The 2009 UGC Bordeaux wine tasting, (Union des Grand Cru Bordeaux) North American Tour starts in Los Angeles, Friday, January 20. For Bordeaux wine lovers and consumers who just like wine, this is the best wine event of the year! This year, the focus is on the extremely highly regarded 2009 Bordeaux vintage Having tasted these wines multiple times from barrel to bottle, (most recently last June in Bordeaux) 2009 is an outstanding vintage for Bordeaux wine.
The wines are sensuous, supple, opulent and silky. Due to the economy and prices, not much of the vintage was purchased by American retailers. This is the best opportunity to taste this many great wines from the 2009 Bordeaux vintage. To read our buying guide and tasting notes for the top wines from the 2009 Bordeaux vintage: 2009 Bordeaux Wine Buying Guide for the top 200 wines
If you have not attended a UGCB tasting before, this event awards guests the opportunity to taste over 100 different wines, as well as meet and talk with the owners of the chateaux that produce the wine.
We will be at the Los Angeles event and will publish a detailed article on the wines tasted with tasting notes and reviews. If anyone else catches the event in LA, or in any of the other cities, we’d like to hear from you and your notes and comments on the event and on all the wines you tasted as well.
Friday, January 20th, 2012 from 7pm to 10 pm.
Petersen Automotive Museum 6060 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA
Event #140448
$59 per person
Tickets for the Los Angeles event and the seminar can be purchased from www.wallyswines.com
Or call 310-475-0606
Prior to the official 7pm start, there is a special pre tasting, beginning at 6pm. This unique event is for charity with 100% of the proceeds going to the Horatio Alger Association Scholarship Fund. This charity provides scholarships in all 50 states for students in financial need who are currently in their senior year of high
school. Space will be limited.
UGC Pre-Event Benefit
Reception Plus Regular Admission
Friday, January 20th, 2012
6pm
$159 per person
Event #141064
* Refunds for cancellation require one week notice.
Tickets for the charity function can be purchased at Wallys.
Light hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served to complement an array of special older vintages such as 2005 and 2000, that will be poured by Chateaux owners and winemakers. Attending the reception affords you the unique opportunity to meet numerous winemakers and Chateaux owners in a much more intimate, one on one atmosphere.
Confirmed participants thus far include Chateaux: Giscours, Vieux Chateau Certan, Haut Bailly, Troplong Mondot, Pape Clement, Beau Sejour Becot, Smith Haut-Lafitte and Du Tetre… with more to follow!
Wines being poured by the various Chateaux for the UGC 2009 Bordeaux tasting are listed below.
Pauillac
Château Batailley
Château Clerc Milon
Château d’Armailhac
Château Grand Puy Ducasse
Château Haut Bages Liberal
Château Lynch Bages
Château Lynch-Moussas
Château Pichon Baron
Château Pichon Lalande
Château Pontet Canet
Margaux
Château Brane Cantenac
Château Cantenac Brown
Château du Tertre
Château Durfort Vivens
Château Giscours
Château Kirwan
Château Labegorce
Château Lascombes
Château Malescot St. Exupery
Château Siran
Château Rauzan-Segla
Château Bouscaut
Château Carbonnieux
Domaine de Chevalier
Château de Fieuzal
Château de France
Château Haut Bailly
Château La Louvière
Château La Tour Martillac
Château Les Carmes Haut Brion
Chateau Malartic Lagraviere
Château Olivier
Château Pape Clement
Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Pomerol
Château Beauregard
Château Clinet
Château La Cabanne
Château La Conseillante
Château Gazin
Château Petit Village
St. Emilion Grand Cru
Château Angelus
Château Beau-Sejour Becot
Château Canon
Château Canon La Gaffeliere
Château Clos Fourtet
Château Dassault
Château Figeac
Château Franc Mayne
Château Grand Mayne
Château La Couspade
Château La Dominique
Château La Gaffeliere
Château Larcis Ducasse
Château Larmande
Château Pavie Macquin
Château Troplong Mondot
Château Cos Labory
Château Lafon Rochet
Château Ormes De Pez
Château Phelan Segur
St. Julien
Château Beychevelle
Château Branaire Ducru
Château Gruaud Larose
Château Lagrange
Château Langoa Barton
Château Leoville Poyferre
Château Talbot
Sauternes et Barsac
Château Bastor Lamontagne
Château Climens
Château Coutet
Château de Fargues
Château Doisy Daene
Château Guiraud
Château La Tour Blanche
Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey
Château Sigalas Rabaud
Château Suduiraut
Haut Médoc
Château Beaumont
Château Belgrave
Château Camensac
Château Cantemerle
Château Coufran
Château La Lagune
Moulis en Médoc
Château Chasse Spleen
Château Poujeaux
Listrac Médoc
Château Clarke
Médoc
Château Greysac
Château La Tour de By
Graves
Château de Chantegrive
24 Comments
I’m gonna have a hard time sleeping tonight.
Mik… Your best bet is to ask the importer or wholesaler you work with to get you into the event to taste the 2009 Bordeaux wines.
Thanks Jeff. Take care.
Dear All,
Conseillante will unfortunately not be poured at the Wally’s tasting. We’ll only be presented at the trade tasting in LA, poured by my beloved neighbours…
I was already engaged in other events in south California, which avioid me to be physically present in LA.
I’m sorry for that, but I’ll be part of all the other tastings (both trade and consumers) of the UGC tour.
Cheers,
JM Laporte / winemaker at La Conseillante
Thank you Jean Michel for chiming in. I look forward to seeing you at the trade event and again in April. If you are still around, how is your 2010 and 2011 La Conseillante coming along?
Hi Jeff,
2010 is still doing fine: ageing will be slightly longer than usual, as its power needs to be soften. The last one that was treated the same way was 2005… Good sign.
And 2011 is fine! Tasted this morning again, it handles the oak very well, and presents a nice complexity. It reminds 2006, not for the climate (!) but for the style. And you know I love 06′ Pomerols.
Cheers,
JM
I’m looking forward to tasting these wines together at La Conseillante in April! In a few years, we should have a lot of fun vertical tastings we need to do.
Jeff:
How does oneattend the trade event. Is there a link for registering somewhere?
Thanks, Mik
Mik, what do you do in the wine trade? Please let me know and I’ll try and find out for you.
Jeff:
How does one attend the trade event. Is there a link for registering somewhere?
Thanks, Mik
Hi Mik
I am not sure if you saw my previous response to you. Please let me know what you do in the wine trade, or what your involvement with Bordeaux wine is, and I will try and get you the information you need.
Hi Jeff,
I am a wine director for a restaurant and we would like to introduce Bordeaux wines to the list.
Thanks, Mik
Maybe VCC is just for the VIP tasting?
Looks like Wally’s now has a list posted. Angelus and Malescot are out 🙁 I have a pair of Malescot coming on futures.
Barton is in, as well as the list of Sauternes/Barsac 🙂
Morgan… If Wallys is pouring 2009 Vieux Chateau Certan, it will only be at their charity Bordeaux wine tasting. Because Vieux Chateau Certan is not a member of the UGC, they will not show their wine at the 2009 Bordeaux wine tasting. I heard Malescot might not come. Which is too bad because they made a great 2009 Margaux! I think Angelus will be at the tasting.
Thanks, Jeff. I’ll keep my eye out for Angelus.
Yes, too bad about Malescot ::-((
Morgan… You will be able to taste Vieux Chateau Certan at the VIP Bordeaux wine tasting. However, Wallys is not pouring the 2009 at that event. It will be the 2006 Vieux Chateau Certan. Many of the estates at that tasting will also be pouring older Bordeaux vintages as well.
Really looking forward to this event and the pre-event as well.
I didn’t notice Pontet-Canet or La Conseillante on Wally’s list of participating Chateau, are they both confirmed? If so, they’d make for some great additions!
Robert…. Thanks for dropping by and posting. Pontet Canet no longer shows their wine with the UGC. I am not sure if La Conseilante is coming to Los Angeles this year.
Jeff,
Why are they dropping off the list? I just got my ticket and am really looking forward to this as it will be my first UGC. No first growth’s and no big-name super seconds (Cos, Ducru, Palmer, etc). Are they dropping off the list just for LA or are they opting out of the UGC altogether?
Thanks,
Morgan
Morgan… You have to taste Pontet Canet at the property, or at special dinners that spotlight Pontet Canet. That is their current marketing plan. The Firsts, Cos, Palmer and Ducru are not part of the UGC, so they would not show their wines with the UGC. To taste those Bordeaux wines, you will also have to visit the property, or attend a dinner where they are the focus of the tasting.
Cos was involved with the UGC when it first started, but they have not been a member for years. The other estates have never been member of the UGC.
I hope you’ll share your impression of the 2009 Bordeaux wines on our forums after you taste them. This is a link to the forums. http://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/forums_new/forumdisplay.php?5-Wine-amp-Food-Talk
Of course feel free to use the forums and chat about wine at any time, you do not need to wait for the UGC.
That’s too bad about Pontet Canet. I picked up a pair of bottles via futures so I’ve been anxious to get to taste them. Everything I read indicates I should’ve bought more of it (if I had the money when it was first released). Anyway, based on your reviews of the ’09s, here’s what I’ll try to get through in the scant 3 hours:
Lynch
Pichon Lalande
Malescot
Rauzan-Segla
Haut Bailly
Smith Haut Lafite
Clinet
VCC
La Conseillante (if attending)
Angelus
Larcis Ducasse
Pavie Macquin
Troplong Mondot
Branaire Ducru
Langoa Barton
Leoville Poyferre
Maybe I’ll get a chance to meet you there.
Will try and post on the holiday wines I had, soon. No old Bordeaux or Rhones but some entertaining wines, none the less.
Morgan…. Those are all great wines. However, Vieux Chateau Certan is not a member of the UGC. That one might be a bit hard to taste. :-0)
This sounds like a great event and I may attend depending on my schedule. Thanks for the notice Jeff.
Bill… You should try and make it. It’s the best tasting available for Bordeaux loving consumers in America.