We got to begin the day in Margaux and another perennial favorite of mine. We had a nice tour of the grounds and winemaking facility both old and new and with more construction currently underway at this Lurton estate.
2019 Baron de Brane- It has pretty, dark berry fruit on the nose with a touch of mint and other floral components. Also, stone and a touch of tobacco. It has a toasty entry onto the palate with cassis and black plum. It's big and powerful with nice balancing acidity. Loads of black fruit complemented by maduro tobacco and coffee notes.
2014 Baron de Brane- An absolutely gorgeous nose! Like a fresh meadow blanketed in flowers and with luscious red fruits with a touch of sous bois. A lovely, elegant palate with nice acid tension. Lots of fun savory notes to add complexity. High toned, with bright red fruit. Beautiful integration of all its components here. Lovely and fresh.
2014 Grand Vin- Possesses a layered and elegant nose, with some earth showing. Lovely floral notes with red and black berry fruit accented by gravel and graphite. Spice. Flavors of spiced plum, cassis, black cherry and blackberry. Hints of sweet basil and a touch of cocoa on the finish. Exceptionally integrated and complex. A really beautiful wine.
The way the schedule worked out, d'Issan was unable to accommodate us for a regular experience. I let them know we'd be having our share of tours and "101's", so fitting us in for a simple tasting of the wines was totally fine. Happy they could oblige. The first thought as we drove in and looked at the fortifications around the chateau caused us all three to exclaim, "they have a moat!"
2017 Blason d'Issan- Aromas of wet clay and stone along with lush red fruits and soft black berry notes. Fine herbs. There are rustic, delicate red berry fruits on a medium bodied palate. There are touches of a metallic note, lots of mineral. Warm spiced. High toned and red focused. Flavors are dominated by currant, cherry and pomegranate.
2017 Grand Vin- It has a lovely perfume on the nose, with roses and other flowers. Some toasty oak. Elegant entry onto the palate with a savory streak. Loads of red and black plums and both red and black currant. An interesting accent of thyme and tarragon, wet stone. It unfolds on the palate slow and long with a great finish. It's pretty over too powerful. It ends more on red fruit, but the depth and complexity remain. Very nice.
2016 Le Haut-Medoc d'Issan- Very resinous and minty with dark plum and cassis. Great layers and depth for this value wine. If you see it, well worth a try!
Our last stop was inspired by a tasting at the Unions de Grands Crus Bordeaux in SF months prior. I had never heard of Chateau Desmirail and the 2020 wine was a standout for me form the Margaux AOC at that event. As such, it was on my list to visit while in the village. Here, we were greeted by Denis Lurton and got a great, detailed tour of the facility which was bustling outside with bottling occurring. The Lurton legacy reaches far and wide in Bordeaux and it was interesting to get this branch's story from it's proprietor.
Alas, I left my notebook with our wines in their offices to stay out of the hot sun in the car. If memory serves, we tasted two vintages of Desmirail along with Initial and Iris Purple. All the wines are very tasty and high quality. I bought one of the seconds, but alas, it didn't make it home. We enjoyed it on our night in Alsace at our rental home in the hot tub. But two vintages of grand vin did come home with me.
These wines are pure, expressive and wonderfully layered in their construction while remaining a relative value. I strongly urge anyone to seek out wine from this house.
More images from Margaux including Chateau Margaux, local church, Lacombe and Cantenac Brown.
No comments:
Post a Comment