The
wines of Bernard Magrez
Part 4: Portfolio tasting
Here
was a chance to taste a wine range of wines from the Bernard Magrez
portfolio. Some I really liked - especially the Priorat and the
wines from Uruguay and Argentina. [The excellent Bordeaux wines from
Latour Carnet, Fombrauge and
Pape Clement are dealt with elsewhere in this series.] Others tasted
a bit over-done, with super-ripeness and a lack of definition. A
common theme was quite high alcohol levels, a by-product of the
stylistic decision to pick late. In some cases, these wines might
have been helped with a little alcohol reduction, or picking a bit
sooner.
Magrez-Aruga
Koshu Isehara 2007 Japan
Rounded,
pure and fruity on the nose. The palate is very fruity with a
citrussy edge and a hint of pithiness. Some sweetness filling out
the mid-palate. Attractive fruit with a touch of mandarin. 87/100
Château
Grands Chênes 2006 Medoc, Bordeaux
Attractive, chocolatey, spicy nose with some roast coffee notes
alongside the sweet dark fruits. The palate is supple and bright
with nice berry fruit. Ripe and quite supple with a spicy, roasted
edge. Very bright. 90/100
Si Mon Père
Savait 2005 Côtes du Roussillon, France
Rich, sweet and lush with a liqueur-like
edge to it, and sweet, soft, smooth raspberry and blackberry fruit.
Verging on the super-ripe; finishes spicy. 88/100
Mon
Seul Rêve 2005 Côtes du Roussillon, France
Mostly
Syrah, with the balance Grenache and Carignan. Fresh, sweet
and pure with a super-sweet, liqueur like smooth lushness. A little
jammy, but still retaining elegance. 89/100
La
Passion d’un Vie 2004 Côtes du Roussillon, France
Roasted, slightly herbyu, meaty edge to
the nose, which has some animal notes. The palate has a soy sauce
richness to the dark fruits, and some more of that liqueur-like
character. Ripe, sweet, meaty and a bit unusual. 87/100
Casa
Magrez de Uruguay 2005 Uruguay
Pure, focused fruit on the nose. The
palate is lush, pure and quite elegant with sweet blackberry fruit.
Super-smooth structure and lovely purity. Really ripe and supple.
92/100
La
Bienvenida 2004 Mendoza, Argentina
Sweet, pure, focused nose with some lush
blackberry fruit and floral aromatics. Just a hint of soy sauce,
too. The palate is concentrated and lush with pure, sweet dark
fruits and some elegance alongside the focus and presence. Very ripe
(15.5% alcohol) but still in balance, just. 91/100
Herència
del Padrí 2005 Priorat, Spain
45% Samso (Carignan),
37% Garnacha, 9% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Lush, sweet,
aromatic nose with liqueur-like red fruits as well as some spice and
earth notes. Very typical for Priorat, showing nice purity and
focus. The palate is sweetly fruited with fresh red fruits and some
spicy, earthy depth. A bit of minerality and smooth yet firm
structure. Real potential. 93/100
Temperencia
2005 Toro, Spain
Sweet, open, lush jammy raspberry and
cherry fruit nose with a spicy edge. The palate is sweet,
concentrated, open and approachable with soft jammy fruit and firm
tannins which are masked by the sweetness of the fruit. Very ripe:
almost a late-harvest style. 89/100
Bernard
Magrez Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Napa Valley, California
Manual harvest, hand destemming. 78%
Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. 4000
bottles made, 16% alcohol. Very sweet, aromatic blackcurrant fruit
nose with a lovely floral lift. Lively aromatics. The palate is very
ripe and sweet with high alcohol apparent, but also lovely pure,
focused fruit. Ripe and sweet, and quite delicious, but the alcohol
is a bit of a problem. Lovely purity, though. 92/100
Also
in this series:
Wines
tasted 11/08
Find these wines with wine-searcher.com
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