UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux 2017 Vintage Tasting
On November 25th, I was invited to attend the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) - Bordeaux 2017 vintage tasting, (as part of their ASIAN Tour 2020), at the Rosewood Hotel, in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST), Hong kong.
COVID-19 or not, during such a miserable year as 2020, or not, and even more so in a lesser vintage such as 2017, it is still important to go and taste the wines to
- First, support the wine industry in general (producers, owners, winemakers and their team, brokers, Négociants, distributors, salesmen and women, cavistes, GD, exports, etc..), and,
- Second, to have a better understanding of the overall quality and taste of the vintage, to better inform clients and partners, and direct them toward the right wines to buy, or let's say guide them toward the most appropriate wines to satisfy their taste and/or fulfil their needs.
Remember that in these difficult times of restrictions and confinement due to the virus pandemic situation, buying and drinking wine has never been more relevant and more important than now, as it is helping a producer, but not only... it is also helping and saving all the people working in the wine industry (directly or indirectly) from production to distribution, promotion, trade, commerce (buying and selling), services, oenotourism and tourism in general, etc... including all the people working in bars, bistros, cafés, restaurants, hotels, clubs, lounges, cavistes, "épiceries de quartier" and other retail stores and small businesses living off wine and anything related to it.
In short, buy and drink some wines, you will contribute to saving both people and the economy.
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
When I arrived at the Rosewood Hotel (in TST), it took me a few minutes to walk through the various rooms and corridors, guided by a very diligent receptionist, prior to arriving in the part of the hotel where the tasting was taking place.
In fact, it took me a few more minutes than planned, as I could not help but looking everywhere around and even taking some pictures. I was really blown away by how grand and luxurious the hotel's decor was.
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
It is really beautiful inside, from the floor to the ceiling. Kudos to the Rosewood Hotel's interior designer(s). Great job! Definitely warm and cosy, yet also refined and elegant, a zest retro and comfortable at the same time, distinguished and posh, but not intimidating. I loved it.
After walking along the corridors leading to the tasting, distracted by the numerous paintings, vases and other precious-looking objects, I arrived at a larger room, like a hall if you prefer, giving entrance to various rooms where the tasters had been assigned to. I was greeted by a staff member and asked to fill an attestation form to declare that
- I was not infected with COVID-19
- I did not travel outside of Hong Kong within the last 14 days
- I have not been in contact with someone who might be or have been infected within the last 14 days, and/or,
- I have not been to places where infected cases had been reported, within the last 14 days
The form signed and dated, and after my temperature was taken, 35.4°C, (...don't ask (*)), I was invited to go to the room I had been assigned to.
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
A few steps further, and I finally reached the room at the corner of the 3rd floor where the tasting was occurring, Room 3 (Gallery 303).
I was pleased to see that, as described in the invitation, all the safety measures had been taken to taste the wines in the most ideal conditions and without much disturbances or eventual risk to get infected.
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
The tasting was organised as follow:
- A flight of about 72 wines (out of the 131 Châteaux in total represented within the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux), same wines in each room
- 7 rooms in total, separated on 2 floors (if interested, you can check the Rosewood Hotel floor plan here)
- 3rd floor (4 Galleries: Gallery 301, 302, 303 and 304)
- 4th floor (3 Salons: Salon I, II and III)
- 4 tasters allowed per 1h30 / per room (not including the 1 to 2 persons assisting with wine pouring for the tasters), so, 6 person maximum per 1h30 tasting session per room.
- The tasting was from 10h00 to 17h30
- 10h00 - 11h30 (4 tasters x 7 rooms = 28 tasters max)
- 11h30 - 13h00 (4 tasters x 7 rooms = 28 tasters max)
- 13h00 - 14h30 (4 tasters x 7 rooms = 28 tasters max)
- 14h30 - 16h00 (4 tasters x 7 rooms = 28 tasters max)
- 16h00 - 17h30 (4 tasters x 7 rooms = 28 tasters max)
- 28 x 5 hours = 140 tasters maximum / per day
140 tasters maximum / per day is far from the usually super crowded UGCB tasting, that normally welcome, at least, easily double or triple that number, as far I could witness in all the previous UGCB Hong Kong events I attended in the last 8 years.
And, I know for a fact that the maximum has not been reached, as I ended up staying longer than planned, in the room where I was tasting (Room 3/Gallery 303 from 10h00 to 11h30), and only 2 persons out of the 4 persons authorized came to taste at the next session (11h30 to 13h00).
It must have been a massive headache for Ronan Laborde, the President of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) and president of his family's estate "Château Clinet" at Pomerol, to face all the difficulties to organise such a big tasting with the current context and circumstances and consequences of the whole COVID-19 situation.
Yet, still, being able to organise it, even if only with roughly half of the Châteaux represented in the UGCB and only a third (1/3) (or even a quarter (1/4)) of the usual attendance, moreover to present a difficult vintage such as 2017, it is like doing a daring "Pied de Nez" (cocking a snook) to the virus and to all those who might have thought the tasting would not happen.
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Like a strong message to say that, despite the virus and the world's political, economical and financial situation, (as well as the health and social situation), life must go on, no matter what, and that, even if deeply impacted and tremendously down, the business must happen as usual. We can only salute this decision and the courage it took to take it.
The producers were not present, but their wines were, and we were able to taste them. And at the end of the day, that's all that matter, wine buyers being able to taste the wines to know them, be able to talk about them, then buy and sell them according to their type of business, the selection they want to offer and their client's needs and demands.
And maybe, although it is important for the Chateaux' owners or representants to come to promote their wines, at the end of the day, it still cost a fortune to both the chateau and the organisers. Therefore, as the logistic cost must have been drastically lower this year than all previous year (no plane tickets, hotels, food, etc...) and, if the virus situation continues and we end up having to live with it for a long while, maybe this will be the new format of the UGCB... who knows?!?
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
But, enough talking, let's dive into the tasting, with the Châteaux / Wines that I considered my highlights of the day. No point to talk negatively or downgrade the ones that are not part of the following list, as, after all, it is also a matter of taste and your taste buds might think differently, so I will only show pictures of and write about the ones I preferred that day and during that particular tasting.
You know the deal, tasting wine is very personal and subjective, therefore you may want to take the following notes and recommendations with "grain of salt" and adjust them depending on your taste and preferences.
Yet, and although I trust my taste buds to be quite reliable after about 30 years in the wine industry, (buying, selling and drinking wine in general, including the most sought-after wines in the world, which I perfected my palate with for the last 3 decades), if you really want to know what Bordeaux Châteaux 2017 vintage taste like, there is no better way than to taste them yourself (if you can).
However, as usual, I believe that my selection and notes are quite representative of the best wines I've tasted that day during the tasting, and can be trusted. If not, I hope that, at least, they will be informative and give you some ideas or directions, or at least some incentive to taste them and/or even buy some of them at some point when you will have the occasion.
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Ah, before I forgot and prior to getting on with the tasting, here is a little reminder on the quality of the vintage 2017 in Bordeaux (as a whole).
THE VINTAGE 2017 IN BORDEAUX
As per Millesima, one of the most influential negociants of the "Place de Bordeaux", being the most prominent and visible Top Bordeaux providers on "wine search engine websites" such as "Wine-Searcher" with multiple offers of the same wine in different countries (and thus different prices depending on the country you prefer to buy your wine from), (I have to admit they have an unbeatable marketing strategy, that has not been challenged by any other Bordeaux Negociants or distributors, so far, making them the leader in the Bordeaux Grands Crus market despite horrendously expensive prices), 2017 is a top-quality and surprising vintage:
The Birth Of A Top-Quality And Surprising Vintage
"And yet, after the two excellent 2015 and 2016 vintages, the 2017 looks like a very good vintage that confirms the constancy of the great terroirs while highlighting unexpected discoveries. The 2017 vintage brings racy and fresh wines without the structure of the two previous vintages, yet these wines will definitely remain memorable because of their aromatic, pure and concentrated fruit, elegant and silky tannins, and well-balanced acidity." - Millesima
The words of Millesima are rather kind and up-lifting in regard to this particular vintage. They reflect quite well how the Bordelais would normally speak about lesser vintage in general, which is normal as they have to speak positively about the vintage to motivate interest and thus encourage and increase the sales.
It is their point of view, and I respect it. Yet, it is not mine necessarily as I do not think that it reflects the real quality of the wines. However, it gives you a great example of which type of promotional/marketing speech and attitude to adopt and demonstrate to your clients and customers when faced with a difficult vintage such as 2017.
Personally, I am more reserved about the quality of the vintage, and I have to admit that I came to this tasting with much less expectation than I did for previous vintages, as 2017 is an OFF vintage to start with, and everyone knows it. Yet, I still went to the tasting with the expectation to be wrong (regarding its quality), and eventually, end up to also be pleasantly surprised (like Millesima) and swallow my pride and my "à priori", and look at this vintage with brand new eyes.
But, I'm afraid no... And, unfortunately, this tasting proved me right!
2017 is an OFF vintage, quite inhomogeneous overall, presenting a lot of wines with angularities and even structural defaults, light to medium-bodied, lack of complexity and depth, as well as lack of balance and harmony, often hard, astringent and very tannic, and quite acidic too for some.
2017 is the type of vintage where you will have to rely on your knowledge and skills and taste buds to make a discriminate selection in order to find the rare gems at the right prices. Because not only 2017 is a difficult vintage, that did not necessarily deliver high-quality wines, but it is also expensive, especially compared to 2019 for example which offers a much better quality value for money.
Let's take concrete examples to demonstrate what I'm trying to say (based on Wine-Searcher Average Market Prices of 07/12/2020):
As you can see, all the First growths of the Left Bank (except Latour) are offered at a lesser price for 2019, which is a better vintage than 2017. And, I'm glad to see that my favourite of the 5, Château Haut-Brion, still remains the best value for money (and, in my opinion, usually offers the most consistency, complexity and ageing potential too). If interested you can read about my love and obsession for Haut Brion here.
As for which Bank to go to, from what I've tasted that day, and on other occasions, and despite the exception of Pomerol, overall, it seems to be more a Left Bank vintage (than a Right Bank one). Even more upper Left Bank to be precise. Yet, there are still a few very good wines made on the right banks. I'll let you judge that.
The "Bordelais" (the inhabitants of Bordeaux and, to a certain extent, even of Gironde region as a whole) will tell you: "It is a classic vintage!" Or, they may also even use words such as a "subtle", "racy", "fresh" or even "surprising" vintage (understand "restraint", "lean", "dry", "tannic", "acidic" and on the "lighter" side of the body and complexity spectrum).
First of all, 2017, like most vintages ending in "7" for Bordeaux wines (e.g. 77, 87, 97 and 2007) is a lesser vintage (not to say "mediocre" or even "bad"), that usually comes (logically) after "5" (2015) and "6" (2016), which were much better and greater vintages than 2017. Years ending in "5" and "6" have always been better and greater than "7" in the past also (e.g. 1985 and 1986, 1995 and 1996, 2005 and 2006).
Bad luck? Maybe, but I do not think so! As I was just implying, most Bordeaux wines with vintage vintages ending in "7" were mostly "lesser" to "mediocre" to "bad" vintages, compared to "5" and "6", except maybe 1967 for Chateau d'Yquem and the legendary 1947 vintage, which is one of the rare exceptions to a rule I believe in and that I call the "Theory of the decades for Bordeaux vintages"(consisting of a somewhat consistent pattern of the quality of the vintages, recurring every decade in Bordeaux. If interested in my theory, read about it here. I also did a brief resumé of it at the bottom of this post as an "aparté").
So, to conclude on this little aparté about the quality of the Bordeaux 2017 vintage, it is important to provide details on the technical aspects to fully understand the reason why it was an OFF vintage.
As per the Bordeaux 2017 Vintage Report courtesy of Millesima
The 2017 vintage was announced in Bordeaux as the year of all challenges.
And, it was, overall, with inclement and rather hazardous weather conditions, that forced both men and the vineyards to face and fight against Nature's and Climate's forces until the end. Some appellations did better than others as usual, probably as they were also spared by the bad weather and/or benefitted of geographical conditions more propitious to the ripening of particular grape varieties.
- The year began under optimum conditions signalling an early vintage.
- The growing season started out ahead of schedule with February and March prompting the rapid growth of the vines.
- Then, four consecutive nights of freeze at the end of April were lethal, wiping out more than 40% of the crop in the entire Bordeaux region with major disparities in damage across the appellations on both banks.
- In the vineyards that had escaped the frost, the unusually high temperatures in May generated an early and even flowering
- And, on a good note, thunderstorms at the end of June prevented any chance of water stress for the vines during summer.
- The summer was exceptionally hot and dry
- The early September rains caused fears of a grey rot outbreak and promoted early harvests for most chateaux.
- Picking started as early as the second week in September with the Merlots.
- Later, the Cabernets enjoyed a well-timed period of high temperatures from September 20 that allowed them to finish ripening in prime conditions.
- As for the white varieties, the berries were in excellent health and had ideal phenolic ripeness when harvested, which preserved their beautiful acidity and great aromatic freshness.
- The following rainy weather interrupted with dry spells favoured the late development of botrytis in the season, allowing the grapes to concentrate their sugars and aromas and giving the perfect conditions for making top-quality sweet wines.
As you can read in this succinct weather report above, 2017 was far from being a good vintage in terms of weather. Early growing season, then lethal frost late April during the budding, early flowering in May, heavy rain in June, exceptionally hot and dry summer in July and August (which was good for the development, maturation and ripening of the grapes), then rain early September, generating fear of diluted grapes and apparition of diseases like grey rot, prompting early harvest and leaving barely no chance for a good vintage to be made.
Understand that already 40% of the crop was gone with late April frost, and so, only 60% remained. The rain of June prevented the hydric stress of the vines during the summer but did not allow enough water for the grape berries, which consequently ended up being small, concentrated but not with much juice inside.
Hydric stress usually occurs when the plant does not get enough water (either from the soil or the rain) and consequently the quantity of water transpired by the plant is higher than the quantity that it absorbs, leaving barely none for the berries.
Understand, small crop, small grapes, no juice, a recipe for disaster and increase of the prices.
So, in short, most Merlots and Cab Francs of the Right Bank had to be harvested early due to the rain, which explains their lack of ripeness and concentration, lightness, dryness, tannicity and astringence, and even high acidity. While, the Cabernet Sauvignon of the Left Bank benefited from the coming back of the sun and better weather from September 20th on, allowing them to ripen a little longer, which explains why the Left Bank wines, especially those of the northern part of the Médoc, did so well.
All of the above is the reason why I'm saying that 2017 is an OFF and inhomogeneous vintage offering wines that are inconsistent from one another, even within the same Appellation. That is why my opinion of this vintage is drastically different from the one described by Millesima, and the tasting confirmed it.
As I said previously, 2017 is the type of vintage where you will have to rely on your knowledge and skills and taste buds to make a discriminate selection in order to find the rare gems at the right prices.
Yet, and don't get me wrong, 2017 is far from being all gloom and overly negative, even in an OFF vintage, good wines can be made. And, despite calling it an "OFF" vintage, they are still some good gems to be found (I would not want people to start accusing me of Bordeaux bashing, while I have been promoting the image and the wines of Bordeaux, and French wines in general, for the past 3 decades).
The wines listed below are very good examples of good wines made in such a difficult vintage.
Let's dive into the tasting!
NB: The following wine's tasting notes (after each picture of the wine below) are fairly short, as I did not write much during the tasting while tasting, mainly the first and overall/final impressions, without getting into the details, as I only had 1h30 to taste the 78 wines present that day at the tasting. Moreover, I tasted most of these wines twice to make sure I was not missing anything, especially the good ones, and therefore, did not take the time to write more than that (and, although I could, I'm not a Wine Critic either 😁. If interested, read my latest post about wine scores, wine scoring and Wine Critics, here)
UGCB - BORDEAUX VINTAGE 2017 TASTING
Some prefer to taste the Reds first, then go for the Whites after (dry, then sweet), but I always prefer to start with the dry Whites, more especially at 10am in the morning... So, here I was, a glass in one hand and a pen on the other, the tasting notes book opened at the right page, ready to taste, starting with the whites of one of my favourite Appellations.
PESSAC-LÉOGNAN
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Carbonnieux Blanc Pessac-Léognan 2017
I liked it very much. A staple of the Appellation "Pessac-Léognan" and always very satisfying, (good year/bad year), Château Carbonnieux Blanc was the first white to please my taste buds that day (and also one of the first white Pessac-Léognan I ever drank in my life back in the late 80s, for that matter). More especially after trying 1 or 2 other of the whites that were rather lean, acidic and dry with no real structure or texture. Consequently, Carbonnieux blanc 2017 appeared as a fuller wine with more complexity and depth and so much more to offer in the palate. I tasted it twice to make sure that I was on the right path and that finding it good was not just the consequence of coming right after much lighter and thinner wines. And, no it wasn't. This wine tasted really nice, light to medium-bodied, harmonious and balanced, refreshing acidity white and yellow fruits, and layered enough to make it really pleasing. Not the most complex or accomplish Carbonnieux I tasted, but well-made overall and fairly balanced. And then again, for 2017, definitely not bad at all.
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Latour-Martillac Blanc Pessac-Léognan 2017
I liked it a lot. It was very nice, showing good fruit, good balance, and good overall harmony. The palate was very pleasant and integrated, which came as a pleasant surprise compared to the previous whites tasted that day, as, except Carbonnieux, they were mostly showing high acidity and poor fruit, and were somewhat unbalanced too. I tasted it twice too, to make sure, and both time, it showed the same enjoyable features.
Back in the mid-90s, La Tour-Martillac and La Louviere were the two whites I used to sell and open the most at the restaurant I worked for, and it is always with great pleasure that I continued to taste them, year after year, as both have always been a consistent sure value in terms of Pessac-Léognan standards and White Bordeaux in general.
Château La Louviere Blanc Pessac-Léognan 2017
I liked it a lot too. It boasted lovely fruit aromas and flavours (yellow fruits), was quite fruit-forward in the palate from beginning to end, and to be frank, I almost loved it better than the previous two. Lovely balance, refreshing acidity (and not "out-of-place"), and fairly good balance overall. Very nice. La Louviere (like Carbonnieux, Latour-Martillac, and Marlartic-Lagravière) has been since the mid-90s and still is amongst my favourite whites of Pessac-Leognan, with both Château Haut-Brion Blanc and Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc topping my personal list.
Then, that was it for the whites from Pessac-Léognan that I really liked, the other ones were either just ok or under. Yet, as I said previously, no point on writing negatively about the wines I did not like as much or even dislike. It won't serve either the winery or myself. So, let's move on to the reds.
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Haut-Bailly Pessac-Léognan 2017
I liked it a lot. It had nice fruit. You might wonder why I keep saying or talking about the fruit. Well, the fruit is basically one of the main components I was looking for within these 2017 Bordeaux wines, as I knew that most wines being lean and thin, most will have a lack of fruit. So, finding fruit in some of these wines was definitely pleasurable compared to the lean fruit aromas/flavours, hard tannins and out-of-place acidity most wines only had to offer that day). Consequently, I found this Haut-Bailly 2017 quite sexy, as it had nice fruit, demonstrated a good balance between the fruit, the tannins and the acidity, and boasted a lovely texture and structure overall. It was fairly integrated too, which for a 2017 vintage was definitely a plus.
I visited Haut-Bailly a few times back in the early and mid-2000s, when I was going to Bordeaux for the "En Primeur" Campaign, each year while working in New York as Wine Buyer and Wine Director for one of Manhattan's largest and most prominent Wine & Spirits retail store back then (PJ Wine). The first time was only a few years after Veronique Sanders took the position as General Manager, becoming the right arm of the owner and American M&T bank CEO Billionaire, Robert "Bob" G. Wilmers, who, unfortunately, passed away in December 2017 (...good timing to pay a little tribute and let him know that his wine is still in the good hands of Veronique and she has been (over the past 2 decades) and is still doing wonders with it).
SAINT-ÉMILION
To be frank, I had a bit of apprehension prior to tasting the Right Bank wines. As most wines are made from a higher percentage of Merlot and Cabernet Franc than Cabernet Sauvignon (and/or any other grapes like Petit Verdot or Côt (as we call it in the southwest of France, especially in Cahors, instead of the globalized name of Malbec), and, thus, knowing that the vintage 2017 has been marked by rain in September when the Merlot were harvested, I fear lack of ripeness, high acidity, green tannins, and even dilution... And to my dismay, unfortunately, I was right. Fortunately, the few ones below came out good. Yet, sadly, the others showed all the bad features I had anticipated and feared.
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Canon Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2017
I liked it. It was nice and balanced, simple but enjoyable. By simple I mean that it was not as complex, structured, textured and layered as I would have loved for it to taste. Yet again, I was not expecting a massive wine either, it would have been a mistake from me to think otherwise for such a vintage as 2017. Understand that despite being a bit lean, it was still well made enough to make it to the list of the wines I liked during the tasting that day. And in general, Canon always delivers some solid and consistent wines. So, not surprised it made it to the list either.
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Canon-la-Gaffelière Premier Grand Cru Classé Saint-Émilion 2017
I liked it a lot. It was very nice, well balanced, showing good structure and texture, with integrated tannins. Basically, all I was expecting for a good right bank 2017 Bordeaux. One can not ask much from 2017, as it was a difficult year/vintage overall, so when facing such a wine that has a little more and enough to make it so much better than the others, one can only feel happy about it.
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château La Dominique Grand Cru Classé Saint-Émilion 2017
Not because it is my name or because I appreciated the evolution and the efforts made over the past decade (by this particular Château) to reach higher levels and better quality, but I like it. Compared to the other wines, it delivered that little more that was enough for me to like it. The truth is that it was ok, "not bad" as we said with a smirk, but a bit thin, unfortunately, it lacked a bit of depth but overall was nicely made, so I had to mark it up, at least for its texture and structure, in the absence of more amplitude and forwardness from the fruit. It is a very subtle wine, shy, but not restrain or closed, nor too acidic or too tannic, nor green, like some of the other wines tasted that day. In short, simple but pleasant overall.
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Valandraud Premier Grand Cru Classé Saint-Émilion 2017
POMEROL
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Le Bon Pasteur Pomerol 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Clinet Pomerol 2017
LISTRAC-MÉDOC
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Fourcas Dupré Listrac-Médoc 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Chasse-Spleen Moulis en Médoc 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Maucaillou Moulis en Médoc 2017
HAUT-MÉDOC & MÉDOC
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Beaumont Haut-Médoc 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Cantemerle Haut-Médoc 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Belgrave Haut-Médoc 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château La Lagune Haut-Médoc 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château de Lamarque Haut-Médoc 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château La Tour Carnet Haut-Médoc 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
MARGAUX
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Brane-Cantenac Margaux 2017
Château Cantenac-Brown Margaux 2017
Château Dauzac Margaux 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Prieuré-Lichine Margaux 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Rauzan-Ségla Margaux 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
SAINT-JULIEN
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Lagrange Saint-Julien 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Beychevelle Saint-Julien 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Léoville-Barton Saint-Julien 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Léoville Poyferré Saint-Julien 2017
PAUILLAC
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Duhart-Milon Pauillac 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac 2017
SAINT-ESTÈPHE
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Ormes de Pez Saint-Estèphe 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Phélan Ségur Saint-Estèphe 2017
SAUTERNES & BARSAC
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Guiraud Sauternes 2017
Château de Rayne Vigneau Sauternes 2017
Château Rieussec Sauternes 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes 2017
Château Bastor-Lamontagne Sauternes 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
Château Suduiraut Sauternes 2017
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
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| UGCB Hong Kong 2020 - Bordeaux Vintage 2017 - Photo by and for ©LeDomduVin 2020 |
(**) Aparté:
You see, I really do believe in a "Theory of the decades for Bordeaux vintages and wines" as a whole. Of course, there are exceptions if we take each Appellation separately. But as a whole, it seems that there is a recurring pattern in the quality of the vintages, that seem to come back every decade and somewhat mirror the vintage's patterns of the previous decade.
Most people do not believe me and even always found the concept quite offensive to a certain extent (which is quite understandable). Also, it is true that it has been less obvious more recently, as climate variability (due to the acceleration of global warming and climate changes since the turn of the millennium) has changed that recurring decade pattern a little over the last 2 decades.
Yet, the pattern still exists and it is quite strange that I've (and still now) being able to verify it countless times over the last 30 years of my career in the wine industry.
However, I won't extend much further on the subject, as this not the primary purpose of this post and I do not want to bring up the debate on it, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Moreover, I've already written an extensive post on my blog about it, called "Theory of the decades for Bordeaux vintages", if interested you can read it here and let me know what you think in the comment.
****************** WORK IN PROGRESS, TO BE FINISHED SOON ************
Thank you for reading my post, and until next time, be strong, be safe and take good care of your loved ones.
Santé! Cheers!
LeDomduVin (a.k.a. Dominique Noël)
@ledomduvin 2020 #ledomduvin #dominiquenoel #ugcb #bordeaux #vintage2017
Links and sources
(*) My temperature is always low, even as low as 33°C sometimes in the morning when I arrive at work after about 12 minutes walking distance from the MTR station to my office... it is like a body adjustment it seems... I should be in partial or even total hypothermia at that point, but I'm fine... I have never been exactly sure why and the doctors don't seem to be alarmed by it... So, life goes on... 😁
#ugcb #UGCB #bordeaux #bordeauxclassic #france #vin #uniondesgrandscrusdebordeaux
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