Bordeaux vs South Africa

South Africa vs Bordeaux
Monday 22 Sept 2014
VB London Bridge

This tasting was arranged as 4 pairs of contenders: SA vs Bordeaux. The aim was in no way to pair off the best against the best - rather it was to pit similarly priced (usually around 15-20 GBP a bottle retail) wines against each other. As might be expected. in such a competition the SA wines won. You might argue that VB are not the most unbiased party in such a competition. However, Gerrie is a huge cheerleader for Bordeaux wines so he's perhaps not as biased as you might expect.

1st pair
Bordeaux: Clarendelle 2007, Graves
This is part of the Haut Brion stable so no doubting the quality of the winemaking being applied to it. Medium-intensity aromas of sweet spice, cedar, fresh blackcurrant. Very smooth mouthfeel. The tannins are very fine so it takes a little while to notice that this has quite a serious delayed tannic grip. However, the tannins are not that ripe tasting and the wine is surprisingly light-bodied for a Cabernet-dominated blend.

SA:Meinert DC 2005
Medium intensity aromas of cedar, smoke, mint and (slightly cooked) fruit. The mouthfeel was less smooth than the Clarendelle, with more jagged tannins. However, the wine was more pleasurable to drink. There was more body, and the wine was more approachable. Perhaps the acid was not quite enough to balance the tannin but otherwise very pleasant.

Conclusion: The Bordeaux was more austere and less approachable. It was elegant, with very fine tannin. However, it was hard to drink without food. The SA wine was very approachable by contrast.

2nd pair
Bordeaux: Chateau Haut-Goujon 2008, Lalande de Pomerol
This was pretty low intensity aromas with a mostly primary fruit nose. Little in the way of secondary/tertiary development. Very smooth mouthfeel. Medium body. This was OK, but a little simple. Moderate tannin, relatively high acid, medium(-) body.

SA: Morgenster 2005
Much darker colour than the Haut-Goujon. More intense aromas. Slightly over-ripe/cooked note to the fruit flavours. However, there were more pleasing savoury, vegetal notes on the palate. Well balanced, this was really good.

Conclusion: The French one here was not very good if I'm being honest. The SA wine was excellent.

3rd pair
Bordeaux:Chateau Lagrave Figeac, 2007, St Emilion Grand Cru
Soft red fresh fruit character. This was actually pretty tannic, but hid it well. Elegant. Very pleasant. High acid. Well balanced. A somewhat green aftertaste, but I only picked this up towards the end of the tasting.

SA: De Toren Fusion V, 2010
The "V" refers to the fact that this blend contains all 5 major Bordeaux varietals. Deep colour. Rich aroma - very ripe fruit. Tastes typically warm climate. This was spicy, peppery, well balanced with great length and enjoyable finish. This wine was 15% abv, but I would never have noticed.

Conclusion: This was the first pairing which felt very close in terms of quality. I really liked both of these.

4th pair
Bordeaux: Chateau des Garvieres 2009, Margaux
Again this was somewhat restrained on the nose. Sour acid and savoury notes on the palate. The fruit character is mostly ripe/cooked black fruit. Smooth mouthfeel. The tannins are high, but well hidden and balanced by high acid. Very long. This was very enjoyable - particularly after some time in the glass. It's not that approachable on first pouring though.

SA: Kanonkop Paul Sauer, 2007
Smooth and ripe. Medium(+) body. Quite spicy. Very high tannin, medium(+) acid. Perhaps a bit too much tannin, although with food this would not be a problem.

Conclusion: Both of these were good. The SA wine had more of the classic cigar box flavour than any other wine tasted this evening. The French wine was a bit of a sleeper. It really came alive in the glass. Great length too.