Went to Bordeaux earlier this month with my groups of wine-loving friends and was truly privileged to visit Château-Figeac, Château Cheval Blanc, Château Clinet, Château Latour, Château Margaux, and Château d’Yquem. This was my first time tasting First Growth wines and it was all the more surreal having them at the respective wineries.
The Clinets we tasted were wonderful, but the First Growths just have a level of finesse that is simply beyond compare. Please excuse my rudimentary tasting notes for the first wines.
2018 Figeac: Decanted for 1.5 hours. Nose was a sophisticated blend of fresh redcurrants and blueberries. Medium body, medium+ acidity, and medium+ tannins which were soft hi delicate. Slightly spicy, with hint of chalk and earth on the finish which was extremely long. This was by far my favorite red of the trip, even though it was so young.
2012 Cheval Blanc: Popped and poured, breathed for 20 minutes in the glass. Nose was a beautiful bouquet of floral and ripe red fruit notes, with a touch of mint and licorice on the palate. Medium body, medium acidity, and medium tannins that were soft and velvety. Long elegant finish. A wonder to drink.
2016 Clinet: Decanted for 2 hours. Nose of dried strawberries, with red plums on the palate and a hint of coconut on the finish. Medium body, medium+ acidity, and medium tannins which were nicely rounded. Finish was nicely prolonged. Charming and a clear example of why they receive high praise.
2016 Latour: Decanted for 3 hours. Nose of cassis and blueberries accompanied by some smoke and leather. Medium body, low acidity, and medium tannins that were elegant. Long, lingering finish, and a true pleasure to drink. This closely followed the Figeac in terms of my favorite.
2014 Margaux: Popped and poured from a 375ml bottle. Nose of fresh redcurrants and red plums. Light-medium body, low-medium acidity, and low-medium tannins that were probably the finest of the lot. Finish was lengthy but not as long as the rest. Overall this was elegant and treaded very very lightly – perhaps a little too lightly for my preference (although obviously still an amazing experience).
2016 d’Yquem: Wonderfully perfumed nose of ripe mangoes, roasted pineapples, citrus, and white flowers. Silky on the palate, with fresh apricot coming through. Resolves with flavours of almonds and a hint of vanilla. What a joy this glass was!
Whilst all our visits were spectacular, the clear favorite in terms of overall experience was d’Yquem. The grounds and vineyards are stunning, our guide was personable, and the tasting room exuded so much charm. We also loved the small, passionate setup at Clinet, where we bumped into the owner and also got to taste their delicious Tokaj. All in all a blessed trip which will now be a core memory.
Photos shot with a Fujifilm X100VI.
by mrchuan
16 Comments
where’s the concrete tanks from?
How did you get appointments? Did do book/ask early enough?
Looks an amazing experience – lucky you!
How did you go about organising them? Tour or did you reach out to the chateaux directly? If the latter, are they invitation only? I’ve done a few tours of lesser chateaux but would like to visit one of the great ones one day.
If you’re willing to share, how much did they set you back?
How did you arrange these tours? Were they part of a package or did you liaise with the vineyards independently?
I’m looking to plan a similar trip and your pictures are an inspiration.
Forgive me for asking, but how much did everything cost you? If you are comfortable answering, of course. I am planning a similar trip and want to do some math on the budget.
Thanks in advance!
Great photographs!!
Look at those beautiful concrete babies
So none of these top wines had nose or flavor notes of cedar, lead pencil, wet earth or forest floor, old cigar box or tobacco? I always love these flavors in Bordeaux wines combined with fruit notes and silky smooth tannins
What an absolutely incredible experience. I’m so jealous of your visit to Clinet – it was my gateway wine to premium Bordeaux.
Surprised at some of the low-medium acid and tannin tasting notes. I would’ve thought they’d all be med+ to high at those ages.
Looks like an awesome time! I just got back from Bordeaux as well and Yquem was my favorite tour also. Troplong Mondot was actually my favorite red wine of the trip, though I didn’t get to tour any of the first growths. I’m curious how you landed a tour at Latour and Margaux if you don’t mind sharing. They both rejected my request via email, are you in the wine industry?
Great pics !!!
That first pic is SO cool
What an amazing experience, thanks for sharing.
Very similar to the tours I did last year! Definitely a trip of a lifetime
This looks like an incredible experience and also photo 16 is GORGEOUS.
great pics!