'09 Le Bon Pasteur.....here we go

All this talk about high alc. Bordeaux on the BWE board inspired me 2nite. So I reached for a ripe vintage with a little bit of age to see where we are at…ok then, what did I choose?

Well why not go all the way…lets go '09 shall we? …not just '09, but let’s go Pomerol, not just Pomerol, but let’s go with a winery so proud, that the owner actually placed his name on the label…So u know the dude must be very very proud…I mean, why not? …What could possibly go wrong?

So out comes the 2009 Le Bon Pasteur, the owner is the one Michel Rolland, a controversial figure in the world of bordeaux…his estate Chateau Le Bon Pasteur is a winery of respectable Pomerol pedigree and the '09 is a wine that Parker declared:(or wine advocate)
A brilliant effort from well-known oenologists Dany and Michel Rolland, the 2009 Bon Pasteur is dominated by Merlot, with a touch of Cabernet Franc included in the blend. It reveals textbook notes of mocha, tobacco leaf, blackberries, black cherries, roasted coffee and wood smoke. Full-bodied and luscious with a succulent, beautifully textured, multidimensional mouthfeel, low acidity and sweet but noticeable tannin, it is reminiscent of the 1982 Bon Pasteur, which continued to put on weight for a decade or more. If the 2009 does the same, it will come close to equaling that legendary vintage. Drink it over the next 20+ years

Whooo weeee, I am fired up now. I absolutely now know I’m in for a treat here…so I pop the cork and pour a small glass. The bottle is a tad cold so I want to let it sit for a few minutes…as I swirl the glass I turn to my daughter Jett and ask her if she can hand me one of those pickles she’s eating…little did I know, she wasn’t eating any …uhhh ohhh…

I swirl the glass some more and stick my proboscis in there for a big whiff…Oh Helllll Nooo!..like I just dove into a jar of Vlasic and creamy oak…mutha fuqr!

Ok, let’s give this a chance…maybe it will blow off…I wait 15 min and jump back in…

I close my eyes and take another slip…ok…phew, its fine I was just dreaming, the pickle note is expected, as this wine is clearly the 2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva…then I open my eyes and begin to shriek
…ahhhhhh, no it’s is the Pomerol afterall, what in the holy hell is happening??? Where the hell is this amercian oak influenced pickle power coming from? Total head scratcher.
[scratch.gif]

Folks, wine lovers, brothers, sisters, friends, acquaintances…

This.Is.Not.Bordeaux

This is beaver juice, laced with dill, creamy-glossy nuance, toasty oak and dried raisins.

This.Is.A.Travesty…bordering on undrinkable [swoon.gif]

I would never pick this as a French Bordeaux.

I should be punished for such indiscretions…at the least I should have write 50 times(maybe 100) 'I shall not drink Michel Roland influenced wines.

Looking at the 54 notes on cellartracker (which it garnered a 92.3 cumulative score), only a few tasters appeared not to care too much for it…here is one of the notes …

2009 Bordeaux Masterclass, Hilton Hotel, Sydney. Tasted Blind. Dark red. Menthol/mint, ironstone and red fruit on the nose. Sweet red fruit on the palate with medium to full body, but unbalanced with drying tannins leaving a bitter finish. Disappointing, as were many of the Pomerols. Was 2009 too hot for Merlot? So many seem unbalanced and overripe.

One more CT note:
4 hour decant. I agree, very Rolland in style. Tons of berries along with a lot of oak. Not my style

I drink this and I feel embarrassed, not just as a Bordeaux lover, but as the sole purchaser and the owner of one more remaining bottle…this is my scarlet letter moment, my pink slip, my badge of infamy, my brutus kiss, my wine stigmata.

I hold my head low, I am riddled with shame, I am ripped of all my pride, I seek atonement…I throw myself in front of the Berserker court and beg for mercy…I’m completely lost, I’m not sure what else I can say…all I can think of is…


Who wants to buy my other bottle? [wow.gif]

1 Like

Cheaper than Colgin, but with ample dill.

The 1990 has been great, old styled, and cheap.

What did you pay?

Too much, even if it was $25


Think I paid around $55 each sometime back.

Yes you should be punished, you must now drink your last remaining bottle by yourself in one sitting this will guarantee you will never forget and make that mistake again [barf1.gif]

Perhaps you can make pickles with it :stuck_out_tongue:

I will take all your bottles for $55. Problem solved. Let me know

Sounds horrible!

The one thing you can rest assured with his wines. One might never taste like French Bordeaux, but they all taste the same, no matter what grape(s) are used, which continent thew are grown, or which side of the equator they are harvested. Thanks for taking one for the team!

Jeff, I have an idea, I’ll send you the bottle…but apply the $55 to one of the ‘96 Latour I sent u years back and I’ll pay the difference !!

Lol Charlie…sounds like Micheal David winery who make 7 deadly zin…every wine, no matter the grape, or vintage or price point, taste exactly the same.

If by “controversial figure” you mean “dearly beloved icon,” I agree

Bro, if you don’t like wine, why keep it? I last had in 2019 and have a much different view of it.

Neel, I don’t want you and Jeff fighting over the last bottle…lol

Bro…I was was kidding about the Latour trade…PM me your address, it’s yours

Marc, I’m hurt.

As your mentor and near-neighbor — granted you are on the West side of the tracks (true) — it saddens me that you did not feel inclined to share this final bottle with me. I would have cracked an Ovid with you. At my house, of course.

I love you too much brother so I’m giving it to Leve …wait…Ovid? Abort shipment to Leve! Lol

Ok, ok, I love you too Jeff flirtysmile

Agree on the 1990. People were already trashing Rolland by then, but the 1990 was actually Old School, as you say. Evolved beautifully over 15 years. Seems le Bon Pasteur went down hill some time after that…

Reading the three different tasting notes, with different authors and differing scores (but more or less consistent), plus Jeff Leve’s three tasting notes, plus Parker’s review in the bottle . . . well, they tell you all you need to know. Matter of taste. Based on those notes, I would never want to open this wine, much less drink it. Good in a blind tasting, though!

Would be great if Jeff opened Marc’s bottle and posted the TN here!

You can find numerous tasting notes for the wine on my site. Marc, Alfret and I do not share the same taste in quality wine neener