Jürade St-Émilion du Singapour Gala 2022

The Singapore Chapter of the Jürade de Saint-Émilion held its second Gala at The Fullerton Hotel, Singapore, on 10 November 2022 where twelve more new members were inducted, bringing the grand total of the local chapter to twenty members. The Jürade’s Chancellor Hubert de Boüard de Laforest, along with several other jürats (also winemakers in their own right) and respective Chancellors of Malaysia and Hong Kong, had flown in to officiate the ceremony. The ballroom was resplendent with women in high fashion and, more importantly, the tables were overflowing with wine. The line-up of twelve wines this time featured back vintages all the way to 2009, demonstrating the immense quality and ageing ability of even the lesser-known crus of Saint-Émilion. In spite of the ample supply of juice, my guests generously supplemented with even more wine, from Saint-Émilion, naturally, ensuring that we drank a complete representation of this famous commune from unclassified estates right up to all four Premier Grand Cru Classé A. Those who held their alcohol well were fine, but the rest were properly banged. Many thanks, Melvin and team, for the great organisation!

2016 Les Cordeliers Brut. Yellow citrus and green fruits dominate, gently layered with cool velvety precision that exude refreshing clear crystalline quality throughout its length. Surprisingly good.

2018 Royal Saint-Émilion Cuvée Prestige. Attractive earthy pungency. Full-bodied but surprisingly velvety, almost lush in texture and layering, structured with well-managed tannins. Spicy finish. Highly accessible. Really excellent, a real revelation.

2016 Château Penau Laplagne. Dusky. Medium-bodied. Good transparency with an easy charm but somewhat nondescript.

2016 L’Egérie du Chateau Chéreau. Very dark. Medium-full. Good acidity, amply layered. Slightly bold in character.

2015 Château Coutet. Darkish tones from a generous depth of black fruits and ripe wild berries. Medium-full with early traces of cinnamon, structured with refined sweet tannins. Cool minty finish. Delicious.

2015 Château La Rose Côtes Rol. Darkish tones. Medium-bodied. Good transparency. Easy on the palate.

2015 Château Mangot. Deep crimson. Abundant in black fruits that offer lithe supple refinement and sweet intensity. Drinking well.

2012 Château Cap de Mourlin. Some evolution in colour, displaying a refined open intensity with slightly dryish tannins. Excellent presence.

2012 Château de Pressac. Deep garnet. Richly layered with ample depth of black fruits and currants. Fleshy with savoury tones on a sweet cedary floor, displaying youthful exuberance.

2011 Clos des Jacobins. Deep garnet. Soy and dark fruits dominate with early secondary development. Medium-bodied. Fleshy and open with a lovely freshness but still taut towards its finish.

2010 Château Larcis-Ducasse. Deep garnet, proffering a very fine lift of dark roses from its abundant depth of black fruits, imparting taut tension across a fullish palate still imbued with youthful intensity and traces of vanillin.

2009 Château Bélair Monange. Deep garnet. Layered with very good lithe density of black fruits, structured with sophisticated tannins.

2010 Château Angelus. Deep crimson. Restrained on the nose though the abundant depth of fruit is clearly evident. The palate is beautifully even, taut with refined intensity and lithe tannins, just a little spicy at the sides. Well-proportioned but evolving at a glacial pace, barely hinting at secondary development. Huge potential ahead but best to lay down for the rest of this decade.

1998 Château Clos Fourtet, courtesy of Vic. Deep inky darkness, proffering lifted notes of tobacco and soy. Medium-bodied. Very refined and even balance, imbued with subtle youthful intensity and understated minerality. Good finish.

1998 Château Angelus, courtesy of CHS. Dark youth exuberance of sweet black berries and dark currants. Superbly fresh and vibrant with open supple intensity, displaying excellent linearity all the way to its persistent cool minty finish.

1982 Château Pavie, courtesy of Sanjay. Dusky brown, exuding a lovely earthiness with a relaxed charm of mature red fruits, bark, cassis and cedar laced with glycerin from melted tannins though the finish is short. Distinctly autumnal.

1998 Château Ausone. Earthy pungency. Attractive lift of red plums, dark currants and ripe wild berries that impart a cool freshness on the medium-full palate with excellent definition and precision. Immaculately proportioned and balanced with subtle verve. Doesn’t call attention to itself.

1989 Château Cheval Blanc, courtesy of LF. Fully mature, beautifully developed in autumnal flavours of haw, rose petals and strawberries that stoke the palate with refined subtle intensity, just a tad spicy at the sides, showing good definition with elegant charm and further herbal detail over time.