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Giscours 2007

2007 gave a ripe merlot, tannins, and firm with assertive Cabernet fruit a la style the Commune Larbade, along with tones of violets,

pepper and herbal nuances on the nose, which reflect the palate. The colour is bright and of deep ruby.


So this Giscours is quite masculine to start; the medium finish is elegant, though. Some 80% of the Malolactic fermentation occurs in the tank, and 20% occurs in the barrel. The wine of Chateau Giscours is aged in 50% new French oak barrels for an average of 18 months. Scores are low, in the 86 to 90 range; hence the price is played down, so still, a bargain for a Margaux Cru with 16 years behind. After all, the Wine Enthusiast tasters awarded 93 points; Jeannie Cho Lee awarded 91.

Langoa Barton 2017

Updated: May 23, 2024


Deep ruby with a tight rim shows some potential. This 2017 gives Pauillac a perfumed black and red currant fruited nose. The firm palate flows fruit-coated tannins; the taste reflects the nose and balances nicely with the red-fruited(strawberries particularly) mid-palate flavours. Stylistically, this 2017 may be preferred by some for the freshness and lighter approach, but in recent vintages, such as this 2017, the style has more punch and longevity. It is a famous claret in Hong Kong and has a reputation for being well-priced. This 2017 used to be the tasting teams' house wine for Bordeaux Claret.


Langoa Barton 2017 is underrated, considering its high-cost performance in terms of excellent and consistent score ratings(WE94, JS94, VindeVert94; JMQ 93 and WS for 93). Some UK merchants would imagine this is a second wine of Leoville Barton. We don't think so, mainly for stylistic reasons: Langoa never resembled the 'elder' brother Leoville. We believe this second wine reasoning is because the Bartons happened to work under the same roof for ages.

This is a superlatively good traditional Saint-Julien, combining power and finesse with the ability to age in the medium term and improve over many years. A blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, it ages 20 months in oak barrels (50% new) and will age for 12 to 40 years, in many cases longer. Foursquare is very stable in quality, and this 2017 can age over ten years even for being a lighter and more elegant vintage.

Cantemerle 2005

A balanced blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (47%) and Merlot, with a slight addition of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Like the terroir, the wine is classic in its deep ruby colour and elegant bouquet, combining mixed black fruit, sweet spices and pepper. Round, solid, and tastes harmonious with 18 years behind—good complexity, long finish, delicate palate, stuffed, structured. Excellent value. Medium to medium-deep, ruby-red colour. There is good, fresh acidity & balanced alcohol, but the astringent tannins leave the finish very lean. Silky finish. Still with good fruit. Rare by now.



JS93. 'Wow. This shows wonderful depth and complexity on the nose with blueberries, fresh flowers and hints of stones. It's full-bodied, with ultra-refined tannins and a long, long finish. It gets better and better with age: gorgeous now but will improve for many years. Excellent.'(edited). RP gave 91 and Stazer 90. Quite stable scores.





This is a consolidation of the tasting and papers

written from 2006 to 2013. These write-ups had been with the orginal site Wine and Beyond, Yahoo, until the service stopped by Yahoo in September 2013.

 

For years I have been working with wines, either buying it, selling it to wine companies, lecturing and writing about it, and, not unimportantly, enjoying it with friends. If any of the articles on this site are worth reading it is due to my teachers, my mentors, my peers and friends, my students, and in particularly my editors who ignite in me a desire to communicate in wines.

 

Clinging to the trellis of wine, I started to get more and more involved with estates and winemakers, by supporting them with consultancy in communication and marketing. The more I spend my time outside Hong Kong, the more I sense a desire to be part of the international wine family.

 

Writing about wine represents a moment of reflection, curiosity, atitudes and a desire to analyse often hidden structures and history, in an effort to make the wealth of wine accessible to a targetted, and hopefully larger audience.

 

I am not sure if I can wine proivde more accessible to all through this blog. But I am sure to write in wine means being involved in wine and  to remain as impartial and objective as possible.

 

Kevin Tang.

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