On the Road with the Grape Guy

Bordeaux 2025 : The Tasting at Hubert de Bouard Consulting

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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

(Jan. 21, 2025) … We are here at another consultant tasting. This one is organized into Left and Right bank wines for us … plus there are a few white wines we tasted at the end just to cleanse our palate – including a Chardonnay (?), I have some comments about that one.

What you will find here is my typical three-star ranking, Good/Better/Best style … there were close to 70 wines tasted today. The top wines received notes; the lower tier, just a score. Let’s get right to it … or is that left to you? Whichever, let’s begin:

LEFT BANK 

TWO star wines ...
                    
Chateau Arnauld 2022 Haut Medoc
Have tried this wine in years past in Toronto and it is still a good bottle: complex and fruit forward with enough backing from the wood, tannins and acidity to make it appealing.    

Chateau Deyrem Valentin 2022 Margaux
Tasted before, liked it, tasted again, liked it even more ... chcolate and spice with good acidity and lots of black fruit    

Chateau Grand Puy Ducasse 2022 Pauillac
Good depth of character, nice fruit, drinkable, slightly smoky, acidity to balance; nice finish.    

Chateau Haut Beausejour 2022 Saint Estephe    
Dark cherries and plums, a little bit smoky with some cigar box adding depth - very approachable now.    

Chateau L'Eperon 2022 L'Esprit du L'Eperon        
Has a brightness and freshness that proves very drinkable; cherry and tobacco with a nice finish.

Chateau Laurence 2022 Petit Laurence        
Depth and some complexity; fruit matches up with the wood - this is a real charmer of a wine    

Chateau Meyney 2022 Saint Estephe
Nicely balanced with spice, acidity, dark fruit and smoke.    

Chateau Siran 2022 Margaux
Nice spicy character to this wine ... fruit is a little muted, but there is some jump on the palate that make it exciting.    

ONE star wines …

Chateau Charmail 2022 Haut Medoc
Chateau du Rosair 2022 Bordeaux Rouge
Chateau Grand Puy Ducasse 2022 Prelude
Chateau L'Eperon 2022 L'Eclat du Chateau L'Eperon Black Edition
Chateau Lamothe-Bergeron 2022 Haut Medoc
Chateau Larose-Trintaudon 2022 Haut Medoc
Chateau Laurence 2022 Bordeaux Superieur
Chateau Meyney 2022 Prieur de Meyney
Chateau Tour de Pez 2022 Saint Estephe
Chateau Tour des Termes 2022 Saint Estephe

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RIGHT BANK

THREE star wines ...
                    
Chateau la Fleur de Bouard 2022 Lalande de Pomerol 
Juicy and tasty - there is some real delicious dark fruit here backed by spice and some good acidity. Definitely purchase worthy, storage worthy and drink-worthy. I’ve done all those.    

TWO star wines ...
                    
Chateau la Fleur de Bouard 2022 Le Plus de la Fleur Bouard        
This is old vines Merlot - a little lean and one note with blueberry, blackberry and spice: but that note is tasty.    

Chateau Plain-Point 2022 Fronsac
Lots of deep rich black fruits - good spice and balancing acidity. Fronsac comes thru again, it’s a region to definitely look for – and the prices are very affordable.    

Chateau Thenac 2022 Bergerac
Good fruit with blackberry, black cherry and spice.    

Chateau Trianon 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru        
Juicy with dark fruits, silky tannins and smooth texture - good acidity balances it off nicely.    
                    

ONE star wines

Chateau Adaugusta 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau de Carles 2022 Haut Carles (Fronsac)
Chateau la Croix Younan 2022 Icone de la Croix Younan
Chateau la Croix Younan    2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau la Fleur de Bouard 2022 Le Lion de la Fleur Bouard - Lalande de Pomerol
Chateau Thenac 2022 Fleur de Thenac
Chateau Thenac 2022 La porte des neves de vin (1621)
Clos Bertineau 2022 IGP Atlantique

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WHITE WINES
        
TWO star wines ...
            
Chateau Plain Point 2022 Blanc
Ripe SB mixed with Semillon (?) the acidity is good with some bitterness and pith notes.    

ONE star wines ...

Chateau la Fleur de Bouard 2022 Chardonnay
Chardonnay planted in Bordeaux soil - is this sacrilegious? Will dogs start sleeping with cats? Will the earth explode? There is a nice spicy character to this wine, and the fruit is good. This is not the future of Bordeaux, but it certainly is interesting.

Chateau la Fleur de Bouard 2022 Sauvignon
Chateau Thenac 2022 Bergerac

Bordeaux 2025: Les Vins de Jean-Pierre Moueix

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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

(Jan. 23, 2025) … A tasting at the offices of JP Moueix – there is also an inteview of Edouard Moueix - that I recorded for Two Guys Talking Wine – you can find that interview on the podcast page in early 2026.

For now these are the wines I tasted, all from the fantastic 2022 vintage. It was a small 15 wine tasting, but there were some very good to excellent wines on the table. I used a three-star system while on my Bordeaux adventure – think of it as Good / Better / Best. And now, without further ado:

THREE star wines ...

Chateau Certan de May 2022 Pomerol 
(Merlot 60% / Franc 30% / Sauvignon 10%)
Coffee and cocoa, black cherry, black currants, blueberry, boysenberry. We’re talking about something special here.    

Chateau La Fleur-Petrus 2022 Pomerol
(Merlot 97% / Petit Verdot 3%)
A nice peppery note from the PV, joins lots of black fruit, mocha, chocolate, spiced blueberry and even a touch of herbal which just adds an extra punch of fun.    

Chateau Latour-a-Pomerol 2022 Pomerol
(Merlot 100%)
Dense dark fruits: blueberry, black cherry and even some cassis, along with mocha and coffee bean plus silky tannins, that have a tendency to turn with each sip.    

TWO star wines ...                    

Chateau Bourgneuf 2022 Pomerol 
(Merlot 85% / Franc 15%)
Fresh fruit, decent acidity, but is very drinkable with its dark cherry and blackberry. There are some tannins at the back end making this a surprisingly intense wine sip.    

Chateau Hosanna 2022 Pomerol
(Merlot 76% / Franc 24%)
Blueberry and white pepper, silky smooth and easy to drink – super pleasant.    

Chateau Trotanoy 2022 Pomerol
(Merlot 96% / Franc 4%)
Blueberry opens then ends with a black cherry finish; all the while there are hints of pepper and some tannins that fly in for balance - nice acidity on the finish    
    
    
ONE star wines ...

Chateau Belair-Monange 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru 
(Merlot 99% / Franc 1%)

Chateau La Serre 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
(Merlot 75% / Franc 25%)

Chateau Lafleur-Gazin 2022 Pomerol
(Merlot 100%)

Chateau Pindefleurs 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
(Merlot 90% / Franc 10%)

Clos Saint Martin 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
(Merlot 80% / Franc 15% / Sauvignon 5%)