown and orange. Very bright. 

Nose: Prune, black current (typical of Cabernet Sauvignon) and cherry (Merlot). The secondary aromas revolve around spices (hard to tell which at this point, but I think I can tell their is cinnamon). Then subtle notes of cedar and unsweetened chocolate make their way, translating the aging in oak barrels. 

Mouth: the mouth is fine and subtle. The tannins are soft, round, pleasantly balanced.This is typical of Saint Julien where soft tannins are a signature. 

How to recognize Saint Julien ? 


Go ahead and read my post on how to recognize aromas if you are a beginner at wine tasting: http://alamodeaujus.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-to-drink-wine-recognize-aromas-and.html

1. First try to know what variety you are drinking.
If you taste black current, cherry or prune their is a big chance that their is some Cabernet Sauvignon is your wine.

2. If this is the case and you know you are drinking a French wine, it is very likely that you are drinking Bordeaux. A Californian Cabernet Sauvignon would be very ripe and fruity.

3.  Now you know you are in Bordeaux. But from which appellation comes your wine? Try to focus on the mouth. As is described in my tasting notes, Saint Julien has signature soft tannins yet intense structure. You may also find mineral aromas (because of the gravelly soil). Saint Julien is an area of Medoc on the left bank of river and is formed of gravelly soil. Wines from Saint Julien can be recognized because of their smooth and harmonious nose. They combine a rich and solid mouth yet display subtle aromas.

If this is all in your glass of wine, then you can bet it will be a Saint Julien.
I know, it's easier to say it than to actually get it right during a blind tasting.

At the beginning there was wine

Five years ago I didn't drink a drop of wine.

So when my boyfriend would try to please me and buy me a glass of champagne at a fancy restaurant, I would either "accidentally" spill it on my neighbor or just drink it without breathing and try to forget the taste.

After two or three of these I'd either collapse directly on the floor or start a life-changing conversation about Indonesian food with my unknown (yet wet) neighbor.

This was before.

Now that I actually enjoy wine, I can also bear to drink more of it.

The good part is that I've discovered a whole new world of tastes and whiffs.

But the bad news is that it costs a hell of a lot more to get me talking about Indonesian food to a stranger.

But don't you get worried my lovely reader, I'm still pretty efficient at talking about nonsense...

This is why I created this blog : to talk about wine, food and and well, any other goddamn thing I feel like.

Naturally I'm going to try to stay focused on foods and wines as I would like my readership to be at least composed of more than three people (thanks mom and dad for putting up with this)...

The purpose of this blog is share with as many people as possible my love for tasting things. Be it pizza, truffle, Mumm champagne or soy milk, I would like to convey my impressions and appreciation of each product I try because I truly believe that analyzing what you eat or drink is the best way to enjoy it.

So basically here is how it's going to be :

I'm going to post videos and written analyzes of my tasting sessions, tips on how to appreciate great foods and wines and sometimes - when I feel nerdy- facts and figures about a product I particularly like.

Although I'd love to be able to share with you my passion for Château Margaux, I just so happen to drink it once every ten years. So the good news for you dear readers is that it's not going to be too hard to follow my tastings as the products I'll select will be pretty affordable and available.

One last thing :

I'm not pretending to be an expert or anything. I'm just a fairly short French girl who really likes to eat, drink and, well, let's be honest, talk a little too much about myself.

If you like training your taste buds too ; this blog's for you.