2009 Union de Grand Cru Bordeaux Tastings

As the 2009 Bordeaux get ready for release, the UGC did their annual tour around the US so that we could taste the wines once more.  While they are not as classic in style as the 2010s, they are amazingly good wines and as far as approachability, the left bank wines really exciting.  Overall, the 2009s are forward, massive, lucious wines.  I would order a left bank wine in a restaurant without hesitation with a nice piece of red meat.  By no means am I taking anything away from the right bank.  Quite the contrary in fact.  The wines of Pomeral, St. Emilion and Graves just need more time to age.  They are monsters in the making and deserve time to lay down.  As always, I will now give my top wines.  Please keep in mind that several Chateaux do not do the UGC such as first growths, Cos, Ducru, Angelus and a few notable others so while I do not notate them here, it is simply because I did not re-taste them last week.  So my winners are (in no particular order): Lascombes, Pichon Baron, Grand Puy Lacoste, Lynch Bages, Clerc Milon (value), Gloria (value), St. Pierre, Gruaud Larose, Beau-Sejour Becot, Canon, Canon La Gaffeliere, Clos Fortet, Troplong Mondot, Clinet, La Conseillante, Brane Cantenac, Cantenac Brown, Smith Haut Lafite (rouge), Latour-Martillac (super value), Larrivet Haut Brion (super value), and Haut-Bergey (super value).


Nicholas A. Silvers