journo_tasting

Our final day in the Left Bank – and what a day. After the euphoria of ’09 Latour, we were raring to try the other First Growths of Pauillac.

Our first stop was Ch. Lafite where we tasted on one side of the table and a group of top UK journalists faced us on the other (left). To be fair, Lafite stood proud. It had an amazing perfume on the mid-palate with utterly refined elegance and poise; a wonderful Lafite. So far though, the astonishing Latour was still our front runner.

mouton_arrival

Spirits were high as we pulled up at Mouton (right). We’d heard great things about this – but how it would compare

to the greatness of Latour, Lafite and Margaux?

It was superb. Simply fabulous; with that indefinable, ethereal character of a truly legendary wine.

Ch. Montrose provided another fabulous wine. The amazing thing here were the tannins – usually so austere but in 2009 they just melted away. This is one of the best Montrose’s we’ve ever tasted:

Other mentions have to go to the sensational Ch. Leoville Poyferre, a fabulously focused Pontet Canet, the best Pagodes de Cos we have ever tasted

pichon_baron

(this could well be confused with the Grand Vin if tasted blind), a lovely Pichon-Baron (left), and a seriously impressive Leoville-Las Cases,  with the bargain of the day awarded to a Ch. Moulin Riche.

So, our order of the First Growths? Mouton was stunning but for us Latour still has the edge, with Lafite and Margaux tying in third place.

And so today we head to the Graves to complete our picture of 2009. First stop: Ch. Haut-Brion. The pressure is on.

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