On the Road with the Grape Guy

Bordeaux 2025 : Members of Grand Cru Classee de St Emilion

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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

(Jan. 16, 2025) … It was a Thursday morning and we set out for the tasting of Members of the Grand Cru Classee of St. Emilion … this ended up being a relatively easy (comparitively) 34 wine, self-pour tasting. 

Once again, I used my three star system to represent Good / Better / Best wines.

THREE star wines ...

Chateau Clos de Sarpe 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Nice tannin / acid combo - dark fruit, smoky, spicy ... it has all the making of something to go the distance.

Chateau Croix de Labrie 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Layered and lovely - so much pleasure from this glass of wine. Bright cherry, but also dark and brooding: raspberry, smoke and a beauty long finish. Acidity and tannins dance together and shows great age-ability.    

Chateau Villemaurine 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Bright and fresh - super cherry flavour ... good balance and freshness. Pretty, feminine, juicy, great acid balance. Could drink this all day long, and all night too.    

TWO stars wines ...                    
    
Chateau de Ferrand 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
There is good stuff in here - dark cherry, blueberry, juicy; spicy, acidity and tannins are just enough to give things some lift and subdue the fruit - which is close to baked and sweet.    

Chateau de Pressac 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru        
Black cherry is all over the place in this wine; fruit driven and forward this wine offers pleasure for the casual drinker, and a little bit extra for the aficionado.     

Chateau Fombrauge 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Good spice with some sour fruit, but there is some bright strawberry in the middle that lifts this past the mundane; and the acidity keeps things lively.    

Chateau Fonroque 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Delicate and delicious; bright red fruits and highly sippable. This will make your day if you like ‘em juicy and fruity with acid to balance.    

Chateau Franc Mayne 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Dark fruit meets some delicate spices; tannins aren't too much in the way and the finish is luxuriously smooth with enough acidity to keep things honest.    

Chateau la Commanderie 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru        
Light style that has bright cherry fruit and nice acidity; a really pleasing glass of wine.    

Chateau la Marzelle 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru        
Juicy, close to jammy, dark fruit with hints of vanilla - tasty with good acidity and some subtle spices on the finish. Nice long finish, elegant even.    

Chateau Laroze 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru        
There's a certain amount of strawberry in here that intrigues me, yes, there is also some raspberry, blueberry and black currants some tobacco - but the stewed strawberry makes this a very interesting wine; add in the acidity and spice and we have something even more ... interesting (there’s that word again).    

Chateau Sansonnet 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru        
Subtle elegance, delicate and spicy ... the dark fruit, has nice acidity and appeal ... fruit forwardness makes it such a pretty wine.    

Clos des Jacobins 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Smooth mocha, black cherry - not built for the long haul, but it is a wine to drink now and thoroughly enjoy - acidity is also decent.    

ONE star wines ...

Chateau Badette 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Cadet Bon 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Chauvin 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Dassault 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Destieux 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Grand Corbin 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Grand Corbin-Despagne 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Haut Sarpe 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau la Serre 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Laniote 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Rol Valentin 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Clos Dubreuil 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru

Bordeaux 2025: White and Sweet

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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

(Jan. 10, 2025) … This is the day we tasted a whole bunch of wines in the white and sweet range: Barsac, Sauternes and les Blanc Sec.

I used a three star system for these wines – as I did with all wines on my Bordeaux adventure – seemed the easiest way to deal with all the wines I tasted (think of it as Good/Better/Best). I also only made a tasting note on wines two-stars and above.

Les Vins Sec (The Dry Stuff) …

Two Stars

Chateau Climens 2023 Asphodele
Better than previous vintage tried at the estate - this one showed a little more life and flavour profile that at least excited the mouth to a level of interest.

Chateau Climens 2023 Lilium
Again, better than the previous vintage - same reason 

Chateau Doisy-Daene 2023 Blanc Sec
Bright and fresh with a nice minerality

Chateau Sigalas Rabaud 2023 Grand Vin Blanc Sec (Semillon)
Nice salinity action here - acidity creeps up and bites you

One Star

Chateau Climens 2023 Petit Lily
Chateau Coutet 2023 Opalie de Chateau Coutet
Chateau D'Arche    2023 Grand Vin Blanc Sec
Chateau Doisy-Vedrines 2023 Chevalier de Vedrines
Chateau Guiraud    2023 Grand Vin Blanc Sec
Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2023 Grand Vin Blanc Sec
Chateau Lamothe-Guignard 2023 Clos de Hez
Rayne Vigneau 2022 Le Sec de Rayne Vigneau

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Les Vins Doux (The Sweet Stuff)

Two Stars

Chateau Broustet 2022 Sauternes (2nd Growth)
Bright, fresh and sweet; there might be the slightest hint of VA lingering on the backend - but it might be adding a lift here - it's a fine line.    

Chateau Climens 2022 Barsac (1st Growth)
Tropical fruit, pure and salty, long finish, floral and honey-apricots    

Chateau de Rayne Vigneau 2022 Sauternes (1st Growth)
The coca-cola trick has worked: the wine ends with a bitterness and a salinity that seems to overshadow the sweet entry.    

Chateau Doisy Dubroca 2022 Barsac (2nd Growth)
Nice kick of minerality among the sweet apricot-honey-peach and pear notes    

Chateau Doisy-Daene 2022 Barsac (2nd Growth)
Purity of sweet fruits and acidity - clean finish - very sippable    

Chateau Doisy-Vedrines 2022 Sauternes (2nd Growth)
Sweet acidity - seems counter-intuitive, but there is something here on the long finish that kicks acidity into overdrive and mkaes this a sweet-pleasantry    

Chateau La Tour Blanche 2022 Sauternes (1st Growth)
Pretty and honeyed - bitterness keeps the sweetness at bay on the finish.    

Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2022 Sauternes (1st Growth)
Nice seam of acidity balances the wine out but keeps those sweet honeyed fruits intact.    

Chateau Lamothe-Guignard 2022 Sauternes (2nd Growth)
There's a bitterness that seems to sweet in the backend making this sweet wine come across as dry.    

Chateau Rabaud-Promis 2022 Sauternes (1st Growth)
This wines promises sweetness right up fron and delivers it in spades. But in a pretty way.    

Chateau Romer du Hayot 2022 Le 2 de Romer du Hoyot (2nd Wines)
Salinity and acidity cut right through the sweetness - making this something super pleasant to sip on    
    

One Star

Chateau Caillou 2022 Barsac (2nd Growth)
Chateau Coutet 2022 Barsac (1st Growth)
Chateau D'Arche 2022 Sauternes (2nd Growth)
Chateau D'Arche 2022 Soleil D'Arche (2nd Wine)
Chateau Doisy-Vedrines 2022 Chateau Petit Vedrines (2nd Wine)
Chateau Guiraud 2022 Sauternes (1st Growth)
Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2022 La Chapelle de Lafaurie-Peyraguey (2nd Wine)
Chateau Myrat 2022 Sauternes (2nd Growth)
Chateau Romer du Hayot 2022 Sauternes (2nd Growth)
Chateau Sigalas Rabaud 2022 Sauternes (1st Growth)