Today our Bordeaux En Primeur Team will be introducing you to one of the hidden gems of one of the smallest but mightiest Appellations in Bordeaux; Chateau Taillefer from Pomerol.
"Floral and violet notes on the nose mingle with some cinnamon spice. Superb extraction of tannins, precise and almost like gentle pinpricks over the mouth, excellent oak integration in a medium bodied style. A cloud of ripe and succulent dark fruits, mulbery and pepper leads to a long and textured finish. This carries itself so well and I suspect will become a really lovely wine in the coming years."
-16.5+PTS, Alistair Cooper MW for JancisRobinson.com
Chateau Taillefer is one of the oldest properties in the Pomerol appellation dating back to at least 1785. The chateau was built in the early 1800’s. Chateau Taillefer is historic for another reason, it is the first property purchased by the Moueix dynasty, who own several key estates throughout Bordeaux and the Napa Valley. Antoine Moueix bought the estate in 1923, and the family still owns it today!
Below is a short video from our man on the ground, Alistair Cooper MW, who has tasted and rated this newest vintage:
History of the Region
A few words on the region for those that do not know Pomerol well;
If you look back at the history of Pomerol, it lacks the long history of the appellations of the Left Bank. Whilst they can trace their history back over a thousand years, vineyards in Pomerol were only intermittently established in this relatively infertile tract of land; it was just too hard to establish vines on- especially Cabernet Sauvignon. It wasn’t until the late 15th century that anyone bothered to grow grapes here. In fact, it wasn’t until the late 19th century that there was any record of the wines of Pomerol gaining any respect. So needless to say, the famous ‘Classification of 1855’ made no mention of any wine from Pomerol, and that’s the way it has stayed ever since!
It wasn’t until the 1950s, when 2 British wine merchants, sick of squabbling over wines from the Left Bank, went searching for wines with more value to offer the wine drinkers of London hit hard by the austerity enforced during WWII. Harry Waugh and Roland Avery ‘discovered’ Pomerol- most notably via its most iconic property Chateau Petrus. After this, the popularity of Pomerol exploded, and winery names such as Chateau Lafleur, Le Pin, L’Eglise-Clinet, Latour-a-Pomerol and La Fleur de Gay graced the shelves of wine stores not only in London, but all through Europe and the USA. The minute availability and high quality of the wines convinced all these markets to ignore the lack of Classification system in the region.
- Alistair Cooper,
Master of Wine & Esteemed Critic
Cotes de Castillon is another one of those Right Bank appellations (along with Fronsac) that does well in very hot vintages such as 2020. This is largely due to its limestone soils as well as the huge amount of biodynamic estates in the area. Unsurprisingly for me the standout performer was Clos Puy Arnaud in this year’s Castillon offerings.
The largest of the communal appellations in The Médoc, Margaux is also the only one to boast 1855 classified estates at all rankings from first to fifth. Generalisations abound with regards style and regional typicity in Bordeaux, but there is certainly some truth to these stereotypes. Margaux is often touted as the most feminine, aromatic and perfumed of the top appellations on the Left Bank. There is certainly truth in this statement and the wines can be extremely seductive, thrilling and subtle. In a word, think ‘finesse.’
The Left Bank of Bordeaux is littered with famous names, both villages as well as estates. However, it’s widely accepted that the most famous village and home to three of the five lauded First Growths (Lafite, Latour and Mouton-Rothschild) is Pauillac. Here Cabernet is king and is famed for producing powerful, concentrated and intensely cassis laden wines with cigar box, pencil shavings and graphite characteristics. These are the most long-lived of the wines of Bordeaux and are blessed with a strong and fine tannic backbone to aid in this respect. For me the most beguiling quality of Pauillac is the development that happens in bottle, with such aromatic complexity coming with age.
This is a winery dedicated to progression, and with a keen eye on the future and climate change. They have committed to doubling their Malbec plantings and increasing their Cabernet Franc to 12% in the next five years. Alongside this they have employed the services of renowned consultant Eric Boissenot from the 2020 vintage. Boissenot is famed for his work at Lafite, Mouton-Rothschild, Latour, Margaux, Leoville Las Cases and many others. A pretty impressive haul of names!
I have a plethora of St Emilion samples to wade through in the coming fortnight, and having already sampled a few I am really confident that even in this heterogeneous vintage, there will be some sublime wines to be found.
This is Alistair here and, as you already know, the 2020 Bordeaux En Primeur season has well and truly begun. Excitement is building, and we’ll soon see the first En Primeur releases in the coming days.
The arrival of Bordeaux En Primeur is a rare moment in the fine wine calendar. This year to make the process an intimate and unique experience, we have as your guide, Alistair Cooper, a Jancis Robinson wine critic and Master of Wine, who has been invited to taste the 2020 Bordeaux releases from barrel. There is no better resource to getting an exclusive perspective, first-heard insights and what you can expect from this new vintage.
