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The tasting took place on April 13, 2024 at Coti-Chiavari. After the 2015 vintage, whose final was won by Yves Canarelli’s cuvée Amphore, the club continues its exploration of the island’s great red wines with the 2016 vintage.

Great Corsican wines are hard to source in older vintages, but this time we had a little more time to track down the top wines, relying as usual on the consolidated scores provided by the Wine-Searcher website. We were even able to organize two semi-finals with the best challengers from northern Corsica (“Cismonte”) and southern Corsica (“Pumonte”). Unfortunately, we were unable to restock the first of each of these semi-finals, in this case Nos Petits Grains du Clos Marfisi (Patrimonio) and Tarra di Sognu, Yves Canarelli’s brand-new Bonifacio regional appellation wine. We have replaced them with Clos Venturi’s Chiesa Nera, second in the Cismonte, and Antica d’U Stiliccionu and Domaine Peraldi’s Cuvée Cardinal, second and fourth respectively in the Pumonte.

The A final is a match between Corsica’s two Grands Crus appellations, Ajaccio and Patrimonio, refereed by Clos Venturi’s La Chiesa Nera (Ponte Leccia) and Yves Canarelli’s Cuvée Amphora (Figari).

Here is the list of wines presented:

• Antica, U Stiliccionu, Ajaccio
• Amphora, Clos Canarelli, Figari
• Carco, A-M. Arena, Patrimonio
• Chiesa Nera, Clos Venturi, Vin de Corse
• Cuvée Cardinal, Comte Peraldi, Ajaccio
• Granit, Vaccelli, Ajaccio
• Grotte di Sole, J-B. Arena, Patrimonio
• Kalliste, U Stiliccionu, Ajaccio
• Memoria, A-M. Arena, Patrimonio
• Ministre Impérial, Abbatucci, Ajaccio
• Monte Bianco, Abbatucci, Ajaccio
• Morta Maio, A. Arena, Patrimonio
• San Giovanni, A-M. Arena, Vin de France

This blind tasting was won by two wines from Taravo, the southern valley of the Ajaccio appellation, namely Antica from Sébastien Poly (the most Burgundian of Corsican winemakers) and Granit from Gérard Courrèges. It’s worth noting that Antica is not aged in barrels. The stainless-steel vat enables a different level of evolution and balance to be achieved, without however – and this is the most astonishing – losing in complexity nor intensity.

Vaccelli’s Granit and Peraldi’s Cuvée Cardinal complete the podium, more in line with the grand crus de garde of the Ajaccio appellation. Yves Canarelli’s cuvée Amphora failed to make the podium this time, although it was ahead of Jean-Charles Abbatucci’s Monte Bianco and Ministre Impérial.

Overall, and as in 2015, the wines of Ajaccio and Figari, which feature Sciaccarellu, the emblematic grape variety of these two appellations, are ahead of all other wines. The great wines of Patrimonio, using mainly Niellucciu grapes, will certainly benefit from cellaring for a few more years.

A special mention must go to Tarra di Sognu, the only wine that managed to beat (admittedly by a small margin) Antica in the Pumonte semi-final. This new wine in the Bonifaccio “micro-appellation” brings to the top the Carcaghjolu Neru grape variety, characterized by its dark color and great sapidity.

The Final A of the Grands Crus Classés de Bordeaux tasting for the 2008 vintage took place in April 2023 in Montpellier, the city where the sun never sets. Thank you Régine and Francis for your welcome and for a wonderful guided tour of Montpellier’s historic center.

For this tasting, the top four wines in Final B – Le Bon Pasteur, Domaine de Chevalier, La Mondotte and La Tour Carnet – were pitted against the usual “big eight” of Bordeaux’s Grand Cru Classés:

Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Haut-Brion, Lafite, Latour, Margaux, Mouton Rothschild and Petrus.

Here are the results for the top six :

For the first time in the club’s history, the podium is made up entirely of wines from the qualifying rounds. It’s a proof of the levelling upwards that is taking place in Bordeaux! As in all the world’s wine-growing regions, new winemaking techniques are narrowing the gap between the big estates and the smaller operations. And this is true even in a difficult Bordeaux vintage like 2008, when the start of the harvest, particularly for the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety, was more often a matter of necessity than choice.

As in the final B, wines featuring the Merlot grape did extremely well. With a special mention for La Tour Carnet, which offers an incredible value for money. Haut-Brion, with all its power, falls short of the podium, and will certainly benefit from being aged longer in the cellar. It is followed by a surprising Château Lafite, which despite its high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, seduces with its astonishing roundness and harmony.

It should be noted that La Tour Carnet is in fact first ex aequo on points, but comes second due to the greater standard deviation of the tasters’ scores. The same goes for Petrus, which, after the 1998 vintage, once again made it into the top six of the Finale A.

Visit at the Domaine Aigues Belles, a rising star in the Pic Saint Loup appellation

The final B of the Grands Crus Classés de Bordeaux wine tasting for the 2008 vintage took place in October 2022 in the magnificent setting of Lake Annecy. Thank you Ella and Jean-Philippe for your welcome in Veyrier du Lac and bravo for the organization of all these sports and tourist activities around this superb final.

Eleven wines have been selected for this blind tasting:

Le Bon Pasteur, Domaine de Chevalier, Grand Puy Lacoste, Issan, La Mondotte, Larcis Ducasse, Lascombes, La Tour Carnet, Léoville las Cases, Phélan Ségur and Pichon Baron

Here are the results for the top six:

For the first time in the history of the club, a Haut-Médoc, in this case Château La Tour Carnet, won a final B!

Apart from this surprising winner, this final saw a clear domination of the right bank with wines that were more aromatic, fat and supple. It seems that the climatic conditions of this vintage favored the development and the blooming of the Merlot grape variety, very present in the Saint-Emilion and especially Pomerol appellations. La Tour Carnet, although located very close to the Saint-Julien appellation, is also characterized by proportions worthy of a right bank wine with its 54% Merlot and 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, which may explain its great performance. We will see if this analysis is confirmed during the Final A.

Overall, it was a very nice tasting where even the last classified wines could delight the most difficult palates!

This final took place on July 9, 2022 at Pascale and Luc’s house and here is the list of wines that were presented:

• Clerc Milon
• Haut-Bages Libéral
• Haut-Batailley
• Lynch Bages
• Pichon Baron
• Grand Puy Lacoste
• Duhart Milon
• Pontet Canet

Unfortunately, Pichon Comtesse could not be supplied in time for this vintage and it is Grand Puy Lacoste, one of the best “second knives” of the appellation, which imposes itself in strength and balance in front of a trio composed of Haut-Bages Libéral, Clerc Milon and Pichon Baron. Haut-Bages Libéral stands out with its citrus aromas and its very “Margalais” charm. In the tasting, Pichon Baron certainly has the greatest potential for aging.

Here are the results:

This tasting took place on June 25, 2022 in Coti-Chiavari. For once, the club turned away from the Grands Crus Classés of Bordeaux to focus on the great red wines of Kallisté, the Island of Beauty.

Great Corsican wines are particularly difficult to source in older vintages and 2015 is no exception to the rule! It was therefore a real challenge to present the following precious bottles:

• Amphore, Clos Canarelli, Figari
• Chiesa Nera, Clos Venturi, Vin de Corse
• Clos Venturi, Domain Vico, Vin de Corse
• Cuvée Cardinal, Comte Peraldi, Ajaccio
• Kalliste, U Stiliccionu, Ajaccio
• Granit, Vaccelli, Ajaccio
• Grotte di Sole, J-B. Arena, Patrimonio
• Memoria, A-M. Arena, Patrimonio
• Monte Bianco, Abbatucci, Ajaccio
• Oriu, Domaine de Torraccia, Porto Vecchio
• Rouge, Clos Canarelli, Figari
• YL E Croce, Yves Leccia, Patrimonio

No wine from Calvi and Sartene could be presented and we will do better for the next vintages! The two “grand cru” appellations, Ajaccio and Patrimonio, are however well represented.

This blind tasting was won quite easily by Yves Canarelli’s Amphore, ahead of Jean Charles Abbatucci’s Monte Bianco. The Amphore cuvée is characterized by its great elegance and perfect balance while Monte Bianco stands out for its aromatic power and impressive length in the mouth. Overall, the wines of Ajaccio and Figari, which give pride of place to Sciaccarellu, the emblematic grape variety of these two appellations, are ahead of all other wines. The great wines of Patrimonio, using mainly the Nielluccio grape variety, will certainly benefit from being kept in the cellar for a few more years.

This event took place mid-May in a lovely place nearby Paris.

Here is the list of the nine tasted wines:

• Calon Ségur
• Capbern Gasqueton
• Cos d’Estournel
• Cos Labory
• Haut-Marbuzet
• Lafon-Rochet
• Ormes de Pez
• Phélan Ségur
• Montrose

This appellation final is marked by the surprise victory of Phélan Ségur, which delighted us by its sapidity and its length in the mouth, the latter being punctuated by a beautiful final balance. Châteaux Calon-Ségur and Lafon-Rochet complete the podium of a tasting that was both technical (by its variety) and well-made. Small disappointment however for the Châteaux Montrose and Cos d’Estournel which will certainly benefit from being kept much longer in the cellar.

And here are the results:

This final took place at the end of April 2022 in Sucy en Brie.

Here is the list of the eleven tasted wines:

• Beau-Séjour Bécot
• Canon
• Clos Fourtet
• Figeac
• Fonplégeade
• La Gaffelière
• Les Grandes Murailles
• Larcis Ducasse
• Pavie Macquin
• La Mondotte
• Troplong Mondot

This wonderful finale of appellation was dominated by La Mondotte, a real “fighter jet”, so much so that it stands out by its power and “fatness” compared to the other wines. Larcis Ducasse was a very good second. Together with Les Grandes Murailles and Fonplégeades, they certainly represent the best value for money of this blind wine tasting:

This final took place on March 19, 2022 at Pascale and Luc’s home in Sucy en Brie. A date also marked by the grand slam of the French Rugby team, following a beautiful victory against the English team!

Here is the list of the ten tasted wines:

• Bouscaut
• Chapelle de la Mission Haut Brion
• Domaine de Chevalier
• Fieuzal
• Grand vin de Reignac
• Haut Bailly
• Latour Martillac
• Malartic La Gravière
• Pape Clément
• Smith Haut Lafitte

Domaine de Chevalier wins quite easily this very nice appellation final where we took a lot of pleasure. On the nose, it is characterized by a beautiful expression of red fruits, completed in the mouth by a great sapidity and an exceptional length. Châteaux Pape Clément and Malartic la Gravière complete the podium.

Here are the results of the wine tasting:

We continue to explore this 2008 vintage, at very spaced intervals because of the pandemic… Between the beginning and the end of the 2008 campaign, no doubt that the wines will have evolved significantly.
After having started with two beautiful Médoc appellations (Margaux and Saint-Julien), we move on to the right bank with the tasting of Pomerol.

Here is the list of the ten tasted wines:

• Beauregard
• Le Bon Pasteur
• Clinet
• La Conseillante
• Eglise Clinet
• Feytit-Clinet
• Gazin
• Petit Village
• Trotanoy
• Vieux Chateau Certan

Here are the results of the blind wine tasting:

At first glance, the dresses are striking for their deep blackness: nothing gets through… No doubt, we will have density! Second observation, very different noses: we will have a beautiful aromatic variety!

Indeed, these two impressions are confirmed during this tasting: dense, intense wines, each one showing a well asserted personality. The tannins are not aggressive, rather well blended and included in a balanced whole. Technically successful wines.

These 2008 Pomerols leave us with a nice overall impression, more accomplished than the somewhat austere Saint-Julien. Reasons to hope for a lot of pleasure with the Saint-Emilions…

We are beginning to perceive the features of 2008: wines in a rather classic style, balanced, good, but also lacking a little of brilliance to make it a great vintage. To be continued in the next episodes…

The wines that impressed me: the charm and the fullness of Le Bon Pasteur, the brightness and the vivacity of Eglise Clinet, the structure and the (over)maturity of Clinet and finally the impression of youth of the so called “Vieux” (i.e.”Old”) Château Certan!

Vincent

This final took place in June 2021 at Pascale and Luc’s home in Sucy en Brie.

Here is the list of the eleven tasted wines:

• Beychevelle
• Branaire Ducru
• Ducru Beaucaillou
• Gloria
• Gruaud Larose
• Lagrange
• Langoa Barton
• Léoville Barton
• Léoville las Cases
• Léoville Poyferré
• Saint-Pierre

Léoville Las Cases won by a narrow margin over Langoa Barton. Two very aromatic and powerful wines that will benefit from being kept in the cellar for a few years to soften the tannins.

Here are the results of the wine tasting party:

« Beautiful evening at Pascale and Luc’s. Wines of great quality. Expressive nose. Mouths sometimes a little austere, even closed. All in all, excellent wines! The 1976 Beychevelle as an aperitif was amazing. The 1976 Doisy Dubroca a bit smooth, but bringing a good freshness to close this very good dinner on the terrace, including Spanish charcuterie and a garbure de-structured according to Luc!»

Stéphane and Perrine