The 2016 Bordeaux harvest has been described as “a great vintage in the making” by the Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB). Several factors conspired to create the ideal growing conditions, including uniform flowering, a dry sunny summer, evenly occurring veraison and the Indian summer which led to optimal ripeness in each plot and grape variety. And […]
Didier Le Calvez is rehabilitating the vineyards of Château Clarisse with the help of Stéphane Derenoncourt Didier Le Calvez has come to Bordeaux late in life, but that hasn’t stopped him from going all in. “I’m an old lion with young cubs,” he says with a wide smile. Le Calvez is tall and his stride […]
A rare wine with a price to match. An average of only 15,000 bottles are made annually from 15 ha of vines owned by the Lur-Saluces family of YQUEM fame. The property did not produce any sweet wine until 1943 but this is one of the finest examples of Sauternes now made and one of […]
Intriguingly, this Rothschild property is also part-owned by the Chalone Wine Group from the USA (now owned by drinks giant Diageo), which established its reputation with the CHALONE winery in Monterey, California. There is no doubt that the 50 ha of vineyards have benefited greatly from the Lafite input since the property was purchased in […]
This is a Barsac marked by its elegance rather than its sheer weight or richness. It can be piercingly aromatic, though, and very intense. Of a completely different order – richer and fuller – is an occasional very limited cuvée called L’Extravagance. It is only produced in exceptional vintages, including 2010, 07, 05, 03, 01, […]
This is the biggest of the three Doisy properties with 27 ha. In contrast to DOISY DAËNE and most other fine Barsacs, this property tends to produce wine with more overt luscious honeyed fruit. It is very impressive, retaining an elegant finesse in lighter years when the wine carries less sheer weight. There is 5% […]
André Lurton had controlled this property for its insurance company owners until 2013. Now management has been taken over by Laurent Fortin who is instigating a change towards biodiversity. There are 46 ha under vine here and production is just shy of 25,000 cases, so it is a sizeable operation. The style is supple and […]
Very good property and near neighbour of CLIMENS, although the wine here doesn’t quite reach the same heights. As well as Sémillon, which accounts for 75% of the blend, and Sauvignon Blanc, there is a little Muscadelle, just 3%. There is no doubt that there is a marked aromatic character in the wine in addition […]
One of the greatest wines of the Médoc and the premier château in Saint-Estèphe. Purchased from Bruno Prats by the Taillan Group, who also own GRUAUD-LAROSE, in 1998 and then by Michel Reybier in 2000, Jean-Guillaume Prats remained in charge of the property and enhanced the exceptional standards laid down by the Prats family there […]
André Lurton is now a major proprietor in the Graves, Entre-Deux-Mers and Margaux. At this tiny 5.5 ha Pessac property he produces less than 2,000 cases of very stylish white a year from 100% Sauvignon Blanc. No Sémillon is planted here but the wine is barrel-fermented in 50% new wood and aged with bâtonnage and […]
Moderate-sized property, with some 30 ha of vineyards and production running at just under 15,000 cases a year. The Cabernet Sauvignon component is quite low at less than 50% and 35% of the vineyard is planted to Merlot. As a result the style is very rounded and surprisingly approachable for Pauillac. While overshadowed by its […]
Listrac, like Moulis, is quite a long way inland from the Gironde and the soil here has even less gravel than it does nearer the estuary, which will always hinder the admirable efforts made here. This property with increasingly old vines outclasses almost all of its neighbours but there remains a slightly coarse note. However, […]
Cissac is still made in a traditional, firm Médoc style but it is very fairly priced and generally wellcrafted. But, although structured and austere when very young, it is increasingly rounder and suppler than of old with a little age. Wooden as well as stainless steel vats are used for fermentation and an increasing amount […]
An important and sizeable producer, noted particularly for its splendid white. The production of this is very low, with just 4.5 of the 37.5 ha vineyard planted to Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. There is a high proportion of Sauvignon (70%) in the blend. Barrel-fermented and aged, it is a remarkably fine and elegant white capable […]
Chasse-Spleen, along with POUJEAUX and MAUCAILLOU, is one of the only wines in the Moulis AC really to perform with any consistent class. The property is sizeable, with just under 85ha under vine. The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. With the odd exceptions (1997, 94 and 91) this property […]
This property consists of 50 ha of red varieties and 38 ha of white, with production now quite substantial at over 40,000 cases a year. Four wines are produced. A good red with a fine balance of dark fruit, cedar and subtle oak is joined by a regular white Graves, an easy, fruit-driven style fermented […]
This a tiny property and, like HAUT-BRION, located amongst the suburbs of Bordeaux. Just 4.5 ha are under vine, with an unusually high proportion of 50% Merlot, along with 40% Cabernet Sauvignon amd 10% Cabernet Franc. Dedication to quality has delivered impressive results since the late 1990s. Vinification in small vats enables plots within the […]
Good red and particularly white Pessac-Léognans come from this property which will be run now by Philibert and Eric Perrin after the death of their father Antony in late 2008. Production is substantial for the appellation at over 30,000 cases a year. The white is good and has performed well. Some skin contact is allowed […]
The quality of this property has gradually improved since it was acquired in 1964 by the Forner family. Much of the vineyard has been replanted and there is now a relatively high proportion of Merlot (25%) contributing to the style, which is round, forward and accessible. The wine spends between 17 to 20 months in […]
Impressively structured Haut-Médoc that has been on much improved form since 1999. The property is fairly substantial with 64ha of vineyards and sur-prisingly for the Médoc the mix of varieties planted is 50% Merlot to 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the remaining 15% Cabernet Franc including 2% Petit Verdot. As a result, the wine tends to […]
This château has shown considerable improvements since it was purchased by Jean-Christophe Mau in 2004. Aided and abbeted by consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt, it has now moved on to a different plane. There are 23.5 ha under vine for the red wine and 4.5 for the white. The white (70% Sauvignon, 30% Sémillon) shows finesse and […]
This is one of those confusingly labelled properties which takes the Sauternes AC although it is located in Barsac. There are two cuvées of the principal wine, the regular Caillou and a barrel selection, La Private Cuvée, produced in top years. Fermentation is in a mix of new oak and inox and ageing is between […]
Beychevelle is a sizeable property with 90 ha of vineyards planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and a little Petit Verdot. It is a Classed Growth with a reasonable, rather than spectacular track record over recent years. At its best the wine shows real finesse, splendid purity of fruit and very subtle oak, not […]
Purchased by Vignobles Dourthe in 1980, it was only with the 1998 vintage that this property really began to forge ahead. During the past two decades the vineyard has been replanted. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blend, with a tiny amount of Petit Verdot. Now that the vines are maturing, the wine is evolving from the […]
A consistently fine, small to medium-sized operation which has performed admirably over a long period, providing the essence of Sauternes at an affordable price. As well as Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, Michel Garat has just a small amount of Muscadelle to add aroma. The wine is barrel-fermented for an extended 3–4 weeks with around 15% […]
Like its prestigious neighbour MOUTON ROTHSCHILD this château is also owned by Baronne Philippine de Rothschild. At its best, in top years like 2010, 09, 06, 05, 03, 00, 99, 98 and 95, this medium-sized property is undoubtedly producing ★★★✩ Pauillac. When conditions are less favourable, though, the wine struggles a little. Grown in relatively […]
