2017 Ygrec, 2005 Figeac, 2010 Montrose, 2008 Clos Fourtet, 2006 Léoville Las-Cases, 2003 Cos D’Estournel, 1996 Valandraud, 2009 Petit-Village, 2009 Pontet Canet & 2010 Vieux Château Certan

67 Pall Mall, Singapore, hosted an exclusive Bordeaux tasting on the evening of 24 May 2023 for its shareholders in the wake of Vinexpo Asia featuring a good spread of estates and vintages. From what I’ve observed, it appears the smaller estates have, nowadays, caught up with the usual big boys; that’s where the smart money ought to be. Many thanks, Sir K, for the invitation!

2017 “Y” d’Yquem. Poured from magnum. Pale greenish. Distinct note of durian with some barnyard pungency which I find highly enticing. Medium-bodied, the clear citrus fruit set somewhat backwards, displaying good clarity with a delicate agile quality graced with refined acidity. Developed a certain waxiness over time, exuding lovely intensity with a dash of vanillin. 

2015 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc. Pale. Wonderfully fresh, displaying cool clarity. Excellent full presence but very subtly layered, finishing with traces of white pepper.

2010 Vieux Château Certan. Deep crimson. Restrained nose of cool ripe fruit and mahogany with emerging early secondary characters. Full darkish palate. Very generously endowed with black fruits, its supple tannins exerting superb tensile presence with sublime acidity, finishing on a minerally note. Far from ready but this has the potential to be one of the vintage’s greatest.

2010 Château Montrose. Very deep garnet. Full presence of dense black fruits, currants and cedar laid on velvety tannins, showing some early secondary development. Wonderfully layered and beautifully nuanced, boasting great balance and amazing agility in spite of its full weight. Exudes superb freshness with sublime intensity, conveying tremendous verve. impeccably proportioned and authoritative. This is Montrose still done in the old style. Outstanding, re-affirming the greatness of this vintage.

2009 Château Petit-Village. Deep crimson. Glowing effusive presence of black currants and dark fruits, wonderfully ripe with a surprisingly deep savoury core that exude great freshness and energy. Fleshy and highly integral. A great success from this under-rated estate.

2009 Château Pontet-Canet. Very dark, proffering deep luxuriant tones of dark fruits, currants and black berries. Beautifully ripe. Structured with refined detailed tannins that exert fine tension with an enticing warmth. Excellent sophistication.

2008 Château Clos Fourtet. Darkish tones dominate on the nose and fullish palate, glowing with ripe raspberries on a structured bed of relatively firm tannins and graphite elements amid overtones of toast and savoury roast. Yet to loosen up with true secondary development.

2006 Château Léoville Las-Cases. Deep purple. The leading estate of Saint-Julien opens with bright pebbly tones (a consistent characteristic of this vintage) against a backdrop of darkish tones and early cedary characters. Generously imbued with black fruits and currants framed within structured dryish tannins on a bed of firm minerally elements. Unsurprisingly stern throughout its length. Still not ready.

2005 Château Figeac. Deep garnet. Restrained glow of dark plummy fruit amid overtones of briar and earth. Equally darkish on the full palate, structured with supple pliant tannins layered with a deep core of glorious fruit. Still rather youthful, evolving at a glacial pace.

2003 Château Cos D’Estournel. Poured from double magnum. Deep garnet. Rounded with darkish intensity, boasting great detail, layering and clarity from its fleshy medium-bodied presence. Very well integrated without any alcoholic flash. Just entering its drinking window.

2000 Château Calon-Ségur. Deep crimson. Good lift of cedar and mahogany underscored by a firm note of soy, exuding early secondary development with a gentle glow. The palate is beautifully structured and balanced but the feel is somewhat underwhelming, the fruit a little too placid with understated acidity. Modest finish.

1996 Château Valandraud. Mature brownish red. Prominent note of glycerin and ripe plummy tones from the mature fruit. Medium-bodied. Very well-layered though rather placid with rounded tannins and subdued acidity, finishing on a note of sweet incense.