Gruaud Larose BYOB at Entourage DG

Gruaud Larose BYOB at Entourage DG

Returning from our Destin (FL) vacation home, we dined at our newest favorite go-to eatery, Entourage in nearby Downers Grove (IL). Planning to select their fabulous meat loaf or beef stroganoff entree, I took BYOB from our cellar this vintage aged premium Bordeaux Blend. 

I ordered what has become one of my favorite dishes, Wagyu Meatloaf Sundae - Truffle + Parmesan Whipped Potatoes, Brioche, Wild Mushroom Gravy,  Vegetable Succotash topped with Crispy Onions.

A mini horizontal tasting of sorts, following two other similar wines from this same vintage, I selected another 2005 vintage release of a premium label from the same appellation, region. 

I wrote about the other two labels in these two recent blogposts - Clos du Marquis with beef stroganoff, and Sociando Mallet with grilled beefsteak.

Like the Clos du Marquis, this is also from the St Julien appellation, the Gruaud Larose estate sitting less than three kilometers (1.6 miles) away. 

And as we did with Leoville Las Cases, we also visited the Gruaud Larose estate during our visit to the area in 2019, as featured in my blogpost at the time - A Visit to Château Gruaud-Larose St Julie Beychevelle Bordeaux. 

It was one of the key visits on our trip to the St Julien Appellation (AOC) in Bordeaux was Château Gruaud-Larose, a 2ème Cru Classé or 'second growth', one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) as classified in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

During our spectacular week in St Julien, we visited Léoville du Marquis de Las Cases, producers of the recently tasted Clos du Marquis featured in these pages, Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, and Léoville-Poyferré, three other second growth St Julien producers, and Fourth Growth  producers Château Beychevelle and Château Branaire-Ducru. As with all the others, we hold or have consumed a selection of Gruaud Larose dating back several decades to the early eighties. 

This label is one of my favorite Bordeaux and key holdings in our cellar collection consisting of more than a dozen vintages spanning three decades dating back to 1980 including the birth year vintages of each of our kids, 1981, 1982, 1985 and 1990. We hold many vintages in large format bottles including 3 liter double magnums which we served at daughter Erin's and son-in-law Johnny's wedding. 

This is a wine that demands, but then rewards holding for the long term and several years if not decades of cellaring. 

Château Gruaud Larose is one of the most historic estates in the Médoc dating back to 1725 when Abbot Gruaud bought just under 125 acres of land and planted vineyards. Since then, four families have succeeded one another at the head of Gruaud Larose: the Gruaud and Larose families, the Balguerie and Sarget families, the Cordier family and the Merlaut family.

In 1812, the property was sold to Pierre Balguerie, Baron Jean Auguste Sarget and David Verdonnet.

Shortly after the official 1855 Classification of the Medoc, control of the property was split further among their descendants, but remained intact until 1867 when it was split into Château Gruaud-Larose-Sarget (after the Baron Sarget) and Château Gruaud-Larose-Faure (after Adrien Faure, who married the heiress to a portion of the estate).

Baron Sarget constructed the château on the property in 1875. The other half of the original vineyard remained with the Bethmann descendants. The wines were bottled and sold as both Chateau Gruaud Larose Faure and Chateau Gruaud Larose-Bethmann at different times.

The two château were reunited by the Cordier family, who purchased the Sarget piece in 1917 and the Faure piece in 1935 and the château became a centerpiece of the Cordier properties along with Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey and Château Talbot.  

The Cordier family had been negotiants since 1886. They acquired the Bethmann family holding in 1935. This allowed the Cordier family to recreate the original estate and the wine was renamed Chateau Gruaud Larose.

In 1983 it was purchased by the Compagnie de Suez, and in 1993 it was sold to the French conglomerate, Alcastel Alstom. In 1997 it was sold to Jacques Merlaut who also owns a broad portfolio of Bordeaux properties including Chateau La Gurgue, Chateau Haut Bages Liberal, Chateau Citran, Chateau Ferriere and Chateau Chasse Spleen. 

The Gruaud Larose Chateau and estate sits just outside the village of St Julien-Beychevelle at the southern end of the appellation located on the plateau to the west of Château Beychevelle. on the opposite side of the D2 Route from Ducru Beaucaillou and Leoville Barton.

The vineyards of Gruaud Larose have the highest point of elevation on the Saint Julien plateau and has a distinctive 'tower' which serves visitors a vantage point to view the entire estate.

The 200 acres of vineyards are planted in the Bordeaux sanctioned varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (8%) and Petit Verdot (2%) with old vines averaging 40 years.The vineyards are adjacent to those of Chateau Talbot and Chateau Branaire Ducru which have smaller parcels. The property is divided into 110 parcels with the best terroir found in the 2 sections that surround the chateau and that adjacent to the park.

Chateau Gruaud Larose is known for wines that are concentrated, complex, full-bodied and long-lived, best consumed after several years of aging, typically at least 12 years or more, and often reach their peak maturity and optimal drinking window after 15 years and often last 35 years or more after the vintage release.

Chateau Gruaud Larose on average produces close to 18,000 cases of Saint Julien wine each year.

The wine is fermented in stainless steel vats, and aged in oak barrels for 20-22 months, renewed annually in thirds. 35% new oak.

Château Gruaud Larose St Julien Grand Cru Classé 2005  

This release was rated 98 points by Jane Anson, 95 by The Wine Independent, and 94 by Wine Enthusiast.

Pundits wrote, “You have really had to be patient for this wine, but it is utterly spellbinding, and starting to show its potential.” And, “This is one of the best wines from Gruaud-Larose for several years.”

With a similar sensation of the near perfect 100 point wine we drank recently, this is more notable for its lack of blockbuster boldness, that knocks you over with big forward fruits, or some other highlight, rather, it’s remarkable for it’s lack of excessive notes and it’s flawless, and seamless polish with it’s harmonic integration.

Medium to deep garnet-brick in color. medium to full bodied, that signature St Julien finesse, elegant, polished, finely balanced black currant, black and hints of red berry fruits with notes of herbs, dark black chocolate, cassis, black tea, truffle, hints of cedar and spice with a smooth layer of graphite and crushed rocks with firm, fine-grained tannins on a long finish. 

RM 95 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/224096

https://www.gruaud-larose.com/en/

https://entouragerestaurant.com/downers-grove/

Clos du Marquis with beef stroganoff

Clos du Marquis with beef stroganoff 

Linda prepared beef stroganoff with beef Bourgogne sauce and a tenderloin of beef. As is custom, I sought a Bordeaux varietal blend as a wine accompaniments with the beef. I pulled from the cellar this aged vintage Bordeaux. 

This is the same vintage as another Bordeaux blend we drank just the other evening, then with grilled beefsteak. As with that other 2005 bottle, I wrote in a blogpost at that time, “ At twenty years of age, this is in its ‘Goldilock’s zone’, old enough to be fully integrated to reveal its complexity, to my preference, but still young enough to show the full expression of its fruits, which Linda likes. The label, foil, and most importantly, the fill level and cork were in perfect condition. This is likely at the apex of its drinking profile and may age for another five or ten years before starting to diminish. 

This is what might be called the ‘second label’ of ‘Super Second’ Chateau Léoville Las Cases, considered one of the top producers in Bordeaux, arguably on par with the prestigious ‘First Growths’. 

Indeed, Las Cases, and our other favorite label, Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, the other ‘super second’, abstain from participating in the UGCB, as they consider themselves worthy of the higher, highest classification. 

Producer Domaine de Léoville is one of the oldest estates in the Medoc dating back to the 17th Century. Historically owned by some of the wealthiest and most influential noble French families. The estate was split up between 1826 and 1840 as a result of the French Revolution as part of expropriation of emigrants’ property and subsequent egalitarian redistribution. 

Due to legacy birthright, the current Château Léoville Las Cases was created from 3/5 of the original estate including the heart of the domain. Pierre Jean, Adolphe and Gabriel de Las Cases were successive heirs to the property until 1900, when Théophile Skawinski purchased a share in the estate and became its manager, continuing control by the same family since the late 19th century to Today, represented by sole owner Jean-Hubert Delon. He also owns and is proprietor of Château Potensac in the Medoc and Château Nénin in Pomerol.

We were honored, and thrilled, to be hosted for private personal tours of the Château Léoville Las Cases estate (as well as Château Ducru Beaucaillou), during our trip to St Julien appellation in 2019, absolute highlight (s) of our trip to the region. 

Clos du Marquis St Julien Bordeaux 2005

This second labels provides more affordable wine from the legendary and illustrious estate for ‘once a week’ drinking, as compared to the ‘once a month’, less often special occasion, one a year drinking for the prestigious grand vin. 

The name is named for the Petit Clos adjacent to the Château de Léoville, residence of the Marquis de Las Cases. The wine was created at the beginning of the 20th century when the vineyard was planted. Since then, Clos du Marquis has become a historical brand of Domaines Delon, sourced from the separate vineyard adjacent to the grand vin Leoville Las Cases since being first released in 1902.

Leoville Las Cases vineyard adjacent Chateaux
Latour and Pichon Lalande, Baron, Poyferre.

The Clos du Marquis is produced from top terroirs of the Saint-Julien Appellation that were not exclusively part of the old Domaine de Léoville cadastre. These terroirs are located slightly to the west and are surrounded by prestigious Classified Growths, particularly Seconds Crus Classés of Saint-Julien and Pauillac: Léoville Poyferré, Léoville Barton, Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande and Pichon Longueville Baron. 

Notably, the Leoville Las Cases estate straddles the small creek that is the border between St Julien and Paulliac, and the legendary first growth Chateau Latour (shown above right). 

Clos du Marquis offers a representation of the finest Saint-Julien character for a fraction of the price of the higher classified growth labels showing structure, complexity, harmony, distinction and ageing potential.

Typical of the appellation, this release is a blend of  Cabernet Sauvignon, 50%, Merlot, 37%, Cabernet Franc, 12%, and Petit Verdot, 1%.

This release was rated 94/100 by Jeb Dunnuck, 93 by Wine Spectator, 92 by Decanter, and 91 by Wine Advocate and Vinous. 

In 2024, Jeb Dunnuck wrote “It’s a beautiful, classic expression of the estate that will evolve for another two decades.”

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, rich, round, concentrated, structured but polished and balanced, blackberry and black currant and some red fruits with notes of tobacco, dark mocha, graphite. licorice with polished, integrated tannins on a long smooth finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=224133

https://www.domaines-delon.com/en/clos_du_marquis-chateau_clos_du_marquis_vins.html 

Vintage Branaire Ducru St Julien Bordeaux with grilled beefsteak

Vintage Branaire Ducru St Julien Bordeaux with grilled beefsteak

A delightful end of summer turning to autumn Sunday night, dinner on the deck, we grilled beef tenderloin beefsteaks with baked potatoes and grilled vegetable medley of tomato’s, onions, red pepper and zucchini. 

For an ideal wine accompaniment, I pulled from the cellar a Bordeaux Blend from St Julien. 

Château Branaire-Ducru St Julien Bordeaux 2004 

Our Visit and tour of the historic Château Branaire-Ducru estate was one of the highlights of our trip to the St Julien Appellation (AOC) in Bordeaux back in 2019, as featured in these pages. 

Patrick Maroteaux bought Branaire Ducru in 1988 from the Tapie family who owned Chateau Branaire Ducru since 1919. Prior to his arrival at Branaire Ducru, he had no prior experience in the wine business coming from a background in banking and as the president of the massive sugar company, Eurosucre. Patrick Maroteaux served as the President of the UGCB, Union of Grand Crus Bordeaux, and as the President of the Saint Julien appellation. 

We met Patrick’s son, François Xavier Maroteaux (below) several times at the UGCB Annual Release Tour Tastings in Chicago. He followed in his father’s footsteps and took over the full-time responsibilities of managing the property after his passing in 2017.

Scenes from visit and tour of the historic Château Branaire-Ducru estate. 

At twenty years of age, this was at its Goldilocks ideal age, not too young, not too old, perfect for pairing with our grilled beefsteaks. The label and capsule, and most importantly, the fill level and cork were in perfect condition from aging in our cellar’ ideal conditions. This is probably at the apex of its drinking profile and will not improve further with aging.

Perfect for pleasant sipping and ideally paired with the grilled beefsteak, this is a classic Left Bank Bordeaux blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc.

This release was awarded 91 points by Wine Enthusiast, 90+ points by NM, 90 by Wine Advocate and VM, and 88 points by Wine Spectator. This was considered a high achiever success from what was generally a modest vintage in the Medoc. 

Sitting literally across the road from Chateau Beychevelle, adjacent to super second growth Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, and near Gruaud Larose, Branaire is generally available for half the price of the premier labels, and a third less than the others, thereby offering good QPR - Quality Price Ratio’s for the Appellation. 

Winemaker Notes - “A very pure, fruity nose, still extremely young, with a lot of finesse. Woody hints perfectly well integrated into the fruit. Classic, dense, complex and pleasant on the palate. Delicate and gorgeous tannins with a long finish. Good balance.”

Dark ruby garnet colored, medium to full bodied, round, nicely balanced and modestly polished, ripe blackberry fruits with notes of black tea, tobacco and leather with hints of licorice, smoke and cedar on a smooth soft tannin laced lingering finish. 

RM 90 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?1542304

 

Sarget de Gruaud 2006

Château Gruaud Larose Sarget de Gruaud Larose

Settling in to watch the Presidential Debates I pulled from the cellar a vintage Bordeaux to sip with a collection of artisan cheeses, charcuterie, fresh berries, nuts and roasted beets.

Château Gruaud Larose is one of the most historic estates in the Médoc and was on our select set of St Julien producers we targeted to visit during our trip to the region.

This is the second label of a producer we know well with the flagship premiere label being one of the key holdings in our cellar collection consisting of more than a dozen vintages spanning three decades dating back to 1980 including the birth year vintages of each of our kids, 1981, 1982, 1985 and 1990. 

We hold many vintages in large format bottles including 3 liter double magnums and a five liter Jeroboam that we served at daughter Erin's and son-in-law Johnny's wedding in this label’s vintage year 2006.

Indeed, our collection of large format bottles was one of the keys to our cellar collection being featured in Wine Spectator Magazine’s Collector section back in June of 2001.

Our visit to Chateau was one of the highlights our visit to the St Julien region of Bordeaux back in 2019. I wrote about that visit and featured this producer in detail in these pages in this blogpost at that time - 

A Visit to Château Gruaud-Larose.

This label is the second wine of Gruaud Larose, named for the Sarget family, historic early ancestral owners of the estate. It  provides value and near-term drinkability for those looking for a classic though ripe St-Julien. Named after Baron Jean Auguste Sarget, one of the men who purchased the Gruaud-Larose property in 1812 and whose family managed the estate for the following fifty years. 

Over the next century, the estate would be divided, with a portion being controlled by the Sarget family. The estate has since been reunited and the château that Sarget built stands as the centerpiece of the property. The estate introduced the second wine in 1979.

Label from vintage tasted
at the Chateau,

This, the second wine of Gruaud Larose, provides value and near-term drinkability for those looking for a classic though ripe St-Julien. Named after Baron Jean Auguste Sarget, one of the men who purchased the Gruaud-Larose property in 1812 and whose family managed the estate for the following fifty years.

Over the next century, the estate would be divided, with a portion being controlled by the Sarget family. The estate has since been reunited and the château that Sarget built stands as the centerpiece of the property. The estate introduced the second wine in 1979.

This is a classic Left Bank Bordeaux Blend of predominant Cabernet Sauvignon, 60%, Merlot, 30%, Cabernet Franc 5.5%, Petit Verdot 3% and Malbec 1.5%.

Tonight, this was a bit disappointing and didn’t meet my expectations. At eighteen years, the label, foil and importantly the cork and fill level were all perfect. This showed no diminution of age whatsoever and I thought it would be at the apex of its drinking profile and window, and perhaps it was. 

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, somewhat flabby and disjointed black currant fruit were overshadowed by notes of tobacco, cedar, leather, earth and smoke with a modest somewhat muted fruit finish. 

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?364398

https://www.gruaud-larose.com/en/wines/sarget-2006/

A Visit to Château Gruaud-Larose

https://x.com/unwindwine

Family Easter and Birthday Celebration Dinner features ultra-premium birth-year vintage wines

Family Easter and Birthday Celebration Dinner features ultra-premium birth-year vintage wines

We hosted the family for Easter featuring an Easter Egg hunt for the (grand) kids followed by a gala dinner that also recognized son Alec's birthday. Alec and Linda prepared grilled Salmon and NY Strip Steaks. 

I pulled from the cellar two ultra-premium birth-year vintage wines for the occasion, from son Alec's birth-year who also had a birthday this week. 

At thirty-two years, this was a study in longevity and age-worthiness of two top labels, one from Bordeaux and one from Napa Valley. Amazingly, they were very similar and equivalent in all respects, with similar character and tasting profiles, fill levels, foils, labels, and importantly the corks were all in ideal condition, for their age. The Ducru cork was a bit soft and spongy and starting to erode, but was still intact. The Diamond Creek cork was remarkably tight and well preserved.

This is another testament to the conditions in our wine cellar for aging fine wines. Both had been in our cellar for decades.

Both had good color and body and, while showing their age and perhaps past their prime, were still very much within their approachable drinking window.

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St. Julien, Bordeaux 1990

Lisa Perrotti-Brown of Robert Parker's Wine Advocated tasted this at the Chateau in August 2020 and gave it a drinking window of 2020 - 2028. 

We hold a vertical collection of this label dating back four decades, including birth-year vintages for each of our kids, and many of our grand-kids, several of which we served at their weddings in large format bottles. 

We had the privilege and honor to visit the Château Ducru Beaucaillou estate during our trip to the St Julien appellation of Bordeaux in 2019.

Château Ducru Beaucaillou is named for the "beautiful pebbles", stones found in its unique wine-growing terroir of the Gironde River estuary. The estate sits on an promontory site with views of the river in the center of a hundred-year-old park. 

The Ducru Beaucaillou Chateau is a majestic, Victorian-style castle, which is one of the great symbols of the Médoc, and residence to the owners to this day. 

The original winery and cellars are in the lower level underneath the residence. A new extensive expanded facility was built in recent years.

For 300 years, six families of owners have owned and managed the Château Ducru Beaucaillou estate. which today is managed by the company Jean Eugène Borie SA, which is owned by Mrs Borie, her daughter Sabine Coiffe and her son Bruno Eugène, CEO since 2003, the third generation of the Borie family to head the estate.

This wine is a traditional left bank Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The wine was aged for around 12 months in two-thirds new oak.

Dark garnet brick colored, medium-full bodied, complex and rich blackberry and plum fruits with notes of earth, tree bark, tobacco, tapenade, black tea and leather on a lingering moderate tannin acidic finish. 

RM 91 points. 

This was awarded 91 points by Robert Parker 's Wine Advocate.

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=10531

 

https://chateau-ducru-beaucaillou.com/en

 

@DucruB 

Diamond Creek Vineyards "Gravelly Meadow" Vineyard, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1990

A trip to Napa Valley Diamond Mountain by the serious wine enthusiast or collector would not be complete without a visit to the legendary Diamond Creek Vineyards. 

Diamond Creek was founded in 1968 by the late Al Brounstein, and wife 'Boots' (pictured below), a visionary pioneer who defied conventions of the time by planting Bordeaux varietals on secluded Diamond Mountain in the Mayacamas Range at the north remote end of Napa Valley.

Diamond Creek is a case study in terroir - the estate is segregated into four distinct vineyards, each with its own micro-climate, soil type and geography that are revealed in their single vineyard designated Cabernet Sauvignon wines named for the four distinctly different origination vineyards. 

The vineyards of Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon are Gravelly Meadow (5 acres - center left), Red Rock Terrace (7 acres front), Volcanic Hill (8 acres opposite), and Lake (¾ acre). There is also one acre planted to Petit Verdot. 

This is another producer of whom we hold a vertical collection spanning more than two decades. Our collection includes all of the vineyards, many in horizontal collections of the three primary vineyards from a vintage.

The vineyards,  pictured here, are amazingly co-located close to each other yet have distinctive individual characteristics that are revealed in their wines, based on their proximity to the slope approaching the creek that cascades down the mountain, dividing the property. The chateau and tasting room offer a magnificent setting and view of the vineyards on the slope and meadow below and of the opposing hillside.

We visited the estate in 2017 for the Diamond Creek Open House and 2015 Vintage Release Tasting, shown here with Matriarch, proprietor and founder Boots Brownstein. 

We also visited the estate and did a private food and wine pairing tasting back in 2011 as part of our Diamond Mountain Wine Experience - Diamond Creek Vineyards visit and tasting.

In 2020, 52 years after its founding, Diamond Creek was acquired by the Rouzaud family of world-renowned Maison Louis Roederer, whose roots in wine date to the 1700s. The relationship between the Rouzaud and Brounstein families stretched back three decades, with an admiration and mutual respect for one another born of a common love for wine and its role in history, culture and life.  

Like the 1990 vintage Bordeaux above, this too was in ideal condition, with no obvious signs of diminution from age. The fill level, foil, label and cork were as good as to be expected at three decades. 

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, concentrated, rich, complex yet elegant blackberry and black cherry fruits with notes of deep, perfumed, herbaceousness with concentrated currant, cedar and flavors of tea, leather and tobacco on a long, smooth finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=38034

https://diamondcreekvineyards.com/

Far Niente Napa Valley Chardonnay 2011

For the grilled salmon, we also served this hearty robust Napa Valley Chardonnay from a legendary producer. 

The Far Niente estate sits along St Helena Highway in the heart of Oakville. Far Niente's history dates back to 1885 when the estate was first established by pioneer John Benson a forty-niner of the California gold rush and uncle of the famous American impressionist painter, Winslow Homer. Benson hired notable architect Hamden McIntyre to design the historic winery in western Oakville which today is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was restored to its original prestige by the Nickel family in 1979.

Far Niente prospered up until the onset of Prohibition in 1919 when it was closed and sat neglected for 60 years until 1980, when Gil Nickel bought and restored the winery and neighboring vineyard over three years. He preserved the Far Niente name which in Italian translates to ‘without a care.’ 

 

Far Niente constructed wine caves, the first to be constructed in North America since the turn of the century, spawning a whole new standard in California wine country. Over the next 20 years, the winery conducted four more expansions of the caves, bringing the total area to 40,000 square feet.

Far Niente is consistently recognized as a benchmark producer of Napa Valley Chardonnay and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The Far Niente Estate Bottled Napa Valley Chardonnay is crafted in a blend sourced from superb vineyards, many of which are located in Coombsville, the cool growing region in the rolling hills east of Napa that they've been growing for over 40 years. The climate there is similar to the other source site in the popular Chardonnay appellation of Carneros in south west Napa Valley, but with less wind and deeper, well-drained gravelly loam and volcanic ash soils. The winery states, "the combination of these spectacular vineyards results in the subtle, tropical flavors, complex aromas and uncommon richness that we have long associated with Far Niente Chardonnay."

Winemaker Notes: The 2011 Far Niente Chardonnay opens with delicate aromas of citrus blossom, honeydew melon, pear, flint and toasted almonds. The entry is silky with pear and citrus flavors. Refreshing acidity leads to a juicy finish, layered with toasted oak.

Butter colored, medium bodied, bold full but nicely balanced flavors of citrus, pear and melon with notes of floral and almond on a pleasantly dry moderately acid finish. 

 

RM 92 points.  

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1347669

https://farniente.com/

 

@farnientewinery

 

Christmas features birthyear and celebration wines

Christmas Family gathering features special family birthyear and celebration wines 

The entire family gathered for a festive Christmas celebration with gifts, food, holiday treats and of course, some special celebratory wines. As we've written in these pages, over the years, we've collected a horizontal selection of birthyear wines for each of our children. We served those special vintages in large format bottles at their weddings and other gala celebrations. 

We still hold several bottles of those wines that are getting on in years approaching or surpassing their drinking ageworthiness and drinking windows. 

Our oldest offspring, daughter Erin is in her fortieth year and her birthyear vintage, 1981 was a modest, challenging vintage for aging potential. 

 

Indeed, we served her birthyear vintage wines from large format bottles at her wedding, fifteen years ago. At that time, we wondered how well those twenty-five year old labels would show. We served premium and super premium labels that had long lives, even in the less stellar 1981 vintage. Couple that with the fact that we served large format bottles, which extend the ageworthiness of wine, and we had a great tasting experience. See Wine Bottle Sizes...Bigger is Better - Right Bottle Sizes...Bigger (or Smaller) is Better.

Tonight, at forty years, we decided its time to open these remaining vintage wines and pulled from the cellar some of the most ageworthy labels that remain. The premier bottle we opened was Château Lafite Rothschild 1981. We also opened a Château LaGrange St Julien from the same vintage. 

Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 1981

We visited the Château Lafite Rothschild estate during our trip to the Bordeaux region in 2018. While we focused on touring St Julien producers, we also stopped by some of the notable estates in nearby appellation of Pauillac that we own and collect. It was a delight and reverent experience to walk the grounds and adjacent vineyards of the legendary historic estates of the Pichons, Lynch Bages and Lafite Rothschild. 

Château Lafite Rothschild is one of the five First Growth Bordeaux, and one of the most famous and collected wines in the world. 

We opted to open this label from our cellar collection as well as a lesser fifth growth that will most likely be closer to the end of, or further past the end of its drinking window. To our dismay and delight, both bottles were still presentable and holding their own, albeit clearly being in their final stages of their drinkability.

Sadly, of all the estates we visited, only one, Lafite Rothschild had security personnel come out and confront us and order us off the property.  While we deeply respect their property rights and sovereignty, it made an impression of in-hospitality and un-welcomeness, such that we will avoid the label from our collecting,  buying and tasting in the future. While Lafite is legendary, there are many alternative labels available to support. 

The Lafite Rothschild estate sits outside the town of Pauillac on the border of the appellations of Pauillac and St Estephe, on the main D2 route heading north as you exit the appellation and enter the adjoining St. Estephe. 

The Chateau is surrounded by nearly 280 acres of vineyards that are well-drained and well-exposed, with soil made up of fine deep gravel, mixed with aeolian sand on a subsoil of tertiary limestone. The vineyards are divided into three sites: the hillsides around the Château, the adjacent Carruades plateau to the west, and ten+ acres to the along the highway to the north in neighbouring Saint Estèphe.

The vineyards are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (2%). The average age of the grapevines is 39 years old but fruit from vines younger than 10 years old are not used in the Grand Vin. This means that the average age of the vines used in the Grand Vin (Château Lafite Rothschild) is closer to 45 years. The oldest plot, called “La Gravière , was planted in 1886.

We have been collecting and tasting this legendary label for significant vintages since the 1970's, our anniversary and birthyear vintages dating back to our 1974 anniversary, and this remains one of the oldest and last remaining bottles in our collection of 'collectables'. I still remember opening the 1974 vintage back upon release and then for our a couple of milestone anniversaries at 25 years and others.

At forty years, the foil, label, fill level and importantly, the cork, were all in pristine condition.  

This was awarded 91 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

Back as early as 1997, Robert Parker wrote that "This wine is close to full maturity, but it is capable of holding for another two decades."

Parker wrote: "It reveals the classic Lafite bouquet of red and black fruits, cedar, fruitcake, and tobacco-like aromas. In the mouth, this medium ruby/garnet-colored wine displays a delicacy of fruit and sweet attack, but subtle, well-defined flavors ranging from tobacco, cigar box, cedar, and fruitcake. This is a savory, soft Lafite-Rothschild that is pleasing to both the intellect and the palate. (RP)  (12/1997)"

Son Ryan took great care to extract the cork completely intact using an 'ahso' two pronged cork puller. He double decanted it with a strainer to separate the black sediment. 

The color was dark garnet color with just a slight amount of bricking on the edges. The slight funky nose burned off after a short period to reveal bright cherry aromatics. Medium bodied, smooth, polished, delicate black berry and black cherry fruits with accents of cigar box, cedar, hints of leather and graphite with a tangy acidic lingering finish. 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=12987

www.lafite.com/en/

Château LaGrange St Julien 1981

We also pulled from the cellar another 1981 vintage Bordeaux to consume before it is too late in its drinking window.

We also visited the LaGrange estate, outside the village of St-Julien-Beychevelle during our visit to Bordeaux in 2019. It sits further 'inland' from the Gironde River estuary, not far from the adjacent estates of Château Gruaud-Larose and  Château Branaire-Ducru that we toured during our visit. 

The iconic Château that is recognized from decades of labels is more picturesque than expected or imaginable as it looks out on a small lake/pond as one approaches the estate.

The estate has turned over and undergone substantial improvements over the years and the quality of product is vastly improved today. 

Château Lagrange was founded and can be found mentioned as early as the 13th century.

The reputation of the cru was established in the 18th century by the families of Brane and Arbouet, succeeded by Jean Valère Cabarrus, who built the Tuscan Tower estate in 1820. 

In the 18th century it found favour with the American ambassador Thomas Jefferson, who placed it 3rd in his rank of personal favourites. In 1842, Château Lagrange was bought and redeveloped the property modernizing the facilities and extending the vineyard and classified third cru within the Grand Cru Saint-Julien in 1855.

After a series of crises between the 19th and 20th centuries (phylloxera, world wars), the property has risen from the ashes, notably thanks to the Suntory family who bought it in 1983 and undertook a large-scale renovation.

The property was taken over by the Japanese spirits producer Suntory in the mid 1980's. They made substantial improvements to the property and facilities through 2008 and modernized the entire winemaking facilities and cellars in 2013 which should no doubt result in increasing improvements and quality of the wines. Suntory also took over and made substantial investment in additions and improvements to nearby Château Beychevelle which we also toured while in the area.

However, the easiest way to think of Chateau Lagrange is by knowing all their vines are dispersed over 2, gently sloping, gravel hillsides, well placed in the west of the Saint Julien appellation, close to Chateau Gruaud Larose and Chateau Branaire Ducru. At the peak of their vineyards, the hillsides reach up to 24 meters, which puts their vines at the highest elevation in the Saint Julien appellation.
Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/st-julien/lagrange/

However, the easiest way to think of Chateau Lagrange is by knowing all their vines are dispersed over 2, gently sloping, gravel hillsides, well placed in the west of the Saint Julien appellation, close to Chateau Gruaud Larose and Chateau Branaire Ducru. At the peak of their vineyards, the hillsides reach up to 24 meters, which puts their vines at the highest elevation in the Saint Julien appellation.
Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/st-julien/lagrange/

Château LaGrange St Julien Bordeaux 1981

This is the oldest of several vintages of this wine dating back to this birth year vintage from Erin's vintage release in the early eighties.

Château LaGrange vineyards span nearly 300 acres and rise to an elevation of 24 meters, the highest altitude in the St Julien appellation. The vineyards are planted to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot for the reds, and 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Sauvignon Gris and 10% Sémillon for the whites. The vineyards have that classic St Julien pebble soil. 

This release is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot. 

Earlier in its life this release was rated 92 points John Gilman, James Suckling, Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast, and 90 points by Wine & Spirits and Robert Parker. 

Like the Lafite above, we also obtained this upon release and have kept it in our cellar since. As such the bottle and label were in pristine condition - the bottle fill level being top of neck, the label and foil being in best expected condition for their age. Unlike the Lafite however, the cork of the LaGrange was partially saturated and crumbled upon extraction. Even with the 'ahso' two pronged cork puller, it came apart and required a combination ahso and corkscrew to remove completely. 

At forty years of age, this was amazingly holding on to its color and what remained of its structure and fruits albeit diminished to being minimal, it was still presentable and while modest, was pleasant drinking, especially considering its age. 

Like the Lafite above, Ryan double decanted this. It showed dark garnet colored, medium body with black berry and black cherry fruits turning to leather, tobacco and notes of black tea and tangy acidity on hte modest finish. 

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=363605

https://chateau-lagrange.com/en/

https://www.ugcb.net/en/chateau-lagrange

Château Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 1985

In the spirit of opening the Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac Bordeaux, above, we also pulled from the cellar another classic first growth Bordeaux, this Château Mouton Rothschild 1985. 

This is tribute to son Sean's birthyear, and the recent birth of his and Michelle's daughter Lavender. The classic Mouton Rothschild artist label of the 1985 vintage features an surrealist impressionist painting of demure young maidens gazing on bunches of grapes, painted by Belgium born Flemmish Expressionist Paul Delvaux. 

We only hold this vintage of this legendary first growth label in a small format half bottle so we held off opening it today, but presented it to the new parents to hold and open together on a suitable occasion of their choosing. 

I write often in these pages about bottle sizes, large and small, here is an example of a small format bottle, suitable for an intimate tasting for two! 

Like the other bottles we acquired this upon release and have been holding in our cellar ever since. The image shown is taken from a large format double magnum of this release, to better show the artist painting as rendered on the label. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1582

https://www.chateau-mouton-rothschild.com/label-art/discover-the-artwork/paul-delvaux#

We also opened this hearty full throttled Aussie Shiraz Cabernet Blend for enjoyment by the group. 

Mollydooker Enchanted Path Cabernet Shiraz 2007

I write about the Mollydooker branding and history in more detail in this blogpost.  

Their portfolio of cartoonish labels are a family favorite and we open their premium labels, Enchanted Path and Carnival of Love on many family special occasions. 

Mollydooker is the handiwork of the (former) husband-and-wife winemaking team of Sarah and Sparky Marquis. Prior to starting their own label the pair produced under the Marquis Philips brand in partnership with their distributor Dan Philips. Previously, they produced award-winning wines for Australian producers including Fox Creek, Henry’s Drive, Shirvington, and others. The term Mollydooker is Australian slang for a left-handed person as both Sarah and Sparky Marquis are left-handed.

Since 2005, they focused exclusively on making their own exuberant wines which include a range of Shiraz labels and a variety of Shiraz/Cab/Merlot blends, as well as some adventuresome white wines such as The Violinist, a Verdelho varietal.

They source their fruit from 116 acres of vineyards at their winery in McLaren Vale where about 50 percent are planted in Shiraz, with the rest made up of Cabernet, Merlot, Semillon and Chardonnay. Most of their wines bear distinctive whimsical and humorous names and labels with cartoon characters. Never-the-less, many of their wines, while modestly-priced, Mollydookers are often highly rated. Their premium label, 'Velvet Glove' Shiraz retails for $175, however.  

As I wrote a while back when I blogged about this label, "This unique blend really works with the Cabernet adding breadth and depth to the big black inky purple colored full bodied Shiraz. The result is a powerful full bodied complex wine with concentrated forward chewy tongue coating black berry and black cherry fruits accented by ripe plum and spice, a layer of leather and hints of anise with fine silky tannins on the long finish".

RM 92 points.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave this wine a whopping 95 points and wrote in their review: " The 2007 Enchanted Path, a blend of 67% Shiraz and 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, is aged in mostly American oak, 70% new. Purple/black colored, it has a brooding bouquet of spice box, toasty oak, mineral, espresso, black currant, and blueberry. Structured and powerful on the palate, this dense, rich effort requires 5 to 7 years of additional cellaring and will offer prime drinking from 2014 to 2028. 95+ Points (JSM) (2/2009)."

Wine Spectator gave it 91 points  and wrote: "Big, ripe and focused, offering a blast of cherry and plum, with a welcome floral note that lasts through the long, vivid finish. Has a touch of spice as the finish lingers against fine tannins. (HS) (10/2008)".

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=554810

www.mollydookerwines.com 

 

 

Château LaGrange St Julien Bordeaux 2018

Château LaGrange St Julien Bordeaux 2018 high achiever in a stellar highly ranked vintage

I wrote earlier about our getaway weekend in the City (Chicago) and stopping in VinChicago, a family-run wine merchant since 1934. I wrote recently that they offer an alternative to the mega-merchants with carefully selected producer's and labels at competitive prices for high QPR (quality-price-ratio) values. Their extremely knowledgeable staff consists of certified Sommelier and Advanced Sommelier. While they closed their local Naperville store location, (they still operate three Chicagoland locations), we keep in touch via their newletters and on-line presence. They deliver wine purchases or conduct curbside pick-ups at location that is conveniently near our home.

 

Château Lagrange estate

Visiting the VinChicago retail location, we picked up several odd lot labels no longer listed on their web, and several other labels to 'try before we buy' (for cellaring). We had already acquired this label from the big box wine and beverage superstore for our collection, but picked up a couple more bottles, taking advantage of the discount pricing at VinChicago.

 

Another one of those selections was this St Julien Bordeaux that we drove by during our Bordeaux trip to the appellation in 2018. The wines that we tasted during that trip are now being released and we're now tasting and collecting them, several of which we actually got to taste from the barrel during our winery estate tours on that trip. 

Our Châteaux estate tours and wine tastings that week included several of our favorite producers: Super Second Léoville du Marquis de Las Cases, Second Growth producers Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, Gruaud Larose and Léoville-Poyferré, as well as Fourth Growths Château Beychevelle  and Château Branaire-Ducru.

 

We visited the Château Lagrange' St Julien Bordeaux estate as we toured the area across the appellation. Château Lagrange’s vineyards on the beautiful estate stretch over gravelly slopes covering the highest point of the Saint-Julien appellation set back a mile or so from the Gironde River estuary and the village of St Julien-Beychevelle.

 

Château Lagrange St Julien Bordeaux 2018 

 

We hold nearly a decade of this label dating back to the 1981 birthyear vintage release for our daughter Erin's birthyear. This may be among the finest vintages of  Château LaGrange ever produced! 

 

I have written often in these pages that in a top vintage, all boats rise with the tide such that second and third labels of top producers, or secondary producers, often are also excellent and offer substantial QPR - quality price ratio values. 

 

The 2018 St Julien Bordeaux is such a vintage and this label is such a value offering. All the top labels of the appellation are highly rated - 97, 98, 99 and even 100 points - and are collectables for acquiring, early drinking, and for cellar collections. This label offers similar quality at a fraction of the prices of the Super Second growths. 

 

This release was rated 97 points by Jeb Dunnuck, 95 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 94 points by Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Decanter and Vinous. 

 

Bright garnet-purple colored, medium to full-bodied, big, rich, elegant, integrated and balanced bright vibrant blackberry, black currants and plum fruits with crème de cassis, mocha chocolate, spice, cedar and graphite pencil lead silky tannins, and a great mid-palate. This offers instant gratification for early drinking but should age gracefully for a decade or more. 

RM 94 points. 

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3280118

 

https://chateau-lagrange.com/

@ChateauLagrange