CRU WINE INVESTMENT INAUGUARAL TASTING AT THE 39 MONTE CARLO CLUB IN MONACO
Cru Wine Investment are delighted to have hosted our first fine wine tasting at the private members’ club, 39 Monte Carlo, on April 13th in Monaco. We were more than happy to say the event was a great success, with a full-house of guests, from Cru Wine Investment’s clients, to prospective clients and members of the club, wines that were fantastically received, excellent company, great conversation, perfect ambience and top-notch service from the venue. Firstly, we would like to say a big thank you to the venue for helping us achieve such an enjoyable evening. And of course, an equally big thank you to all of you who could attend.
For those of you who were unable to attend, or would like to join us again for future tastings, we are happy to say that Cru Wine Investment will be holding regular, future tastings throughout Europe. A number of top, Classed Growth Chateau, with whom we have an excellent relationship, have already expressed an interest in collaborating with us.
Back to the event…
Cru Wine Investment’s intention for the tasting was not only to meet and greet our many guests and talk about what we do, but also, simply, to taste some great wine. That we did. The idea of the tasting was to show the diversity that (red) Bordeaux has to offer.
First off, we guided our guests from the Right to Left-bank. From Merlot-dominant, to Cabernet. Pomerol, and the under-the-radar property of Chateau Beauregard and the exceptional 2010 vintage, was the starting point. This wine was singing. Despite its youth, this was accessible, delicious and perhaps the best-received wine of the tasting. A real crowd-pleaser. Full-bodied, rich, ripe and rounded, with no hard edges, great balance and fantastic aromatics of summer fruits, tar, liquorice and new-leather. This certainly shows the quality that can be found in a great vintage, when you look away from the usual suspects.
For the comparison to this wine, we veered over the Gironde, to the Left-Bank’s Haut Medoc and 5th Growth Chateau Cantemerle 2009. Ok, so this does have a high Merlot content, but it is still very much has Cabernet Sauvignon in its personality (55%), albeit in a lighter guise than its Paulliac, St-Julien and the-like siblings. In the heatwave 2009 vintage, this was a surprisingly good example of the elegant side of Bordealaise Cabernet. Expressively Cabernet-dominated, also acting as a great savoury comparison to the fruit-laden juiciness of the Pomerol.
Next up was a line-up of two of the same wines from two different vintages. Firstly, to highlight what a few years in bottle does to a wine and, secondly, to show the style of wine produced in two very different years. Prieure-Lichine 2012 and 2004 were tasted alongside one-other. This 4th Growth Margaux property certainly doesn’t gain enough attention. Both wines were truly excellent, with the light-on-its-feet 2004 not showing any of the green character that is creeping into many an ’04. Very Margaux. Floral, with wonderful aromatics. The 2012 is shaping up to be star (editor: my pick of the night).
For the final wine, we decided to show (off) a 3 litre, double-magnum, because…well we wanted to. It’s a good show piece after all! The thinking behind pulling out a big bottle of the Pessac-Leognan Grand Cru Class, Malartic Lagraviere 1999 was to give our guests a taster of fully mature Bordeaux, plus to show how maturing a wine in a large bottle slows down the ageing process. A normal 75cl bottle of this ’99 may well have been on a downward trajectory. However, the slower ageing of the larger bottle meant this wine was at a great point in its life. Tannins all-but-gone and full of savoury charm. From a vintage often overlooked, and not one for long-term laying down, but one that has produced some delicious wines in their later years. Another winner with all.
Also, the nibbles were great, 39 Monte Carlo. Thanks!
For information about future events or what we do at Cru Wine Investment, please email [email protected]
The Cru Wine Investment team
Pictures of the event
