Château Margaux Tasting

30 Jan 2011:  Just got back from a Château Margaux tasting at the Enoteca (HK) shop in Tsim Sha Tsui.  Paul Pontallier, the General Manager of the Château, Thibault, his son, their brand ambassador in Asia and Aurélien, the Commercial Director, were all there to represent the Château.  Paul, eloquent and diplomatic as ever, highlighted the pursuit of excellence of the Château, making it possible for great wines to be made over the years, and softly marketed the brand by thanking the audience for their support to make this perennial pursuit of excellence possible.  It was a class-act speech and Paul Pontallier's was one of the best I'd heard!

We tasted mostly the wines from the 2007 vintage, which Paul described as much better for white than for red.  Summer was cool, followed by a warm and dry September.  This made it possible for the Sauvignon Blanc grapes to reach its optimal ripeness before harvest.  The only slight issue I had with this wine was the higher level of alcohol, which at 15%, could easily rival that of some Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley and certainly some New World wines.  There was no shortage of acidity for the full-bodied Pavillon Blanc, which exhibited a rich bouquet of pineapple, melon, fig, honey, nuts and a hint of smoke.  A powerful white offering and it would be interesting to see how this would evolve over the years.  I would score it 17.5/20.

The reds, by comparison, were relatively lighter in body, especially the Pavillon Rouge, and more delicate in style, easily approachable and would not require so many years of waiting before enjoying it.  In fact, Paul said if we were to visit the Château now, we would most definitely get the 2007 vintage to taste.  About a third of the crop would go into the grand vin and around 45% into the Pavillon Rouge, the remainder into the third wine or for selling off as bulk wine.  This proves the point about high degree of selection and the quality that results.  I thought the more delicate Pavillon Rouge showed a very pretty bouquet of red fruit, blackcurrant, blueberry, and mineral.   The grand vin, with some time in the glass, exuded beautiful aromas of violet, blackberry, blackcurrant, cigar box and mineral, and showed much more concentration and depth than the Pavillon Rouge. However, it was by no means in its shell.  It's a wine that can most certainly be enjoyed now, with sufficient aeration.   I scored the 2007 Pavillon Rouge 15.5/20 and the 2007 Château Margaux 17/20.

We also tasted the 1989 Pavillon Rouge and the 2001 Château Margaux.  The 1989 Pavillon Rouge definitely has shadows of the grand vin from the same vintage but it tasted less refined than the grand vin, and to be truthful, a little tired perhaps.   I think this is a wine that should be drunk within the next 1 - 2 years to be able to still enjoy it with some fruit character, especially if it's a bottle that left the château a long time ago.  14/20

I found the 2001 Château Margaux a little less substantial than the 2007, less generous in its body and concentration.  It had a bouquet more underscored with violet, blueberry and lead pencil.  It would be a great food wine if you were to enjoy it now.  Drinking perfectly well now and will continue to evolve for the next 10 - 12 years.  16.5/20

I thought Enoteca did a great job with the tasting.   I had a small chat with Paul earlier and he said nothing quite compared with Japanese style organisation.  Well-said.  Everyone who paid to be part of the tasting, received 5 tickets that would match the 5 wines being shown and you could only redeem a glass of carefully measured 60 ml wine with each ticket.  How precise and how well-organised!   Quite a nice way to spend the afternoon!   Paul admired the people of HK for the dedication to turn up for a tasting on a Sunday afternoon - he probably had no idea how much time HK people spend in shopping malls - loitering in shopping malls is almost as firmly entrenched in our culture and way of life as eating and sleeping!