January 21, 2014

Union Des Grand Crus De Bordeaux 2014 Tour of the 2011 Vintage

On January 20, 2014 the Union Des Grand Crus De Bordeaux came to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC to show many of their member’s 2011 vintage.

Chateaux owners showing over 110 wines from the following regions of Bordeaux were present:

Graves, Pessac-Leognan, Saint Emilion Grand Cru,Pomerol,Listrac Medoc,Moulis-En-Medoc, Haut Medoc, Medoc, Margaux, Saint Julien, Pauillac, Saint Estephe, Barsac and Sauternes.

Here is a quick summary of the wines

Red Bordeaux

I have found that the outstanding region in this 2011 vintage belongs to Saint Emilion Grand Cru. All of the other regions had their standout wines but you needed to taste each to find the surprise winners.

White Bordeaux

Graves and Pessac Leognan are the main regions that produce White Bordeaux with blends of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Pinot Gris and Muscadel. There were only about a dozen being shown. Similar to the red wines there are inconsistencies.

This is a vintage to be tasted prior to buying each Chateau’s wines due to the lack of consistent quality production.

Review notes of the standouts to follow.