2009 La Conseillante

Such wonderful clarity to this wine, with violets, black and exotic fruits. Fabulous nose. Full-bodied, with superfine tannins and a silky, silky finish. Such beauty. Really stunning. Class

Tasted at La Conseillante, cropped between 17th and 28th September at 39.5hl/ha and coming in with 14.2% alcohol, the ’09 La Conseillante has a very refined bouquet, with dark berried fruit, sloe, a touch of dried orange peel and crushed stones. The understated nature of this Conseillante is a joy to behold. The palate is medium-bodied, slightly grainy tannins, very good balance, very natural and handling that alcohol better than many other Right Banks. Nice grip on the finish, just a touch of astringency, but complex with minerals, some smoky notes developing in the glass. This 2009 brims with character and is undoubtedly one of the great Conseillante’s of modern times. Just ethereal. Tasted April 2010.

Picked 19-28 Sep. Very dark. Though no darker than the Duo. Not much nose – less expressive than the Duo! Very rich and intense. Super- ripe. Taken to an extreme of ripeness? A bit overripe. Lacks acidity. I think I prefer the Duo. Heavy with a bit of tarriness on the finish. I’d love to taste this again but on this showing I fear there is not enough acid and too obvious tannin. When I subsequently tasted this blind, I wrote ' Sweet and almost Argentine on the nose! None of Bordeaux’s subtlety here. I can’t really see the point. And awfully drying on the finish.'