News
Bordeaux 2012 vintage
I'm almost ready to taste about 350 - 400 wines or more during my next trip to Bordeaux in 2 weeks from now! I've heard it's a Pomerol, right bank vintage but the dry whites are showing very well .... Wait and see, i'll tell you more in about 3 weeks...
29-03-201322:55
Wine news...
I've been travelling a lot and let's start with my tastings in Bordeaux which were very interesting, as always. Bordeaux 2011 from the barrel was a very tough job as a professional wine taster to make the good selections. There were very few wines which could make good wines, only the growers with full experience knew how to made excellent wines, so it's the winemakers vintage, with knowledge of timing of picking the grapes at the right moment. As usual I liked Mission Haut Brion, Ponet Canet, Léoville Las Cases, Léoville Barton, Eglise-Clinet, Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Pavie, Angélus, Mouton Rothschild, Vieux Château Certan, Palmer, Lynch Bages, Cos d'Estournel, Montrose,...and in the smaller wines I liked Clos Floridène (white), Puygeraud (Thienpondt-family), Mauvezin-Barton (the latest estate from Lilian Barton, Ch. Léoville-Barton)! The good news is that prices went down and you have better value-for-money (but prices could drop a bit more for me). After my Bordeaux-trip, I spent some weeks in Hong Kong where I had the oportunity to meet some wine importers and it was very nice to explore the Chinese wine-connection. It's very nice to explain how good Chinese are distributing the good french wines. Finally I spent some days in the Northern Rhône , where I've tasted some very good Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Condrieu...ect. A lot of rain during the harvest over there in september , which damaged many vineyards.... result watery, light wines for 2012 in the Northern Rhône. I'll keep you informed....
11-11-201223:49
2011 Bordeaux news..
just heard 2011 will be a Merlot and Cabernet Franc vintage... i'll keep you informed, let's taste....
16-03-201217:37
Bordeaux 2011 vintage
I'm going to Bordeaux very soon for my annual " en Primeur " tasting, this time the 2011 vintage. I've heard it's a very small vintage, but i'm going for the surprises of course... I'll keep you informed...
14-03-201219:54
Wine journal erobertparker
I'm very happy with the nice words i've received from Neil Martin on his blog on erobertparker.com ! Thanks for the article and very nice tasting. If interested, you can go to erobertparker.com and make an account...
05-03-201215:24
Suduiraut launches Sauternes for younger drinkers
Les Lions de Suduiraut, which makes its debut this month, is described as a ‘classic Sauternes’ produced from hand-picked grapes affected by noble rot, but is also said to be ‘fresher, fruitier and more vibrant’ than its traditional counterparts. The first wine available is from the 2009 vintage, a blend of 96% Semillon and 4% Sauvignon Blanc, bottled at 14.3% abv and with 134g/litre of residual sugar. The bright gold label of Les Lions de Suduiraut is another break with the usually restrained Sauternes packaging, using a label which features the rampant lions of the château’s crest. AXA Millésimes, owner of Château Suduiraut and other châteaux including Pichon-Baron and Petit-Village, describes the wine as ‘totally versatile – perfect as an aperitif, perhaps with some salted nuts, olives or smoked salmon canapés, while still having the depth and gravitas to partner puddings and blue cheese’. AXA managing director Christian Seely said he was ‘very excited’ about the new launch, and about the future for Sauternes overall. Les Lions de Suduiraut will be available internationally through key négociants from early this month
18-10-201110:30
Le Pin unveils new winery...
The new winery at Pomerol's iconic 2.7 hectare Le Pin estate has opened in time for the 2011 harvest. Prev Next You are here: Decanter News Wine News Le Pin unveils new winery Friday 30 September 2011 by Jane Anson in Bordeaux Be the first to comment The new winery at Pomerol's iconic 2.7 hectare Le Pin estate has opened in time for the 2011 harvest. Replacing the famously low-key former building, the new cellars are around 60% below ground, with just the vinification area and a seven-metre high tower, topped by a tasting room and roof terrace, visible from the outside. The site was designed by Belgian architect Paul Robbrecht of Robbrecht & Daem. Robbrecht has formerly worked on the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London and the Bruges concert hall, but this was his first winery, and took its inspiration from cellars such as Pichon Baron and Latour, ‘but on a smaller, intimate scale that suits Le Pin,’ Jacques Thienpont told. ‘We took delivery of the vats on Friday September 16,’ Thienpont said, ‘and brought the first grapes in the following Monday. Already we can see the difference in the precision that this new cellar gives.' ‘But the work in the vines is what counts, and I will still interfere as little as possible in the process of vinification.’ In total the new cellars contain seven stainless steel vats while in the underground section, there is room for two vintages of barrels – usually between 30 to 40 barrels per year – together with separate rooms for storage, bottle preparation and a technical control centre. Materials used throughout the winery include local Frontenac stone, French oak, unpolished concrete and Welsh slate for the roof tiles. The landscaping outside the cellars is still to be finished, and a new pine tree is due to be planted, to add to the two existing trees that gave the estate its name.
17-10-201122:59
Rauzan Ségla & Canon buys Ch. Matras
The Wertheimer family, owners of luxury goods house Chanel, and Chateau Rauzan Segla in Margaux, have bought the estate neighbouring their classified Saint Emilion property Chateau Canon. The 12-hectare Chateau Matras, also a classified growth, was purchased for €8m, in a deal that valued the land at €600,000 per hectare. Rauzan Segla director John Kolasa said of the deal, ‘Canon has been undergoing extensive re-organisation for the past 15 years which means that eventually all of our 22 hectares will be used to produce our premium wine. The vineyard of Chateau Matras will be supplying us with our second wine, Clos Canon. We will have to wait and see if some of the plots can be included in the premium wine.’ ..
19-06-201113:53
PRIMEURS 2010 My personal tasting notes (part 7)
ST-EMILION ************** Ausone 98/100 Cheval Blanc 97+/100 Angélus 96/100 Pavie Macquin 96/100 Tertre Rotboeuf 94-95/100 Larcisse Ducasse 93-95/100 Petit Cheval 93/100 Chapelle d'Ausone 92-94/100 La Gaffelière 92/100
19-04-201113:57
PRIMEURS 2010 My personal tasting notes (part 6)
PESSAC-LEOGNAN (RED) ****************************** Pape Clement 96/100 Haut-Brion 95+/100 (most Cabernet ever!) La Mission Haut Brion 95/100 Haut-Bailly 95/100 Domaine de Chevalier 94/100 Fieuzal 92-94/100
19-04-201113:54