On the Road with the Grape Guy

On the Road with the Grape Guy is a on-going feature that follows me from event to event ... I post my thoughts, feelings and reviews of what happened and what I tasted ... basically it is here that I review the events I attend and the things that thrilled me.

Bordeaux 2025 : Grand Cercle des Vins de Bordeaux

05 Mar 2026

GC foggy day top

(Jan. 18, 2025) … This over 140 wine tasting took most of the day, we had a break for a delicious lunch and even sat down with our host winery for a conversation that ended up on the Two Guys Talking Wine podcast (link here). GC table

All said and done I think it is easy to say that 2022 is the vintage that Bordeaux will be talking about for a long time – even the older wines could not hold a candle to its balance. 

The scoring is similar to all the other Bordeaux reports I have done in this series, three-star: good/better/best.


THREE star wines

GC dauphineChateau de la Dauphine 2022 Fronsac
the richness of this juice is profound, the acidity balances, the tannins are silky while still showing presence on the finish. A really nice glass of wine    

Chateau Siaurac 2022 Lalande de Pomerol        
fine tannins, plum, black cherry, blackberry, very fruity     
    

TWO star wines
                
Chateau Cote Montpezat 2022 Cuvee Compostelle        
floral with a nice richness of fruit, plum, blackberry and black cherry; acidity is not too aggressive and the tannins silky.   

Chateau Dalem 2022 Fronsac
juicy black fruit, a little smoke, black cherry, plum, nice spice and acidity    

Chateau de Candale 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru        
another one from group of Jacobins - this has pretty elegance and good fruit character. spice also kicks in and the acidity keeps it fresh. Like this group of wineries 
    
Chateau de Reignac 2022 R de Reignac        
playful and fun, especially when cold - nice fruit, good acidity - pretty with violets innthere as well.   

Chateau Deyrem Valentin 2022 Margaux
chocolate, black cherry and spice; with enough acidity to balance it all - this is a friendly bottle and a good intro to Margaux in the 2022 vintage.  

Chateau Fontenil 2022 Fronsac GC fontenil
plus and black cherry, lush and plush in the mouth, silky tannins, pretty floral character - juicy and lively with acidity.  

Chateau Grand Ormeau 2022 Lalande de Pomerol
shows and elegance of flavours and herbal-spices.    

Chateau La Commanderie 2022 Pomerol
pleasant and juicy - easy to drink ... fruit mixes with some spice and subtle tobacco flavours - a pretty wine.    

Chateau la Vieille Cure 2022 Fronsac GC vieilles cure
nice spice and juicy mid-palate, good acidity, playful and friendly - plum, black cherry, cassis - all over this one.    

Chateau les Trois Croix 2022 Fronsac 
another winner from Fronsac - down-plays the fruitiness for a more refined mouthfeel and taste, plus nice tobacco notes.    

Chateau Moncets 2022 Lalande de Pomerol        
a juicy fruited wine of plum and spice - very Christmas spice almost with some clove weaving between the cherry and plum.    

Chateau Reault 2022 Cadillac - Cotes de Bordeaux        
there is a nice bit of blueberry and cassis here that comes across a little lean, but it at least establishes itself - acid helps keep it from being over the top, but it is nicely drinkable.    

Chateau Reault 2022 Carat de Chateau Reault        
fruit is more vibrant and punch, good acidity keeps the plum and black cherry in check - but it is a nice bottle of wine.    

Chateau Rochemorin 2022 Pessac-Leognan        
dark fruit with a nice mineral component that plays off the stones - cassis and blackberry, subtle pencil shavings and nice acidity.    



ONE star wines ...

Chateau Bellerive 2022 Cru Bourgeois - Medoc
Chateau Blanche Hermine    2022 Lalande de Pomerol
Chateau Brondelle 2022 Graves
Chateau Cap Leon Veyrun 2022 Cru Bourgeois Superieur - Listrac-Medoc
Chateau Carignan 2022 Prima
Chateau de Haut Coulon 2022 Cadillac - Cotes de Bordeaux
Chateau de la Huste 2022 Fronsac
Chateau de la Riviere 2022 Fronsac
Chateau de Laussac 2022 Cuvee Sacha
Chateau de Reignac 2022 Balthus
Chateau Haura 2022 Graves
Chateau la Grace Fonrazade 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau La Haye    2022 Saint Estephe
Chateau Le Coteau 2022 Margaux
Chateau Leroy-Beauval 2022 Bordeaux Superieur
Chateau Loudenne 2022 Le Chateau
Chateau Moulin Haut-Laroque 2022 Fronsac
Chateau Pas de L'Ane 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Penin 2022 Les Cailloux - Bordeaux Superieur
Chateau Peyredon Lagravette 2022 Cru Bourgeois - Haut-Medoc
Chateau Ramafort 2022 Cru Bourgeois - Medoc
Chateau Reynon 2022 Cadillac - Cotes de Bordeaux
Chateau Sainte-Marie 2022 Cotes de Bordeaux
Chateau Sainte-Marie 2022 Vieilles Vignes
Chateau Soutard-Cadet 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Taillefer 2022 Pomerol
Chateau Tauzinat L'Hermitage 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Clos Puy Arnaud    2022 Castillon - Cotes de Bordeaux
Clos Vieux Taillefer 2022 Pomerol
Grand Vin de Reignac 2022 Bordeaux Superieur



White Wines
        
TWO star wines
            
Chateau Cantegril 2022 Barsac
Honeyed peaches and apricots, poached pears - lovely.    

Chateau de la Dauphine 2022 Blanc
Crisp, clean, lanolin and wax but backed with some nice citrus and good acidity.    

Chateau de Rochmarin 2022 Blanc
Nice pink grapefruit: pulp and pith - refreshing and clean.    

Clos Floridene 2022 Grave
Clean, bright and refreshing - lime and grapefruit pith - decent acidity.    

ONE star wines
                
Chateau Brondelle 2023 Graves
Chateau Fleur Haut Gaussens 2022 Pierre Blanche (Sauvignon Blanc)
Chateau Haut Bertinerie 2023 Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc)
Chateau Haut-Bergeron 2022 Sauternes
Chateau Leroy-Beauval 2022 Blanc
Chateau Loudenne 2022 Le Chateau Blanc

 

"OLDER" Vintages 

TWO star

Chateau de Pressac 2020 Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe
Very friendly, starting to open up, nice acidity and good tannins - fruit remains at the core.    

Chateau Pas de L'Ane 2020 Saint Emilion Grand Cru        
Fruit is good and maturity is coming along - this is a wine that you'll drink over the next few years happily.

Chateau Sansonnet 2020 Saint Emilion Grand Cru        
Spicy and chocolate, plum and black cherry - full-bodied and licorice.    

Chateau Soutard-Cadet 2020 Saint Emilion Grand Cru        
Black cherry, licorice, good acidity and spice - nice longevity to come. 

  
ONE star

Chateau de la Dauphine 2020 Fronsac
Chateau de Pressac 2021 Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe
Chateau Deyrem Valentin 2020 Margaux
Chateau Haut Breton 2020 Margaux
Chateau La Croizille 2020 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau La Croizille 2021 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Leroy-Beauval 2020 Bordeaux Superieur
Chateau Leroy-Beauval 2021 Bordeaux Superieur
Chateau Pas de L'Ane 2021 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Sansonnet  2021 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Soutard-Cadet 2021 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Tauzinat L'Hermitage 2020 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Tour Baladoz 2020 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Tour de Pressac 2020 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Tour Saint-Fort 2021 Saint Estephe

 

 i

Bordeaux 2025 : The Derenoncourt Consultants Tasting

02 Mar 2026

Darenon sign

(Jan. 22, 2025) … Continuing with my Bordeaux visit and tastings from January 2025. This is the second last of the Consultant tastings. This is a tasting that had over 70 wines. We were well into tasting at this point, having been in Bordeaux for almost 20 days. I determined that the Derenoncourt style was not my favourite of all the consultant tasting this is the one that had the most wines I “passed” on giving a score to. I am sure they make and consult on some great wines, but it just wasn’t for me.

To clarify, I used my three-star system again: Good/Better/Best – one wine got a best ranking here, which is on-par for most of the consultant tastings we did – but this one got more one-star nods than most.

 

LES VINS ROUGE

THREE star wines ...
Chateau Rol Valentin 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru Darenon Rol
elegant and effective, nice dark fruit and a little bit of spice - a really pleasant glass of wine: upfront fruit with nice acidity to lift the finish    


TWO star wines
                    
Chateau Cadet Bon 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru        
Bon? - I would say - this is a delightful glass with lots of dark fruit, namely cherry, with blackberry and a little vanilla mixed in    

Chateau Capet Guillier 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru        
pretty, floral with some violet notes, cherry fruit, a little raspberry and even a hint of strawberry - good acidity    

Chateau de Candale 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru        
well-structure - cocoa, mocha, chocolate - black cherry, smooth and sippable with good acid backbone    

Chateau Garraud 2022 Lalande-de-Pomerol
bright cherry fruit, lively with nice clean mouthfeel and acidity - tannins are silky    

Chateau Haut Selve 2022 Graves
there is a nice minerality here with some dark fruit, pencil shavings and smoke - but it is always the fruit here. big bold black fruit    

Chateau La Croix Lartigue 2022 Castillon - Cotes de Bordeaux
nice red fruit, red licorice, and good acidity - nice cherry kirsch like finish    

Chateau Moulinet 2022 Pomerol
bright and fruity, acidity kicks in and cleans up - decent tannin bite - but that upfront fruit kicks serious ass    

Chateau Prieure-Lichine 2022 Margaux
cassis, blackberry, coffee bean and chocolate - deep and dark with a delicious mouthfeel and some spicy-smoky notes     

Chateau Tour de Capet 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru        
nice dark fruit with a bright dark cherry note and some really  good acidity    


ONE star wines ...

Darenon glasses Chateau Boutisse 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Callac 2022 Graves - prestige
Chateau Claud Bellevue 2022 Castillon - Cotes de Bordeaux
Chateau D'Agassac 2022 Haut-Medoc - Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel
Chateau de Malleret 2022 Haut-Medoc - Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel
Chateau La France Delhomme 2022 Medoc - Cru Bourgeois
Chateau La Rousselle 2022 Fronsac
Chateau la Tour Figeac 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau le Chatelet 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Les Dames de la Renardiere 2022 Bordeaux Superieur
Chateau Lestruelle 2022 Medoc - Cru Bourgeois
Chateau Louis 2022 Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Chateau Paveil de Luze 2022 Margaux - Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel
Chateau Preuillac 2022 Medoc - Cru Bourgeois Superieur
Chateau Puygueraud 2022 Francs Cotes de Bordeaux
Chateau Sanctus 2022 La Bienfaisance du Chateau Sanctus
Chateau Seguin 2022 Pessac-Leognan
Chateau Teyssier 2022 Montagne Saint Emilion
Chateau Trigant 2022 Pessac-Leognan
Chateau Villa Bel Air 2022 Graves
Clos Vieux Taillefer 2022 Pomerol
Domaine Simon Blanchard 2022 Au Champ de la Fenetre
Loudenne le Chateau 2022 Medoc - Cru Bourgeois

 


LES VINS BLANC

ONE star wines

Chateau Hostens Picant 2022 Cuvee des Demoiselles
Chateau les Charmes Godard 2022 Franc Cotes de Bordeaux
Vignobles Fraigneau 2022 Dupin
Vignobles Fraigneau 2021 Dupin

 Darenon top

 

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