Chateau Rouquette
Recent Vintages
Conal Gregory, a Master of Wine, , has helped us with the
blending of the wine since the 2000 vintage. After we have finished the
blending, we have tasted the previous vintages. Below are Conal's latest tasting
notes, which were made on 1 September 2007
1985 - my comments not Conal's! How long
can you keep Rouquette?
Not exactly a 'recent' vintage, but important as it represents the oldest
bottle of Rouquette we have tasted. At a
lunch with a Bordeaux negociant and courtier in 2000, they compared the wine favorably with a 1983 Pichon Longueville,
Comtesse de Lalande (Parker rating 94!), which we drank at the same
meal. The Rouquette (and the Comtesse) were drinking well until 2003 - the
Rouquette has faded faster! Of
course, Rouquette is not Pichon Longueville, but the 1985 was the evidence that
we are capable of producing a long lived wine at Rouquette whose quality is well outside
the Bordeaux Superieur appellation.
1997,
1998 and 1999
The 1997 has, hopefully, all been drunk by now, as
it is fading fast. The 1998 and 1999 are ready for drinking now.
2000
This vintage marks a significant change in style from the previous three. Firstly, we changed the pruning in the winter of 1999/2000 and dropped the yield by 35%. The wine is more concentrated as a result. Secondly, we put the wine in oak barrels for the first time. We have increased the price to reflect these higher costs. It was an excellent year generally for Bordeaux, with hot dry weather in the late summer.
The wine is approachable far earlier than previous vintages. An excellent Merlot year, we put 42% into the wine with 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Cabernet Franc. It is delicious to drink now although it will improve over the next 5-10 years!
Comments by Conal Gregory MW, 1/9/07:
Appearance: Mid raspberry-red centre; wide, pale cherry rim.
Nose: Smoky cedarwood fruit, vanilla, lovely style; hint of farmy undertones.
Palate: Smoky fruit with lovely structure. Light tannins. Mid length. Wood well integrated, restrained fruit. Complex. Enjoy now and for several yaers to come.
Overall: Clearly well above its AOC status.
2001
Although generally not as good as the previous vintage for Bordeaux as a whole, the Rouquette 2001 has maintained the new plateau of quality we established with the 2000. We continued to look for ways to improve the quality. We picked all the Merlot by hand this year and began the use of micro-oxygenation after fermentation, which helps soften the tannins and establish the color. Yields were kept low at 42 hectolitres/hectare.
The Rouquette was made from 40% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc.
Comments by Conal Gregory MW, 1/9/07:
Appearance:
Deep
damson-red core with tight raspberry-red rim.
Nose: Elegant, herbaceous fruit; stylish
Palate: Rich, many layered fruit, still quite tannic.. Mid length. A good decision to bottle this unfiltered, it will continue to improve for several years to come.
2002
We harvested in the first fortnight of October with grapes that were almost falling off the vines. The yield was the lowest yet at 38 hl/hectare. We hardly had any Cabernet Franc but used it all in the Rouquette blend: 38% Merlot, 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc. Probably our best wine yet but at the end of the harvest I lost my driving license for 10 days! The police very kindly waited until after the harvest.
Decanter described the Rouquette: "Deep extracted purplish ruby. Spicy oak-dominated nose, rich flavours. Serious tannin character with plums and chocolate. Well executed. Now".
Comments by Conal Gregory MW, 1/9/07:
Appearance:
Violet
centre; long raspberry-red rim.
Nose: Youthful, herbal hint. Underlying bilberries.
Palate: Good rich fruit, light tannins. Good balance. Keep 1-2 years.
2003
Famous for the searing heat, Rouquette was better protected by the clay in its soil than those vineyards on gravel. Our yield for Rouquette was 46 hl/hectare - higher than in 2002, and contrary to Bordeaux generally. We were concerned during 2003 that the heat would produce an unbalanced wine. Subsequent tastings have gradually caused us to modify that view and we now think it is one of the best vintages we have made. Decanter magazine described the Rouquette: "Richly roasted coffee aroma. Very juicy tannins and crunchy fruit - nice balance."
Comments by Conal Gregory MW, 1/9/07:
Appearance: Mid damson-red with with tight rim development.
Nose: Appealing violets. Stylish.
Palate: Soft fruit, fair tannins. Good tannic length. Keep to 2009. A really hot vintage.
2004
For Bordeaux generally, this was one of the most prolific vintages since the war. Our decision to drop grapes ("green harvest") really paid off. This has rightly been described as a well balanced, more traditional vintage for Bordeaux. Our 2004 is a restrained, elegant wine which is excellent for drinking with food.
Comments by Conal Gregory MW, 1/9/07:
Appearance:
Mid-raspberry
red centre; long, pale strawberry-red rim.
Nose: Light, straightforward fruit. Evident Merlot.
Palate: Light, supple fruit, light tannins. Balanced. Enjoy from 2007.
2005
The dryest summer since the War, it has produced probably our best wine yet. With a record 14° of alcohol it was made from 50% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc. Bottled in August 2007.
Comments by Conal Gregory MW, 1/9/07:
Appearance:
Violet
intensity with raspberry-red rim.
Nose: Light fruit, hint of violets..
Palate: Light fruit, quite tanninic. Mid length. Enjoy from 2010 onwards.