This blind tasting took place in Fribourg in the home of one of Switzerland’s most prolific Bordeaux collector. It included 20 vintages of Chateau La Conseillante and was moderated by French wine critic Jean-Marc Quarin, who is a regular guest at these events. The wines showed well, but there were few truly great wines. There was a lack of true excitement in the room, which is a shame, especially given the prestige and price level of this well-known Pomerol winery. It was found that certain vintages were too ripe. I noticed this too, but more as an isolated case than as a general problem. What I struggled with more was the lack of the complex, aromatic depth that I expect from a great terroir. There were lots of pleasant blue fruits and violets in all the wines, but little of the forest floor, leather, peat, pine aromas that make Bordeaux so special. I consider La Conseillante to be a very good Pomerol, but
after today’s tasting I would rank it slightly behind its peers Trotanoy, La-Fleur Petrus, Vieux Certan
and Eglise Clinet.
Tasting Notees
Flight 1
1947 Château La Conseillante, Not rated
oxidized
1982 Château La Conseillante, 95 Points
Expressive, earthy, nose, lovely aromas, herbs, pepper, coffee, tertiary. Medium- bodied delicate. Lovely.
1986 Château La Conseillante, 95 Points
Earthy nose, more discrete than the 1982 next to it. Blueberries, some smoke. Medium-bodied on the palate, still fresh, tannins melted.
1990 Château La Conseillante, 94 Points
The nose was a bit reductive, earthy elements, lots of fresh blue fruit, felt closed. Soft palate medium bodied. May be not the most representative sample given the reduction.
Flight 2
1975 Château La Conseillante, Not rated
Unfortunately with a light cork.
1992 Château La Conseillante, Not rated
Unfortunately oxidative, Maggi beef stock notes (lovage herb). Not rated
1993 Château La Conseillante, 87 Points
This felt like it was at the end of the drinking window. Very sinewy with the fruit mostly gone and mainly tannins and acidity left.
1995 Château La Conseillante, 88 Points
Nose of dark berries, some spice. Rather acidic and meagre on the palate. Needs more substance.
Flight 3
2000 Château La Conseillante, 93 Points
Ripe nose with toasty elements and dark fruit. Starts nice on the palate entry but then shows alcoholic on the finish.
2001 Château La Conseillante, 94 Points
Earthy elements, dark fruit, cake, good ripeness. Soft palate, subtle blue fruit, good freshness. A bit thin on the mid palate.
2005 Château La Conseillante, 94 Points
Young and dense on the palate, some brett, ripe fruit aromas, licorice, still a bit closed. Somehow hard to assess today. 94+
2006 Château La Conseillante, 92 Points
Discrete nose, relatively ripe with some licorice and cooked fruit. Still quite a bit of structure to resolve.
Flight 4
2009 Château La Conseillante, 94 Points
Dark fruit, oak and vanilla. Medium- complexity only. Elegant and fresh on the palate, relatively light for the warm vintage. If this can develop more complexity it may add a point from here. 93-95
2010 Château La Conseillante, 96 Points
My WOTN together with the 2016. Cool dark fruit with good ripeness. Rich palate, enough freshness, a touch of alcoholic heat but then a fresh finish on the blue fruit spectrum. Still a few years away from peak.
2015 Château La Conseillante, 91 Points
Hmm, the fruit here was a bit cooked with an oxidative tendency, some smoke and blue fruit. The palate felt too Californian for my liking. I remember this to be much better on release.
2014 Château La Conseillante, 94 Points
Intense nose, dark fruit, licorice, touch of farmyard. Good mid palate, fresh, balanced. Not far away from the 2010 next to it which had more stuffing.
Flight 5
2016 Château La Conseillante, 96 Points
Discrete nose, needed some swirling and coaxing. Dark fruit, subtle earthy aromas. Very good palate, medium bodied, precise. Great potential, but don’t open before 2032.
2018 Château La Conseillante, 94 Points
Similar to the 2019 next to it. Rich, ripe nose with blue fruit and vanilla. Generous palate, more structure than the 2019. Both need more Bordeaux aroma even at this stage of their life.
2019 Château La Conseillante, 93 Points
Rich, ripe nose here as well with dark fruit, youthful. Generous palate, a bit uneventful and foursquare. Solid, but I miss the aromatic complexity. Where will this land once mature, hard to tell.
2020 Château La Conseillante, 94 Points
Very primary nose still, lots of dark fruit, not much else yet. Very generous palate good fruit, not overdone, but where is the Bordeaux typicity? It may come with age, then my score will turn out to be conservative. To be revisited after 2035. 94-95
Author: Christian Raubach, WSET III, FWS, WSG Champagne Master
October 2023