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UGC LA 1/10: Rich fruit and earth on nose; spicy, intense fruit on palate; lasting finish showing sweet tannins with a savory, pleasant hint of youthful bitterness.
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Barrel Tasting at Chateau 3/08: Complex nose – truffly, cinnamon spice and earth; palate: big bold fruit, leathery tannins; finish of stewed, dark fruit and spice
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Barrel tasting at Chateau 4/10: Deep, dark Cabernet fruit, well integrated oak on nose; thick, not sweet fruit on palate, vibrant acidity; gains intensity on finish
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Barrel Tasting at Chateau 4/08: Big fruity nose with hints of mocha; round mouthfeel fruit over tannins; finish of toasty purple fruit with tannins, very nice.
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UGC LA 1/10: Rich, dark fruit on nose; round on palate, balanced; seems to gain in intensity- fruit first, then acidity, and velvety tannins.
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Barrel Tasting at Chateau 4/08: Savory, spicy, meaty, smoky, herbs, lots going on aromatically; palate – delicate and elegant, tannins and acid balanced; finishes elegant with layers of meatiness and herbs.
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Barrel Tasting at Chateau 4/08: Expressive fruit and layers of earth and herbs on nose; powerful and gripping, unyielding on palate; finish of black cherry, spicy earth, leathery tannins … lingers on …
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Barrel Tasting at Chateau 4/08: Earthy tones, expressive dark fruit on nose; excellent weight, acid/tannin structure holding the dark fruit and earth in check; hint of menthol on finish, perfect balance. In a word, lovely.
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Barrel Tasting at Chateau 4/08: Aromatics humming … plenty of earth and spice with dark fruit on top; luscious, chocolaty mouth feel, fruit, herbs, mineral, wow! Finish carries it all home, the acidity makes it seem like music from FM as opposed to AM.
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Barrel Tasting at Chateau 4/08: Full throttle, concentrated fruit, well integrated oak; racy acidity, rich structure; vibrant on finish, fruit emerges slowly and lasts and lasts.
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Barrel Tasting at Chateau 4/08: Black cherry cola, black tea; soft mouthfeel, chocolaty, tobacco, lower acid; youthful fruit, dark.
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Barrel Tasting at Chateau 4/08: Is it me, or do all the first growth have this chocolaty, luscious thing? Smoky incense on nose with dark cassis fruit; tight and dense, balanced but intense; mineral and cassis on lasting finish.
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Barrel Tasting at Pauillac UGC 4/08: Spicy, dark RED fruit; gingerbread essence on palate, firm; cherry, ginger spice, lower acid, toasty finish.
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UGC LA 1/10: Perfectly balanced in every way; elegant and restrained, yet highly expressive with a fine array of complexity. Wine of the tasting!
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Pressure’s on; this was the “wine of the UGC Pauillac barrel tasting” in 4/08. At UGC LA 1/10: Huge intense fruity aromatics, boysenberry, blackberry, I feel like I’m rolling around in the brambly bushes without getting stuck by thorns! Fully weighted, I feel like this is still in its “shy stage”, but that can’t be … finish is perfectly balanced and goes and goes … I buy!
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At UGC LA 1/10: Gamey nose, forest floor, old school funk; medium/full weight, has complexity, earthy for sure; finish gamey and zippy, grreeeaat!
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At UGC LA 1/10: Always a standout, herbal infused dark fruit nose; gamey Cabernet fruit detectable, yet struts its elegant self; fruit over acid over tannin on lovely, balanced finish.
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At UGC LA 1/10: Dense, dark fruit and rich toasty mocha spice; fruit intense, hiding behind modern toasty oak, bet Parker likes this one … (Yes he did 90-93 points out of barrel)
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Wow! Delicate and elegant, with lovely perfumy aromatics; restrained and balanced, all kinds of stuff going on here; great, long finish, superb!
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After tasting through all of the Perse (Pavie et al.) reds, this was a very welcome relief!
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Barrel Tasting at Chateau 4/08: Lemons and minerals; herbal, stony and round on palate; lively and intense finish, all the bells ringing!
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At UGC LA 1/10: Rich, complex aromas, botrytis profound, allows for a panopoly of aromas: candied pear, butter, yet has an amazing extra dimension; sublime on palate, sits softly with all of those nuances pinching every corner of your mouth; finishes with a flurry, lively, more candied white fruit and a hint of butter rum; no wonder there are cameras here! Better than the ’05!
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Barrel Tasting at UGC Sauternes 4/08: Nose: Sauvignon present, sweet citrus and spice; youthful and vibrant, racy acidity; zippy and tangy finish, quite lovely.
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Barrel Tasting at UGC Sauternes 4/08: Light and pleasant, nutty with botrytis, intensifies on palate; dried candy fruit; yeasty, toasty finish.
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Barrel Tasting at UGC Sauternes 4/08: Hints of citrus and cut grass, mellow and nuanced Sauv Blanc dominated nose; intensifies, menthol, citrus, candied pear, and zippy acid on palate; mellow finish, very well balanced and nuanced.
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Barrel Tasting at UGC Sauternes 4/08: Marshmallow and orchard fruit, hint of grassyness on nose; dense and intense, “what a fine wine” botrytis present; deep finish of botrytis and fades slowly.
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At UGC LA 1/10: Rich botrytis, hints of butterscotch, candied tropical fruit; racy, hits the spot, all systems firing, intensifies; finishes all together, my, what complexity!
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At UGC LA 1/10: Rich botrytis on nose, seductive in a way; medium weight, it builds as it sits, delicate, yet rich; finishes with more intensity, nutty, candy like with fine acidity.
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Barrel Tasting at UGC Sauternes 4/08: Hint of petrol intertwined with candied white friut; zippy and alive on palate with citrus; long finish, racy, hint of candied peaches and pineapple.
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Barrel Tasting at UGC Sauternes 4/08: Fresh and alive, floral, yet has caramel like depth; hints of exotic fruit, lychees?; harmonious finish, nutty and balanced.
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Barrel Tasting at Chateau 4/08: Softly … acid, massively expansive- hits all points; it’s all about balance here, candied white fruit, spice; all wrapped up in a long, long finish … do I have to spit this??!!
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As I stated in a previous email, it was around this time last year that the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux came to San Francisco to pour the newly bottled 2006 vintage. They were scheduled to do it again at the end of January, but decided to cut their junket short and skip us altogether. On relative short notice, I scrambled my way down to LA to attend the UGC tasting in Hollywood. Remembering how the wines tasted out of barrel back in March/April 2008, I was ready to taste them now that they’ve been bottled. All in all, it was a pleasant surprise.
The Wine House San Francisco 