BORDEAUX, France — My final day of tasting Bordeaux 2006 primeurs was spent flitting from chateau to chateau in Pomerol and Saint-Emilion, with particularly useful stops at Cheval Blanc and Ausone.
The cream really does rise to the top. Cheval Blanc produced a magnificent wine in ’06 (96 points) and was clearly the star of Saint-Emilion, followed closely by Angelus (95), Figeac (94), Ausone (94) and Canon La Gaffeliere (93).
These wines all exhibited firm tannins, ample fruit behind the hard exterior, and elegance. If you’re looking for a sleeper that might turn up on the “futures” market at a better price than the aforementioned wines, consider La Dominique (91).
Best Pomerol I tasted (nope, I didn’t even sniff the Petrus or Vieux Chateau Certan) was Gazin (94).
Overall I came away impressed with Saint-Emilion and convinced the right bank generally outperformed the left in this tricky vintage. But know this: No matter which position you take on the ’06 vintage, even the best of them will require significantly more cellar time than usual.
Hence the term “classic” is being thrown out often to describe this vintage. Right.
The term “classic” should not be confused with the term “exceptional,” though that is clearly what the spinmeisters would have you believe.
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