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

 

 

 

Madame de Beaucaillou Haut-Médoc

Madame de Beaucaillou Haut-Médoc 2018

Local wine merchant Vin Chicago put this label out as a special feature offer and I picked up a case and, oh my, am I glad I did! We're long time fans and collectors of the grand vin Ducru Beaucaillou and were intrigued to try this new label in its inaugural release. 

We visited the famous Château Ducru Beaucaillou during our Bordeaux St Julien wine experience in 2018 and tasted the 2018 release from the barrel. That vintage went on to receive 100 points from Wine Enthusiast and 99 points from just about everyone else. They released this new label for that vintage so we were compelled to pick some up. 

As I have oft written in these pages, in top vintages, 'all boats rise with the tide', meaning great Chateaux will produce great wines even in their second and third labels, such that those labels often provide tremendous QPR - Quality Price Ratios, superb wines at a fraction of the price of the grand vin.

Wine critic Jeb Dunnuck wrote about the 2018 Bordeaux: "In short, 2018 is a thrilling vintage with no shortage of legendary wines and I cannot imagine anyone who purchases these wines will be disappointed...It’s possible to find attractive, well-made, even outstanding, wines that punch well above their price points." 

This is the very first vintage of this new label coming from the cellars of Ducru Beaucaillou. The new wine comes from vineyards located in the Haut-Médoc; plots brought by Madame Eugène-Borie on her marriage and more recently by the acquisition of plots from Madame Fort-Pradère. This wine label was created to pay homage to the woman who chaired the Board from 1998 to today, but also to an attentive and loving mother. Under the Haut Medoc appellation, this wine offers Borie quality at an entry-level price.

In recognition of Ducru's long line of women owners, the chateau released this label noting, “equally inspiring and demanding… all of them had an essential role in the development and renown of Ducru Beaucaillou’s signature style – strength and grace.”

Ducru Beaucaillou is a Bordeaux Second Growth that dates back to 1720 and is named for its terroir – the beautiful stones - ducru beaucaillou ... that are a large part of the composition of the soil of the vineyards adjacent the Gironde River. These stones, and the vineyards planted on them, are part of what gives Ducru Beaucaillou its particular Saint Julien character. Adjacent is a commemorative 'beautiful pebble', engraved with the historic chateau, in a gift box given to guests at to the estate. 

With the 2018 vintage, Ducru Beaucaillou decided to honor it’s 300^th birthday and its Chairman [chairwoman] of the Board, Mrs. Eugene Borie, for the past decade by creating a new cuvee from her family’s home vineyards. The cuvee is this one, the Madame de Beaucaillou, released in 2020. 

This is vinified in the cellars by the Ducru-Beaucaillou team, receiving the same care and attention: the technical winemaking process, selective blending, and careful ageing for 12 months in barrel (including 20% new oak). 

In classic Bordeaux style, this is a blend of 39% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot.

Deep garnet-colored, medium bodied, bright expressive vibrant blackberries, blueberries and plum fruits, accented by graphite and a touch of clove, hints of coffee tobacco, cigar and cedar with a savoury round finish with firm structured backbone and sturdy, fine-grain cloying tongue coating tannins that are not for the feint of heart but will impress big Bordeaux enthusiasts.

This was delicious already and I can only imagine how this will be with three to five or more years of additional integration and aging. 

RM 91 points. This was also awarded 91 points by James Suckling

https://www.cellartracker.com/barcode.asp?iWine=3893569

Upon tasting this, I quickly got on line and ordered the current release of this label, available through En primeur (futures purchase). Stay tuned as I'll dutifully report on that wine as I soon as obtain some and have the opportunity to try it. 

@DucruB #stJulien #medoc #bordeaux #GrandCruClasse1855

http://chateau-ducru-beaucaillou.com/  

 

 

 

 

Big Bottle Birthyear mania for Wedding Celebration

Our Cellar Collection and Gala Wedding Celebration includes Large Format Birthyear Vintage Wines

The large format big bottle mania continues for Sean and Michelle's wedding celebration weekend, we opened several birthyear vintage wines we have collected and were saving in our cellar for just such an occasion. We opened a six liter Imperial Napa Cabernet the night before. 

Fortunately, the 1985 vintage produced age-worthy wines suitable for long-term cellaring for thirty-five years. 

People often ask me about the practice of obtaining wines from a particular vintage year. Check vintage charts for your chosen region for your favored wine (s). If that region had a difficult vintage, check the other regions of the world. Chances are you'll find at least one that had favorable age-worthy harvests suitable for collecting.

My fixation on collecting birthyear wines for our children, and now grandchildren is evident in the cellar statistics - for just the 1985 vintage year, we hold 95 bottles in different 39 wines. I believe that is overstated somewhat by the lack of removing bottles consumed over the years. Never-the-less, it reflects the challenge to consume those bottles before they waste away, and offers an opportunity for an extensive, intensive vintage study. 

For the celebration weekend, I pulled the following bottles for a horizontal comparison tasting:

From St Julien Bordeaux,

• Leoville Las Cases 
  
• Ducru Beaucaillou 
• Gruaud Larose, 

Other Bordeaux: 

• Cos d' Estournel St Estephe
  
• Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac
  
• Sociando-Mallette Haut Medoc

Others:

• Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Bosche Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
• Rutherford Hill Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Dunn Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Flora Springs Trilogy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Freemark Abbey Bosche' Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Dow Vintage Port
• Warre's Vintage Port

For the reasons noted, we will hold the following bottles for future tastings:

We hold vertical collections of these labels hence an opportunity for a broader tasting: Chateau Palmer and Silver Oak. this includes a collection of magnums for each of our four kids' vintage birthyears. 

Amazingly, several labels have projected tasting windows for further aging and consumption several years into the future, hence hold these bottles for an anniversary or baby or other notable celebration tasting. These include, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Dominus Estate Napa, Dunn Vineyards Howell Mtn, Diamond Creek Napa, and Chateaux Lynch Bages,  Pichon Baron and Pichon Lalande. 

We opened these bottles, in large format magnums for tasting at the reception dinner:

• Sociando-Mallette Haut Medoc
  
• Château Ducru Beaucaillou St Julien
  
• Château Gruaud Larose, St Julien
  
• Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac 
• Dow Vintage Port

Château Sociando-Mallette Haut Medoc 1985

Château Sociando-Mallet is a 225-acre estate in St.-Seurin-de-Cadourne, which is part of the Haut-Medoc appellation just north of the St Estephe appellation, north of the city of Pauillac, Bordeaux. 

The estate is today considered by some reviewers, including Robert M. Parker Jr., to be the jewel of the Haut-Medoc.  Though the estate is unclassified, Parker says the château makes “uncompromising wines of extremely high quality….Sociando-Mallet is easily the equal of many of the classified growths….” 

The vineyards are planted to 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc.

This release got 92 points from Vinous and 91 points from Wine Spectator.

The label and foil were in good condition, the cork was soft and partially saturated but extracted almost intact using a two pronged cork puller. 

I wrote about this label back in 2010 when we also tasted it from a magnum. At that time I wrote, "Medium bodied - bright lively forward red fruit flavors highlight with hints of raspberry, black cherry, anise and leather on a moderate tannin flavorful finish.Tasted from magnum - lots of life left - no signs of age in this 25 year old. RM 90 points."

Tonight this was dark garnet color, medium bodied, black berry and black cherry fruits with notes of black truffle, smoke, black tea with subtle notes of vanilla and tangy spice on a lingering modest tannin finish. 

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=40950

https://www.sociandomallet.com/en

@Sociando_Mallet

Château Gruaud Larose St Julien Bordeaux 1985

Our visit, tour and tasting at the Gruaud Larose estate was one of the highlights of our tour of St Julien Bordeaux a year ago last month. We hold a horizontal collection of more than a dozen vintages of Gruaud Larose dating back to 1981, daughter Erin's birthyear, and the other kids' birthyears, several including this, Sean's 1985, in large format bottles.

We shared a virtual tour of our visit to Château Gruaud-Larose estate grounds, cellar, chai, library and hospitality center in St Julien from our unwindwine blogpost in these pages. 

This release got 93 points from Wine Spectator,  91 points from  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 90 points from  Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar. Neal Martin from K&L Wine Merchants in the SF Bay Area gave it 92 points. 

Having a reputation for long lived wines, this 1985 Gruaud Larose showed few signs of diminution from aging and seemed to have a few years of life left although it was more closed and less expressive than the other labels. Earlier in the year I wrote it was showing its age - no doubt the difference in aging effects of a small versus large format bottle. At that time I gave it 89 points.

Like the other bottles served tonight, this was also acquired upon release and has been held in our cellar since. The label, foil and fill level were all pristine, in ideal condition. The cork, like the others was a bit soft and partially saturated, but extracted intact with a two pronged cork puller.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/03/covid19-shut-in-prompts-curbside.html

Dark garnet colored, medium to full-bodied, a bit closed and slightly subdued complex, ripe earthy blackberry and black current fruits with tones of tobacco leaf, truffle, hints of cassis and spice box, turning to slightly tart black cherry on the long floral full tannin laced finish.

RM 89 points.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/03/covid19-shut-in-prompts-curbside.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=20848 

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

 

Château Ducru Beaucaillou St Julien Bordeaux 1985

Our visit to Château Ducru Beaucaillou in Beychevelle St Julien was one of the highlights of our trip to the Medoc last year. It has long been one of the signature wines that we collected for a horizontal of vintages that includes the birthyears of our four kids including large format bottles of this label and this magnum for the 1985 vintage. 

This release got 92 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 95 Points from the Zachy's Buying Team from the wine merchant in Scarsdale, NY.

As we have held this bottle in our cellar since release back in the eighties, the bottle label, capsule and fill level were all in near perfect condition. The cork was a bit soft and slightly saturated from the bottom but extracted intact using a Ahso two pronged cork puller. The photo shown here shows the cork after having been reinserted and removed for a tasting of the remains the following day. 

This was dark garnet-colored, medium-full bodied, concentrated, pure, red and black currant fruits with a layer of cedar and notes of  truffle, damp earth, tobacco and cinnamon; a hint of mint with with super firm tannins on a long, silky finish.

RM 91 points.  

The Zachys Buying Team Notes from their trip for the 2014 releases: 

"95 Points, Zachys Buying Team: "We had this wine over dinner while in Bordeaux tasting the 2014s - easily one of the highlights of the entire trip. Perfectly mature and is currently drinking the way Bordeaux was intended to be consumed - with age and enough sweet fruit to complement the tertiary development. This wine is all about elegance, no hard edges, classic St Julien cedar, truffle, and damp earth are joined by tobacco and cinnamon. Tongue-staining, long finish. It is a wine that transports you back to old world style claret, where the wine doesn't clobb er at 12.5% alcohol. It is truly a special treat to have this wine with this provenance and condition."

 
Marilee Bostic, Certified Sommelier, Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) and most recently, the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in Wines and Spirits (DipWSET), works at The Grape D’Vine, a boutique wine store in Sparkill, New York, writes in her notes of this wine:

"The 1985 Ducru-Beaucaillou still packed a punch with primary aromas and flavors, including cassis, black raspberry, and soft rose petals.  Secondary notes included a layer of vanilla and chocolate mint.  Tertiary notes dominated as this wine was fully mature, with a patina of cherry pipe smoke, damp forest floor, and black truffles.  This wine was dry, with medium (+) acidity, medium alcohol, pronounced aroma and flavor intensity, medium body, and medium tannins that were velvety-soft.  The finish was no doubt long."  

 

I wrote about this wine earlier this year and gave it 93 points, when I wrote; "Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, muted aromas on the nose but elegant, balanced and full flavored, bright and expressive on the palate with black currant fruits accented by sensuous floral, cedar, tobacco leaf, hints of damp earth with super firm tannins and a long, silky finish."

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/01/ducru-beaucaillou-birthyear-vintage.html

Last year, in anticipation of our visit to the Chateau, we opened this label when I wrote; "Dark garnet-colored, medium- to full-bodied, Parker describes it as "a wine of extraordinary charm and elegance", a floral, cedary nose with red and black currants, plum, notes of spice and cassis, firm tannins on a long, smooth silky finish. Still has some years left but assuredly not likely to improve with further aging."

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/07/chateau-ducru-beaucaillou-1989-1985.htm

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=17635

www.chateau-ducru-beaucaillou.com

@DucruB

 

 

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac Bordeaux 1985

 

We visited the estate and walked the vineyards and grounds during our visit to the Medoc last year.  This was the BOTN - best-of-the-night, showing the greatest balance, elegance and complexity with nicely integrated fruits and flavors.

This label has been my favorite of many tastings occasions and continues to be one of my perennial favorites and has more often than not surprised us with its longevity and aging potential. 

 

This release got 93 points from John Gilman and 92 points from Wine Spectator.

 

John Gilman writes, "The 1985 has aged quite beautifully and is now drinking with great style and grace. The bouquet is a superb blend of cassis, dark berries, coffee, cigar wrapper, a dollop of fresh herbs, gravel, black tea and toasty oak. On the palate the wine is pure, fullish and beautifully complex, with a good core of fruit, lovely soil signature, melted tannins and fine length and grip on the very classy finish. This is not a powerful vintage of Pichon, but it is an utterly complete one!"

 

This was also served from a magnum. 

 

While this bottle was also acquired upon release and has laid in our cellar magnum rack adjacent the other bottles, the label was soiled and had completely detached from the bottle. The capsule was rather deteriorated but the cork, while slightly soft and partially saturated, extracted intact using a two pronged cork puller. 

This was dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, complex, elegant and polished with nicely integrated black berry and black currant fruits accented by notes of cassis, black tea, coffee hints of spice and earth with a long smooth tannin laced polished finish. 

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1779

http://www.pichon-comtesse.com/

@PichonComtesse

Dow's Vintage Port 1985 

For after dinner sipping and to close out our vertical tasting of 1985 wines for the evening, we opened this 1985 Vintage Port. 

We hold in our cellar several cases of Vintage Port wines but only from a few select vintages, mostly birthyears of our children, and classic Vintage Port vintage years. Note that only in years with an acceptable harvest that they declare it a Vintage year and release vintage designated release wines. 

Son Sean's birthyear 1985 was such a year, hence there are 1985 vintage release ports available. Such wines are notably ageworthy for long term cellaring, hence popular collectables for cellaring and holding for special occasions - classic 'special occasion' wine! 

Note that one should ensure they have an appropriate place with temperature and humidity consistency to cellar and store wine before investing in buying bottles to cellar for an extended period of time.

This wine got 93 points from James Suckling and Vinous and 92 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

This is classic Vintage Port, what one is supposed to taste like. Naturally, in its 35th year, we see the ageability of such a wine and the art of the possible, or what is to be expected when properly cellared. Too often, if consumed too early, they will present a medicinal or 'hot' alcohol tones until they have integrated, smoothed and settled. 

Dark black garnet colored, medium bodied, aromas of walnuts, dried fruit and fig/raisins, rich concentrated black and red-berry and ripe plum fruits nicely integrated with layers of clove spice, anise liquorice, notes of raisin, creosote and leather with a smooth long lingering clean silky smooth tongue coating finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1897