Château LaGrange St Julien Bordeaux

Château LaGrange St Julien Bordeaux

Following the gala UGCB release tour tasting this week, I had the desire for another glass of Bordeaux for some casual sipping for the evening. I wanted to try something from a producer I had met the previous day, and one that we visited last summer during our visit to the region, so I pulled from the cellar this moderate aged 2003 vintage release from St Julien producer Château LaGrange.

We last tasted this label during a horizontal tasting of ten year old 2003 vintage release Bordeaux with our Pour Boys wine group back in 2013.

We visited the adjacent estates of Château Gruaud-Larose and  Château Branaire-Ducru
 last summer during our visit to the appellation and at that time drove over to see the Château La Grange estate and vineyards. 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 sits inland from the Gironde estuary, but behind and adjacent to or not far from neighboring St Julien producers Gruaud Larose and Branaire Ducru.

Château LaGrange vineyards span 118 hectares and rises to an elevation of 24 meters, the highest altitude in the appellation.

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 2003

We still hold several vintages of this wine dating back to a birth year bottle from our daughter's vintage release in the early eighties, however the estate has turned over and undergrown substantial improvements over the years and the quality of product is vastly improved today.

When we tasted this back in 2013 I wrote, "This was bigger, more full, nicely balanced, smoother and more polished than I expected, one of the best LaGrange I have tasted. Medium to full bodied, dark inky garnet colored, aromas and flavors of black berry, black cherry, violet floral with hints of coffee bean, mocha, tobacco and earth with soft smooth lingering tannins."

This is a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot.
 At seventeen years, this was showing no diminution from age and should last a few more years for  fine drinking. 

RM 91 points. 

This release was rated 92 points John Gilman, James Suckling, Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast, and 90 points by Wine & Spirits and Robert Parker. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=18816

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

UGCB 2017 Release Tour Chicago

UGCB North American 2017 Vintage Release Tour Chicago

The UGC Bordeaux (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB)), annual release tour visited Chicago this week unveiling/showcasing their 2017 vintage release wines. The Union is the association of 134 of the top premier estates from the most prestigious Bordeaux appellations. This year's North American tour visited Toronto, New York, Washington DC, Chicago, LA and San Francisco.

Pour Boys, Ernie, Lyle, Dan, Rick
Sans Bill

As in previous years, our 'Pour Boys' wine group (left) helped conduct the event in Chicago. 

Once again it was held at the Drake Hotel in the magnificent grand ballroom (shown below). 

We work with the UGCB Events Manager, Olivier Crombez, host Mike Wangbickler and his Balzac Communications team preparing the room and the wines, checking in trade registrants, and standing in for producers who faced travel or other disruptions, presenting and pouring their wines. 

Several times over the years, several producers or their representatives were delayed in travel or had other disruptions and we were called in to service to pour their wines, hence we earned our moniker, the 'Pour Boys'.

Close to a hundred producers were represented at the event that was attended by over five hundred members of the trade, media and industry.

Francois-Xavier-Maroteaux
Owner Château Branaire-Ducru

As is their custom in the third week of January, this annual roadshow is a marathon trek across North America by the producers and their representatives offering wine professionals and eonphiles the chance to meet the Bordeaux principles, winemakers and commercial directors.

As I've written in previous years, we appreciate the investment in time and effort expended by the producers and and their brand ambassadors to visit Chicago. It provides a wonderful opportunity to meet them firsthand and discuss their perspectives on their brand, approach to crafting their style, their history, businesses, and their vintages including, of course, the current release.


As a collector and holder of a significant collection of Bordeaux wines dating back four decades, I hold as many as a dozen or more vintages of some of these labels. Meeting the owners, family members, producer / winemaker / representative is a great privilege and offers a collector the chance to learn more about their  investment and wines. As such, I tend to focus on and taste those wines that I know well and hold verticals (multiple vintages of the same label), of which my wine buddies and I have holdings.

Lilian Barton-Sartorius - Châteaux
Leoville and Langoa Barton

This was the tenth Bordeaux release event that I and my 'Pour Boy' wine buddies assisted the team at Balzac Communications to work the event, helping with set up, logistics, checking in the attendees, and standing in to pour wine for any featured producers that were not able to attend in person. 

Earlier UGCB and related events are featured in earlier unwindwine blogposts.

This year was especially exciting since we visited Bordeaux this past year and we got to visit with several of the producers' and brand ambassadors whose Chateau's or vineyards we visited on our trip. 

As usual, we focused on the Left Bank producers that we own and collect, but this year particularly, we focused on  those that we visited this year, as well as those we are targeting for our next visit to the Medoc.

Karine Barbier - Château Lascombes

The 2017 vintage was a bit challenging interrupting the streak of great harvests 2015 through 2019, primarily due to a frost that hit the region early in the season. 

The wine team of K&L Wines in the San Francisco Bay Area, Clyde Beffa and Ralph Sands, issued their 2017 Bordeaux vintage report following their tour to the region. 

2017 Bordeaux will be remembered as the year of the great frost that struck just after the tastings, April 27 and 28, with temperatures as low as -4 Celsius on both nights. But due to climate changes and increased knowledge on how to combat impending frost, the vintage is not the disaster that estates withstood in 1991.
Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/2018/04/2017-bordeaux-vintage-and-harvest-report/

2017 Bordeaux will be remembered as the year of the great frost that struck just after the tastings, April 27 and 28, with temperatures as low as -4 Celsius on both nights. But due to climate changes and increased knowledge on how to combat impending frost, the vintage is not the disaster that estates withstood in 1991.
Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/2018/04/2017-bordeaux-vintage-and-harvest-report/

The 2017 vintage year will be remembered as the year of the frost, but it’s also a vintage in which many of the top châteaux produced some very good wines. It was a year when location really mattered, the terroir really made a difference as those vineyards with proximity to the moderating effects of the Gironde estuary were less affected by the frost. And those with the rocky well drained soils recovered from the rains.

2017 was atypical with its early growing season, with early and successful flowering in late May, sunshine, then heavy rain in June, followed by a dry and cool summer, then late August heat, and many damp days just before the red harvest in September.

The quality of 2017 is much better than most people might expect. While it’s not in the same league as the outstanding 2016 and 2015 vintages, it not near the largely disappointing 2013.

The challenging year all round still produced some well proportioned red Bordeaux – and some excellent whites too, both dry and sweet. While not big, full and structured, many of the 2017 reds are approachable upon release and should provide early gratification in their youth.

Anne-Francoise Quie
Château Rauzan-Gassies

The whites showed especially well and the top Sauternes and a number of dry whites could definitely be on par with the efforts in 2015 and 2016.

2017 Bordeaux is a stylistic choice, you are going to like the character, which can be bright, focusing on red fruits or not. Generally, the wines are; medium bodied, fresh, aromatic and lighter in alcohol than sunnier vintages. The tannins are soft. The fruits are sweet and the majority of the wines will be enjoyable early in life.
Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/2018/04/2017-bordeaux-vintage-and-harvest-repor

Marie Helene-Dussech
Château Brane-Cantenac

 
The challenging vintages such as 2017, following some outstanding years, often offer opportunities for collectors to find some values to stock their cellars with wines that should provide enjoyable drinking soon, not requiring several years of cellaring to mature and reach their optimal drinking window.

Lise Latrille - Château Prieure Lichine

The event is sponsored by the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, (UGCB) and is hosted and orchestrated by Balzac Communications, boutique wine marketing and communications consultancy firm in Napa, under the leadership of Mike Wangbickler, President. 

Attending again this year too was Paul Wagner, founder and Chairman Emeritus of Balzac. Paul is a founding member of the Academy of Wine Communications and a leading member of the American Wine Society. As with last year, again, it was great to see Paul enjoying his passion and remaining engaged whilst in retirement.

The afternoon session is for the benefit of the press and trade and wine professionals. Again this year, the evening session in Chicago was hosted trade merchant partner Binny's Beverage Depot, the Chicagoland wine superstore, offering tickets to the evening session to their valued customers and the public. This year, over four hundred collectors and vinophiles registered for the even. 

Setting up in the venue with care.

UGCB 2016 Release Tour Chicago

UGCB North American 2016 Vintage Release Tour Chicago

The UGC Bordeaux' (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB)), annual release tour visited Chicago this week unveiling/showcasing their 2016 vintage release wines. The Union is the association of 134 of the top premier estates from the most prestigious Bordeaux appellations. This year's North American tour visited New York, Toronto, Chicago, LA and San Francisco.
 
As in previous years, our 'Pour Boys' wine group helped host the event in Chicago at the Drake Hotel in the elegant grand ballroom (shown below). We work with the Balzac team preparing the room, checking in trade registrants, and standing in for producers pouring their wines. As has happened several times in recent years, several producer's were delayed in travel and we were called in to service to pour wines, hence our moniker, 'Pour Boys'.

Close to a hundred producers were represented at the event that was attended by over five hundred members of the trade, media and industry.

This annual roadshow is a marathon trek across North America by the producers and their representatives offering wine professionals and eonphiles the chance to meet the Bordeaux principles, winemakers and commercial directors. 

As I've written in previous years, we appreciate the investment in time and effort expended by the producers and winemakers to visit Chicago. It provides a wonderful opportunity to meet them firsthand and discuss their perspectives on their brand, approach to crafting their style, their history, businesses, and their vintages including, of course, the current release.

Céline Villars-FOUBET, Owner, 

Château Chasse-Spleen

( Moulis-en-Médoc )

As a collector and holder of a significant collection of Bordeaux wines dating back four decades, I hold as many as a dozen vintages or more of some of these labels. Meeting the owners, family members, producer / winemaker / representative is a great privilege and offers a collector the chance to learn more about their investment and wines. As such, I tend to focus on and taste those wines that I know well and of which my wine buddies and I have holdings.

This was the ninth Bordeaux release event that I and my wine buddies assisted the team at Balzac Communications to work the event, helping with set up, logistics, and standing in to pour wine for any featured producers that were not able to attend in person. Earlier UGCB and related events are featured in earlier unwindwine blogposts. 

Again this year as in several earlier years, winter storms delayed or disrupted travel prohibiting some of the ambassadors to get to Chicago for the event, calling us to duty standing in, performing our duties as 'pour' boys.

This year's 2016 vintage was spectacular with several of the producer's having been awarded 100 points by the critics. I stood in for the Pauillac producers whose arrival was delayed by flight disruptions coming in from Toronto. It was a great honor to pour some of my absolute favorite wines: Chateau Lynch Bages, Chateau Longueville Baron, Chateau Pichon Comtesse de Lalande, Grand Puy Lacoste and Grand Puy Ducasse. I also served Chateau Les Ormes de Pez. 

The Pichon Lalande and Lynch Bages were spectacular, both standouts of the tasting. There were so many great wines in this vintage release. As is the case in a great vintage, all boats rise with the tide. Great wines are tremendous, but in a great vintage, the lesser second and even third labels are also wonderful. These often provide substantial QPR - quality price ratio, especially when the premier first labels often escalate in price due to demand for such a vintage. 

These vintages offer great opportunities for folks to stock their cellars in super wines at great values since they can fill in with the second and third labels at substantial discounts to the first premier flagship label of the brand.  

Coralie Bernard,
Domaine De Chevalier

The event is sponsored by the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, (UGCB) under the leadership of President Olivier Bernard. It is hosted and orchestrated by Balzac Communications, boutique wine marketing and communications consultancy firm in Napa, under the leadership of Mike Wangbickler, President. Attending this year too was Paul Wagner, founder and President Emeritus of Balzac. Paul is a founding member of the Academy of Wine Communications and a leading member of the American Wine Society. It was great to see Paul enjoying his passion and remaining engaged whilst in retirement. 

The afternoon session is for the benefit of the press and trade and wine professionals. As is customary in Chicago, Binny's Beverage Depot, the wine superstore offers tickets to the evening session, open to their valued customers and the public. This year, over four hundred collectors and vinophiles registered for the event.

Scene's from this years' vintage release tasting.  

David Launay, Sales Director,
Château Grand-Puy Ducasse

Céline Villars-FOUBET, Owner, 

Château Chasse-Spleen

Céline Villars-FOUBET, Owner, 

Château Chasse-Spleen

( Moulis-en-Médoc )

Chateau Chasse-Spleen has been managed by women for the past thirty years: Jacques Merlaut’s daughter, Bernadette Villars, starting in 1976, followed by her daughter, Claire, beginning in 1992, and now her sister, Céline, shown above.

Fellow 'Pour Boy' Ernie Summers

Christine Lurton-de Caix, Marketing
Manager for Château La Louvière
( Pessac-Léognan )

The always dapper Count Stephan von Neipperg,
Château Canon-La-Gaffelière, sans his signature scarf.

Representing eight centuries of family winegrowing tradition, Count Stephan von Neipperg (above) has succeeded in promoting Château Canon-La-Gaffelière to Premier Grand Cru Classé de Saint-Émilion status.

Dany Rolland, wife of legendary winemaker Michel Rolland, co-founder of Rolland Collection family business, including Bordeaux laboratory specializing in wine analysis in the Right Bank town of Libourne.

Lise Latrille, Sales and Marketing Director,
  Château Prieuré-Lichine

 Ronan Laborde, Owner,

Château Clinet

( Pomerol )

Loic Chanfreau, Chateau Fonreaud,
Sophie Solnicki-Thierry, Chateau Forcas-Hosten

Anne-Francoise Quié, family owner of
Châteaux Rauzan-Gassie

David Suire, Commercial Director

Château Larcis Ducasse

Rick serving Pichon Longueville Baron

UGC Bordeaux 2015 Release Tour unveils stellar vintage

UGC Bordeaux 2015 Release Tour unveils stellar vintage

The UGC Bordeaux' (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB)) annual release tour visited America to showcase their latest vintage release of their wines this week. Following stops in Toronto, Washington DC and Boston, they held their grand tastings at two spectacular elegant settings, Cipriani on 42nd in NYC and the Drake Hotel, Chicago. Once again, our 'Pour Boys' wine group helped host the event in Chicago at the Drake Hotel in the elegant grand ballroom (shown below).  Following the tasting, we attended a gala dinner at remarkable Schwa Restaurant.

Pour Boys, Rick, Lyle, Dan, Ernie

This was the seventh Bordeaux release event that wine buddies Dr Dan, Ernie and Lyle (shown right) accompanied me to assist the team at Balzac Communications to host the event, helping with set up, logistics and then standing in to pour wine for any featured producers that were not able to attend in person. Earlier UGCB and related events are featured in earlier unwindwine blogposts. More than once, winter storms delayed or disrupted travel prohibiting some of the producers to get to Chicago for the event which started our standing in for them, hence we coined the name the 'Pour' Boys.

Cipriani on 42nd, NYC

Close to 100 producers, winemakers and their commercial representatives presented their wines on the tour which was attended by nearly 800 members of the trade and press. Following the trade event in the afternoon, each evening a public tasting was hosted by a leading local wine merchant.

The interest in and enthusiasm for the 2015 was apparent by the attendees as this promises to be the best release since 2010. Several producers compared this vintage to a combination of the best of 2005 and 2010. As the saying goes, 'all boats rise with the tide', a spectacular vintage such as this affects the wines from the high end to the secondary labels. This provides great opportunities for consumers as it promises quality wines at lower price points as well as in the ultra-premium more expensive levels. As with highly rated, highly anticipated vintages, prices are also higher accordingly.

Drake Hotel, Chicago

Following several more modest and a few lackluster vintages, 2015 promises great potential, and 2016 is expected to be even better!

The quality of the vintage shone through with high quality representations from appellations across the region from the left bank to the right bank. Unlike recent years which were more hit and miss, our representative collection of benchmark wines that we collect, all showed exceedingly well. There were a few lackluster labels and disappointments, but they were far fewer in number than recent years.

I found the Margaux, Pauillac and the Sauternes appellations to be especially impressive. Particular highlight standouts from the vintage that impressed me were Canon, Clinet, the Pichons (Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande and Pichon Baron), Lynch Bages, Brane Cantenac, Cantenac Brown, Lascombs, Giscours, and many of the Sauternes including Coutet, Lafaurie Peyraguay, Bastor Lamontagne and Suideraut. The St Juliens, normally one of my favorite appellations seemed generally more moderate and even keeled but lacking expressive standouts.

Some of the standouts were:

The 2015 Chateau Canon was the best in memory and I've collected and held this wine going back to the 1983 vintage. A blend of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc this presented a smooth polished structure, an intense bouquet with bright vibrant pure fruits black berry and raspberry fruits accented by notes of floral and mineral.

The 2015 Brane-Cantenac was as good as any I remember, a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Carmenère, presented blackberry fruits, hints of raspberry and tones of tobacco leaf and hints of cedar.

The 2015 Clinet. a blend of 90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc, was smooth, elegant and polished, presenting perfumed bouquet turning to black fruit, notes of menthol, creosote with silky smooth soft tannins.

With Chateau Canon

The 2015 Clos Fourtet, a blend of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc presented full, bright floral bouquet with notes highlighting the black fruits turning to tones of cassis, dark mocha and menthol mint with a pure elegant polished structure.

The 2015 Suduiraut was intense, thick, unctuous with apricot nectar and notes of honey on a tongue puckering finish.

The 2015 Domaine de Chevalier,, a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot was also the best in memory since I first discovered this label in 1994, presenting a full bouquet smooth blackberry fruit and hints of pepper.

Margaux Reeder, Bastor-Lamontagne

The 2015 Giscours is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot showing bright vibrant black currant and black cherry fruits turning to notes of spice, menthol, cedar and smooth silky tannins on the lingering finish.

The 2015 Pichon-Longueville Baron was complex concentrated with a firm structured backbone but was polished and smooth with hints of menthol, mint and firm but approachable tannins.

The 2015 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was as good as any I can remember, complex, firmly structured but a symphony of smooth polished well integrated flavors with the black fruits accented with refined notes of graphite, tobacco, leather and silky smooth tannins on the lingering finish.

Ryan and Rick w/ Pichon Baron

 The public tastings and host merchants were:

• Thu. 18 January Toronto - LCBO
  Washington - Calvert Woodley
• Fri. 19 January St John's - NLC (2013 & 2014 vintage)
  Boston - Gordon's Wines
• Sat. 20 January Montréal - SAQ
• Mon. 22 January New-York - Sotheby's
• Tue. 23 January Chicago - Binny's
• Wed. 24 January Denver - Applejack
• Thu. 25 January San Francisco - K&L
• Fri. 26 January Los Angeles - Wally's
   

Lois Vallette with special engraved
bottle packaging of Lafaurie-Peyraguay

 http://www.cipriani.com/events/?loc=ny-42nd-street

UGCB 2014 Release Tour Chicago

UGCB 2014 Release Tour Chicago

The UGC Bordeaux' (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB)) annual release tour traversed America this week showcasing their 2014 vintage release wines. The tour visited Miami, New York, Chicago, LA and San Francisco.

Once again, our 'Pour Boys' wine group helped host the event in Chicago at the Drake Hotel in the elegant grand ballroom (shown left). 

Close to one hundred producers were represented at the event that was attended by over three hundred members of the trade, media and industry.

This annual roadshow is a marathon trek across America by the producers and their representatives offering Americans the chance to meet the Bordeaux principles, winemakers and commercial directors. We appreciate the investment in time and effort expended by the winemakers to visit Chicago. It provides a wonderful opportunity to meet them firsthand and discuss their perspectives on their brand, approach to crafting their style, their history, businesses, and their vintages.

As a collector and holder of a significant collection of Bordeaux wines dating back four decades, I hold as many as a dozen vintages or more of some of these labels. Meeting the producer / winemaker / representative is a great privilege and offers one a chance to learn more about their investment and wines. As such, I tend to focus on and taste those wines that I know well and of which my wine buddies and I have holdings.

This was the seventh Bordeaux release event that wine buddies Dr Dan and Lyle accompanied me to assist the team at Balzac Communications to host the event, helping with set up, logistics and then standing in to pour wine for any featured producers that were not able to attend in person. Earlier UGCB and related events are featured in earlier unwindwine blogposts. More than once, winter storms delayed or disrupted travel prohibiting some of them to get to Chicago for the event which started our standing in, hence we coined the name the 'pour' boys.


The 2014 vintage showed well in all the wines tasted, generally showing the best of recent years dating back to the highly acclaimed 2010. Following a couple lackluster vintages and quantities of high quality 2009 and '10 in the market, prices for the 2014's should provide reasonable values. They showed well on release and promise to provide early gratification in their youth without holding for several years to reveal pleasant quality drinking.

Some of my observations and highlights of the tasting:

The Margaux appellation was well represented and its wines showed very well with highlights from Brane Cantenac, Cantenac Brown, Lascombes, Desmirails and Dauzac. I loved their full complex fruits, nice balance and structure.

Chateau Brane Cantenac, represented by Marie Hélène Dussech, Commercial Director (shown above right) was a standout showing a delightful pronounced floral accent layer. Chateau Dauzac was represented by me, your's truly, standing in for the commercial representative.

Cantenac Brown, represented by technical director José Sanfins (shown left), was highlighted by sweet ripe berry fruits.

Returning to Chicago again and representing Lascombes was director Dominique Befve (left) who has headed up the estate since 2001. Previously he served ten years as technical director of Châteaux Lafite Rothschild and Duhart-Milon, after a stint at L’Evangile in Pomerol.

Chateau Desmirails represented by Director Denis Lurton (below) showed some distinctive exotic accent notes of black truffles and mushrooms.

All these wines were memorable and are worth exploring further. I gave all of these wines 92 or + points.

The Paulliac appellation showed well with strong representation from Phelan Segur, Pichon Baron and Clerc Milon.

St Julien seemed to be more subdued with offerings from Chateaus Leoville Barton, Gruaud Larose, Beyechevelle and LaGrange being nicely balanced but a bit tight and closed calling for some time reveal their character and profile. Leoville Poyferre seemed to show a slightly softer more approachable profile.

Chateau Domaine Chevalier was represented by proprietor next generation Hugo Bernard (above left). This was the best feature release from that property in recent memory.

There was a strong showing across the board from Sauterne. Standout highlights included Suideraut showing a pleasant firmness with soft smoke and nut tones, Lefaurie Peyraguey and Haut Peyraguey which both showed nice highlights of citrus and sweet ripe orange and apricot notes.

More to come ...

Ronan Laborde
Director Chateau Clinet

Denis Lurton -
Chateau Desmirails

With David Launay of Chateau
Grand Puy Lacoste

Linda M - Pour Boy Dr Dan

Pamela Wittman - Phelan Segur

Lefaurie-Peyraguey

4 Bordeaux Wine – Great vintage for the Cabernet Sauvignon based wines of the Medoc. The wines are especially strong the further north you go, with Pauillac and St. Estephe producing really good wine, followed by St. Julien and Margaux. The wines are soft, ripe and display silky tannins with good concentration. Due to their forward style, while age worthy, many of the wines will be fun to drink early. The vintage is mixed in St. Emilion and moderate in Pomerol, with many wines possessing a slightly dilute character. It’s a good vintage for dry, white Bordeaux wine, in a bright, acidic style. Sauternes and Barsac was also successful. Drink or hold. 92 Pts
Read more at:http://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-topics/bordeaux-wine-buying-guide-tasting-notes-ratings/bordeaux-wine-vintage-chart/

2014 Bordeaux Wine – Great vintage for the Cabernet Sauvignon based wines of the Medoc. The wines are especially strong the further north you go, with Pauillac and St. Estephe producing really good wine, followed by St. Julien and Margaux. The wines are soft, ripe and display silky tannins with good concentration. Due to their forward style, while age worthy, many of the wines will be fun to drink early. The vintage is mixed in St. Emilion and moderate in Pomerol, with many wines possessing a slightly dilute character. It’s a good vintage for dry, white Bordeaux wine, in a bright, acidic style. Sauternes and Barsac was also successful. Drink or hold. 92 Pts
Read more at:http://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-topics/bordeaux-wine-buying-guide-tasting-notes-ratings/bordeaux-wine-vintage-chart/