The Royal Tannin Bombs

This epistle is late because I was in Japan, where I was fortunate enough to spend time with fellow members Hamakko and his yet-to-be-named-but-definitely-in-the-club girlfriend.  Enjoying a superb wine tasting most every night for my duration, one particular evening’s sampling featured a pair of Bordeaux in an ongoing battle we called the Left Bank/Right Bank war.  Hamakko is particularly fond of Left Bank Bordeaux, while I (the Bad Man) find the lushness of Merlot most satisfying, often found more predominantly in the Right Bank (although note that great Left Bankers – like one of my all-time favs Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande, Grand Cru Classé Pauillac – do often have 50% Merlot, so I don’t consider those supporting what I have against Left Bank Bordeaux).

This evening’s line up consisted of:
2006 Seigneurs D’Aiguilhe Comtes Von Neipperg Côtes de Castillon, 13.5% abv, 2,500 ¥ (approx. $28 USD)
2005 Chateau Moulinat Haut-Médoc, 13.5% abv, 3,150 ¥ (approx. $35 USD)
60% Cab Sauv, 35% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc
(note that this is not the Pomerol which appears mostly in my searching on the web; sadly I can’t locate much about this particular wine)

As the Left Bank contender won my favour on this occasion, overall I found in my fortnight’s stay that in all other pairings (there were three formally) I declared the Right Bank the superior.  But that’s a separate blog.  Note however for completists that the above D’Aiguilhe is not the same as the Château D’Aiguilhe featured within these same pages on a previous WOTM – this Seigneurs D’Aiguilhe from what I understand – and the price point bears witness – is their second label.  But enough about Right Bank – let’s talk about this Haut-Médoc already!

Okay, I have to start with the basics.  Usually we look at colour just to look at colour; perhaps to see the tawny tinge around the rim of a 20 year old claret, perhaps to swirl and see the inky black stains of what promises to be a monstrous Petite Sirah.  But in this instance I was blown away by this Haut-Médoc’s fabulous colour – it was precisely what I think a beautiful Bordeaux blend’s coloration should imbue – inky dark with a blood-scarlet rim – zero fade.  Hamakko just installed a wonderfully aesthetically pleasing kitchen overhead lamp in his home, so all the wines we sampled showed their true colours so to speak, but this girl was spot on!

Once past the awesome visual appeal, I settled in to examine the nose.  Here we have a stunning portrayal on everything that is the Bordeaux nose – cassis, tar, musk, black currant, chocolate – plus some fried egg and horse manure thrown in for good measure.  And this baby was not closed – the smells leapt from the glass, hurling themselves into your olfactory centre.

Not to be outdone, the mouthfeel took names.  Gnarly tannins, intense dark fruit flavours, expansive presence on the palate; and showing great promise for aging as there was a little disconnect between the fruit and the structure – I believe they’ll tie together over time.

Bad Man: 91

As I alluded above, since this Haut-Médoc is only 60% Cabernet Sauvignon I don’t think it’s a fair contender for this whole LB/RB war, as I would expect at least 75% CS to give the Cab it’s justice and in so doing exhibit its weakness, but I still enjoy saying that I’ll take the defeat in this battle if I get to taste something this remarkable.

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