Simply Bordeaux 2009: 100 bottles of wine in the hall, 100 bottles of wine…

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By Jim Boyce

The Simply Bordeaux 2009 tour recently stopped in Beijing to promote the “top 100” wine selections for China as chosen at a tasting held in January. I participated in that tasting with three wine experts in Shanghai – we judged more than 300 different bottles of Bordeaux in just over two days. The invitation to join the panel surprised me because I am neither a wine expert nor had I tried so many wines in such a short time, so I give kudos to CIVB for taking the risk of involving a consumer.

(Note: I wrote two posts about the experience. The first, “Joining the pros for 340 wines in 3 days“, equated my experience with that of George Plimpton, a writer who tried out with an NFL team, and looked at the physical and mental effects – numb gums, aching teeth, etc. The second, “The anatomy of a wine panel“, covered my – in some cases ineffectual – preparations, the tasting process, and notes I took during the event.)

In any case, the Beijing tasting, held at the Kerry Centre Hotel, featured 100 wines found in a new Simply Bordeaux brochure (g0 here to get the pdf). I sampled about 20 wines with some fellow tasters. Here are a few notes:

Chateau Escart 2005 (East Meets West)
Red fruit and oak, with some herbs and licorice, on the nose. Juicy and fruity in the mouth, though a bit sour.

Chateau Cilorn 2005 (Beijing Label France)
Good fruit on the nose and in the body. Some licorice, underbrush, and earth aromas. Easy drinking, though with a touch of bitterness at the end.

De Malleprat 2005 (Top Cellar)
Warm, toasty, and a little jammy. Fellow taster Brian Yao said, “I like the smell, the body, and the balance.”

Marcades 2005 Lalande de Pomerol
Tight fruit, with flower and red licorice aromas. Light in the mouth.

Chateau Chenin-Lafitte 2004 (France Chateaux)
Fellow taster Joan Yip liked it because she found it full-bodied and not acidic.

Lescure Sauvignon Blanc 2006 (France Chateaux)
I liked the nose – dry grass, pears, and flowers – though I found the body a bit watery. (Yip found it too fruity, acidic, and light.)

Chateau Bujeau Le Grave 2006 (French Wine Paradox)
Brambly fruit with some earthy aromas. Slightly creamy, with plenty of tannins at the end.


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