Blind tasting masterclasses: China vs the world & Bordeaux 2009 vs Bordeaux 2010

Yesterday we conducted a blind tasting at the Great Wines of the World 2020 Masterclasses in Hong Kong, with about 50 people in total over two separate sessions. Their quests: 1) to decide if China’s two best wines equaled or bettered some of the best of the world and 2) which vintage was better in Bordeaux, the 2009 or 2010.

In both sessions, tasters were served the wines in a blind order (some of the wines they knew were in the tasting). They tasted them, took tasting notes, and finally scored them out of 100 points. Everyone’s ratings were then counted for each wine. They also voted on their favorite wine of each tasting and their runner up.

“I was surprised how serious everyone took the tasting,” James commented after both sessions. “It was a lot of fun but people were really concentrating and tasting and rating the wines seriously.”

The first tasting was “Cults of China: Against The World.” LVMH’s Ao Yun (2015 and 2016) and DBR (Lafite)’s Long Dai (2017 and 2018) were pitted against similar vintages of key cabernet sauvignon regions in the world including Napa Valley, Bordeaux and Tuscany. 

James made the point that Ao Yun and Long Dai are cabernet blends but they are produced in distinctively different areas thousands of miles apart. “It’s like talking about American wines and one is made in Napa and the other in Finger Lakes, New York!” he said.

Ao Yun is produced near Tibet in a mountainous region about five hours from the town of Shangri-La while Long Dai is from rolling countryside near the port of Qingdao in the Shandong peninsula, on the east coast.

Ao Yung is a blend of mostly cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc with small amounts of syrah and petit verdot while Long Dai is a little more than half cabernet sauvignon with just about equal parts of marselan and cabernet franc.

“The two wines are given the full Bordeaux treatment and are made with precision in both the vineyard and winery,” James said. Ao Yun’s winemaker Maxence Dulou was in attendance and described his trials and tribulations making wine in China. He described how “making great wines could only happen so quickly because we are in China and everything is possible.”

The big result of the tasting was that the Chinese wines easily competed at the same level with some top names from around the world. The Ao Yuns almost won the tasting:

1. (Avg score: 94.8) Château Pichon Baron Pauillac 2016 – JS99pts
2. (Avg score: 94.7) Ao Yun Shangri-La 敖云云南香格里拉 2015 – JS96pts
3. (Avg score: 94.4) Ao Yun Shangri-La 敖云云南香格里拉 2016 – JS96pts
4. (Avg score: 93.3) Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Synthesis 2017 – JS95pts
5. (Avg score: 93.0) Argiano Toscana Solengo 2017 – JS94pts
6. (Avg score:  92.8) Long Dai Qiushan 瓏岱丘山 2018 – JS96pts
7. (Avg score:  92.9) Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River 2017 – JS94pts
8. (Avg score:  92.5) Long Dai Qiushan 瓏岱丘山 2017 – JS94pts

(JamesSuckling.com ratings are on the right)

After the Chinese wine tasting, another group of tasters rated blind six different Bordeaux with half from 2009 and half from 2010. James said that “there’s been a debate whether 2009 is better than 2010 from the beginning.” James tasted both vintages from barrel and bottle years ago.

A couple of videos from about eight years ago were screened with James discussing the merits of the two vintages then with Oliver Bernard, owner of Domaine de Chevalier. The 2010 was always a slightly more tannic and a cooler vintage while 2009 was warmed, richer and higher toned with lots of fruit and ripe tannins.

1. (Avg score: 95.7) Château La Fleur-Pétrus Pomerol 2009 – JS97pts
2. (Avg score: 95.2) Château Figeac St.-Emilion 2009 – JS98pts
3. (Avg score: 95.1) Domaine de Chevalier Pessac-Léognan 2010 – JS96pts
4. (Avg score: 95.0) Château Pichon Baron Paulliac 2010 – JS95pts
5. (Avg score: 94.7) Château d’Issan Margaux 2010 – JS96pts
6. (Avg score: 94.1) Château Belgrave Haut-Medoc 2009 – JS90pts

(JamesSuckling.com ratings are on the right.)

Even though the two top 2009s came out slightly ahead, James said that “we will continue to debate which is better.” One point made was that the 2009s were starting to be drinkable after about a decade in bottle and the 2010s were tight and less complete at the moment.