Today we were at the preview of the highly anticipated Bordeaux release. This is an annual occurrence where wine lovers, wine sellers, and anyone with good taste visits their local BC Liquor store location to purchase the latest release from one of France’s most acclaimed wine regions.
This is a tradition that started 40 years ago and has always accompanied much fan fare. So much so that BC’s local liquor stores even dress up for the occasion.
Their wine buyers visited France in 2023 to try the wines as they are being made, then make their purchases, waiting the two years for them to mature to be able to offer them for sale in 2026.
Today’s tasting would be a teaser of the launch on September 26th, 2026 and they are already expecting lines and bottles selling out the day of.
The listing is large and we would only get to try 8 of them across a white, 6 reds, and a dessert wine. All within the $50-90 price range. However bottles being offered go up to $5-7k with scarcity that includes single bottles at specific locations and with other limitations. Seeing as many of these age well, many buyers purchase to cellar then sell later on.
Today’s media tasting was the 3rd and the last time at this location. This, their flagship shop has plans to move to Oakridge Park early in 2027. They are cited for P2, under the Rolex store, next to Safeway.
What sets this year’s Bordeaux release apart is the fact that it’s the first year that they are proposing a partnership. They have team up with Mythos Greek in Richmond for an event. October 8th will be the BCL’s first bilingual event at Richmond-Brighouse. This is a ticketed dinner with 4 courses paired with older Bordeaux at $96 per person. To facilitate this push BCL locations will have Mandarin speaking ambassadors to help educate and bring attention to said promotional release.
Our tasting started with some background on Bordeaux and its long history of wine making. Southwest of France, where grapes are grown and produced prestigiously. Popular varietals include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc. When further describing your Bordeaux, you typically classify it between left bank or right bank Bordeaux. Considering Maritime weather influenced by the Coast, and two different zones separated by a river. Where the left specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon dominant blends and the right is Merlot dominant.
And with our wine tasting today our hosts prepared a cheese plate from les amis du FROMAGE, focusing on French cheeses covering soft, medium, hard, and blue. It was recommended that we pair the softer cheese with our white wine and save the blue and apricot for our dessert one.
We then looked at vintage, the year in which our grapes were grown: 2023. The year saw lots of rain fall in spring. This extra moisture replenished all the soils, that retained water to be extracted and used in the hotter summer months.
And we couldn’t begin yet, we had to learn how to smell and drink our wine. To smell with our mouth open, so that air can come through. We learned that our nostrils close every 3-4 hours, in order to avoid drying up. So to be aware and try smelling with either nostril for the best olfactory experience. You then want to take a larger sip first, to have enough wine to swish and hit the sides of cheeks, to be able to taste the tannins.
Now with all our ducks in our row, we were finally able to try our first wine as a group. Starting with the Château Ferran Blanc. This is from Pessac-Léognan, a little and lesser known area where grapes come from. Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, a golden-skinned grape.
At $50 a bottle this was described as having “Minerals, sliced apples and citrus on the nose, with a hint of whipped cream.
Solid on the palate, with a medium body and a lightly structured, medium-long finish. Drinkable now, but can hold for a few years.”
Knowing Sauvignon Blanc, you are looking for floral and citrus. If aged in oak barrels it should add vanilla and coconut, and if those barrels are toasted this injects caramel and smoke into the wine. Despite that, wine tasting is still subjective and there is no right answer as your tastes differ from that of another’s.
For example, I got creamed honey and white roses on the nose. This was crisp and refreshing with gentle peach blossom and tangy grapefruit that makes your mouth water.
Our second taster was Château Lanessan, Haut-Médoc at $50 a bottle. This was a soft red wine with a medium body, even acidity and tannins. Merlot is the work horse of this at 50-51%. It can have a plush and velvety texture with typical flavours of plum, cherry, and spice. They described this as having notes of “Espresso, black currants, liquorice, tobacco, and herbs” that are all over the place.
I got coastal scents like dew, spruce, and salt water on the nose. In the mouth it was Black Forest cherry and black pepper, with blackberry to finish. I didn’t get the described espresso, liquorice, and tobacco, I thought it much lighter in the mouth.
The Château La Vieille Cure, Fronsac “Leans toward dark cherry and currant in terms of its fruit profile, with flashes of violet, ink and tobacco leaf helping to fuel the finish. Offers a sense of refinement and freshness throughout. Well-done. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2035.”
The grapes were from another lesser known area that gave it notes of raspberry and sweet herbs. There is a release of this every year and it often doesn’t make it past the first 3 days of said release. We all agreed that at $60 a bottle this was a great value.
I got green strawberry on the nose and tabacco, brick and heavy soil on the forefront. It had a long industrial and earthy finish with the sediment to match.
The Château Lilian Ladouys, St-Estèphe is $55 for the bottle. It is recommended that you decanter this. It was described to be “Perfumed and richly scented on the nose. A little sharp and tangy on the palate, the focus very much on the acidity and just-ripe red berry fruit. Clean and unfussy with a mineral finish.”
I got red ripened berries and green tomato leaf on the nose. It’s scent match its flavour of a later summer wine with plenty of tannis, giving it an easy drinking juiciness. Almost jammy with a silky and not drying finish.
The Château Du Glana, St-Julien was another reasonably priced $60 bottle. “A stylish, elegant wine, very much in the understated way of Saint-Julien, this wine is balanced and full of potential. Its black currant fruit, licorice aroma and touch of spice all hang together well. The result is a fine wine that should be ready from 2029.”
I got crackled pepper, rose water, and gooseberry on the nose. Cassis plum on the tip of the tongue, ending in a minerality of pencil shavings.
We moved up in price range with the $80 bottle of Château Siran, Margaux. “A deliciously inviting style, with a soft-edged core of plum and black cherry compote that rolls along steadily over the underlying juiciness, while flashes of ink, chestnut leaf and violet fill in. Silky in structure and fresh through the finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2037.”
Similar to the above I also got a metallic nuance that lead me to pencil shavings, spice, and an earthy mushroom. In contrast it was syrup with sun dried raisin and Granny Smith apple juice on the palate.
The priciest bottle we enjoyed was the Clos de l’Oratore, St-Emilion Grand Cru at $90. “This is pure and refined from the start, with pretty damson plum and morello cherry notes stitched together with a fine-grained structure. Light flashes of apple wood, incense and iris fill up the remaining space, with everything focused and fresh through the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2027 through 2037.”
This was perfumed and fairly sweet on the nose. It felt watery in the mouth, clear like drinking water. Silky, oaky, and plush. It got baked buttery crust and cherry pie filling. It grew bolder and more complex the more I allowed it to sit on my tongue.
And for dessert we had the $40 Château Filhot, Sauternes. “Strong on the nose it shows notes of yellow peaches, mango, papaya and pineapple.Full body, linear, essential and clean structure and a finish that makes grace its most beautiful weapon.”
This was sweet and tropical, produced from Semillon white aged in oak. The grapes end up being slightly mouldy with rot. This process allows the water in the grapes to evaporates, which concentrates the juices, resulting in a sweet nectar. It comes in a half bottle and was described to us as a “Labour of love.”
I got a plastic meets organic funk on the nose. The sugars of apricot on the tongue with a finish of gasoline.
In conclusion, this is a great way to discover Bordeaux and a fantastic teaser for the release to come. Be sure to go early to secure your favourite bottles.
BCLIQUOR 39th & Cambie
5555 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC V5Z 3A3
(604) 660-9463
bcliquorstores.com
