2005 Domaine du Pech "Le Pech Abusé" (Buzet) Rouge Vendanges Manuelles Biodynamic (Magali Tissot & Ludovic Bonnelle)

2005 Domaine du Pech "Le Pech Abusé" (Buzet) Rouge Vendanges Manuelles Biodynamic (Magali Tissot & Ludovic Bonnelle)

Domaine du Pech, owned by Magali Tissot & Ludovic Bonnelle, is a family owned and run domain in the heart of south west France, which focus on Terroir expression, biodynamic processes and crafted quality.

Established in 1978, Domaine du Pech is located on the eastern border of the AC of Buzet, about 100km south east of Bordeaux, on the hills to the north of Gascony. In 1997, Magali and Ludovic took full responsibility of the estate; and in 2003, they adopted and turned the Domaine to biodynamic production.

Hence, they produce wines using no chemical interference, whether in the vineyard or winery, no sulfur either, which is a risky strategy, but one they can take due to the high quality of the essential raw components: healthy vines and grapes.

The wines are produced from the typical varieties of the region: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc for the reds and Sauvignon Blanc for their limited release white. They greatly believe in Terroir expression and each variety is paired to the perfect soil to maximize its quality potential.

The label art work is designed by their two daughters.

Brief facts about the Domaine:

• 17ha of vineyard planted on gravel, limestone and clay soil using cordon training

• Average yields of 10-25 hl/ha due to careful pruning, bud removal and selection (no green harvesting)

• Active natural predator encouragement program (note the ladybird on the label)
  

• Hand harvested by a team of 30 trained pickers who have worked at the Domaine for many years and who provide the first tranche of fruit selection
  

• Only wild yeasts are used to ferment, made possible because chemicals do not kill them in the vineyard
  

• All fruits goes through a strict selection regime at the crusher and sorting table (a long process but worth it)
  

• No enzymes or chemical additions adding during fermentation and elevage (ageing) . Long maturation in wooden casks and demi-muid (depending on the cuvee) up to 3 years in some cases, allowing nature to work her magic
  

• No filtration or fining required so they don’t use it . All wines are bottled at the winery using their own bottling line (1.5g/hl of sulfur added only when required and depending of the vintage)

2005 Domaine du Pech "Le Pech Abusé" (Buzet) Rouge Vendanges Manuelles Biodynamic (Magali Tissot & Ludovic Bonnelle)
Suggested retail price: $19-$22
Imported / distributed by Metropolis Wines in NYC

A blend of 40% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon from hillside vines, which spent about 3 years ageing nicely in very old oak casks (36 month in oak, with pigeage every other day, and fermentation with natural yeasts only), this biodynamic Buzet possesses balance, ripeness and depth. Alcoholic fermentation naturally stopped at 15 grams, no SO2 added at all, and like most natural wines, no filtering or fining before bottling. 500 cases produced. We just received it and I love it.

Anecdote about the name of the wine: "Le Pech Abusé" is a play of word about the fact that Domaine Pech has been abused from its right of putting "AOC Buzet" on the label, even if the wine is from Buzet, because certain of its features didn't comply with AOC regulations: high alcohol content, length of the ageing process, etc...

Beside its bright ruby color, it offers expressive aromas of blueberry, blackberry and black fruit, mingled with earthy, smoky and mineral notes. The palate is rich, generous, ripe and super juicy with the same type of flavors as on the nose with oak ageing nuances, enhanced by good acidity and integrated tannins. The finish is quite soft, rounded and really ripe, but not overripe or stewed. Highly recommended. Discover natural, biodynamic red wine with hearty dishes like Cassoulet, Saucisse lentille, Magret de Canard, Braised beef, etc... How not to "abuse" of it, when it is so good?

This wine, once again, confirmed my passion for the Southwest of France and its rather undiscovered wines. Being from the Southwest of France myself, I have always been the faithful ambassador of the wines from this area. And surprisingly enough, despite the fact that the 5 top selling wines in the store are French, one of them is a super friendly, crisp and zesty little white, from Gascony, made from two indigenous grape varieties: Colombard and Ugni Blanc. I already wrote about it in an earlier post and will review it again soon.

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken and edited from the importer website at www.winemc2.com and from the winery website at http://www.domainedupech.com/

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide. "Commerce Equitable" or "Fair Trade" is evidently and more than ever a needed movement connecting producers and customers, to be aware of others and their cultural and traditional products based on high quality, natural components and craftsmanship.

2007 Fontezoppa Vardo Colli Maceratesi Rosso Marche Italy

Azienda Agroforestale Fontezoppa Civitanova Marche Italy

Nestled in the central eastern coastal region of Italy known as “Le Marche”, Azienda Agroforestale FONTEZOPPA is located in the outskirt of Civitanova, a commune facing the Adriatic Sea, about 46 kilometers southwest of Ancona and about 52 kilometers east of Serrapetrona.

The owner/winemaker Giovanni Basso, benefiting from 20 years of experience as a grower, continues to produce harmonious, earthy wines of traditional character with the upmost respect for the environment.

The vineyards are located in the hilly province of Macerata, some on the hills’ slopes surrounding the town of Serrapetrona, a stone throw from San Severino, and some close to Civitanova, both areas considered to be some of the best spots to grow grapes in the Marche region.

The 25-year-old vines grow between 500-600 meters above sea level, benefiting from the cool sea breeze of the nearby Adriatic Sea, resulting in great balance and freshness, even for the reds. Fontezoppa vineyards are planted with classic grapes like Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, but also more indigenous grapes like Lacrima, Maceratino, Incrocio Bruni (a rare crossing of Verdicchio and Sauvignon) and Pecorino.

Fontezoppa produces about 15 different wines and a grappa. The 4 wines available in New York (through SoilAir Selection) are crafted mainly with Verdicchio for the white and predominantly with Sangiovese complemented by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot for the reds.

• Verdicchio di Matelica: a clean, refreshing and versatile white made of 100% Verdicchio grapes vinified in stainless steel tank white.

• Marche Rosso I.G.T: a juicy red made of 40% Sangiovese, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot from younger vines, also vinified in stainless steel tank.

• “Falcotto” from Serrapetrona appellation: a great, full-bodied, earthy and spicy red made from the rather undiscovered Vernaccia Nera grape variety, a sibling of the more popular Vernaccia white. Vernaccia Nera is mainly planted in the Serrapetrona appellation where it is also used to produce sparkling red wines and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region where the resulting reds are light, earthy, spicy and mineral.

And the wine of today:


2007 Fontezoppa Vardo Colli Maceratesi Rosso Marche Italy
Suggested retail price $13-$16
Imported/distributed by SoilAir Selection in NYC

The vineyards used for “Vardo” are located in the Colli Maceratesi, a Denominazione di origine Controllata (DOC) producing some white wines under “Colli Maceratesi Bianco”, which comprise at least 80% of the Maceratino grape (also known as Montecchiese) with the remaining 20% from Trebbiano Toscano, Verdicchio, Malvasia and Chardonnay. Also some red wines under “Colli Maceratesi Rosso”, which must comprise at least 50% of the Sangiovese grape with the remaining 50% from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Ciliegiolo, Lacrima Merlot and Montepulciano.

Vardo` is a blend of 60% Sangiovese and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon as the label indicates it; although the winery website says differently, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, which I wouldn’t be surprised if the later corresponds to the real blend. The grapes were carefully harvested from vineyards consisting of 8 years old vines planted at about 150 meters above sea level, with North Eastern exposure to the sun. The fermentation occurred in stainless steel tank, where the wine also spent a resting period of 3 months, followed by a maturation period of 12 months in big 60 hectoliters used French oak casks to confer more complexity and structure to the wine without imparting the taste with too much toasted oak flavors. Then it was bottled with no filtration or fining to keep its texture and maximize the quality by preserving all essential components.

A blend of roughly 60% Sangiovese and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon from 25 years old vines, 2007 Fontezoppa Vardo` Colli Maceratesi Rosso shows a beautiful, bright ruby-garnet color of light to medium intensity, with slight mature brown prune reflects on the rime. Although quite expressive, the nose is moderately complex, offering enjoyable, yet dry earthy aromas of dark berries, spices and black fruits intermingled with hints of smoke, black earth, pencil shaving, graphite and other minerals. Light to medium bodied, the palate is rather dry, very earthy, mineral and crisp, characterized by intense, dry fruity spicy flavors and black fruit. Very well balanced, the palate is full yet not heavy, fairly complex and persistent with vegetal, slightly herbaceous notes mixed with dry earth and juicy black fruits. From the beginning, the acidity and the mineral procure focus, while the soft and supple tannins provide a tamed structure all along towards the lengthy peppery and herbal, spicy finish.

Definitely a food wine enhanced by its acidity and minerality, complemented by a lot of earthy components and spices. Decanting is highly recommended, and in my opinion the wine was even showing better the next day, it appeared more settled and put together. Drink it with earthy dishes like game, poultry and venison; also some aged cheeses. I love it. A steal under $15, for connoisseurs and amateurs of more cerebral wines, like me.

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken and edited from the importer website at www.soilairselection.com and from the winery website at www.cantinefontezoppa.com

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide. "Commerce Equitable" or "Fair Trade" is evidently and more than ever a needed movement connecting producers and customers, to be aware of others and their cultural and traditional products based on high quality, natural components and craftsmanship.

2008 Chateau Haut-Vigneau Pessac-Léognan Bordeaux France

There are still good bargains to be found in Bordeaux for who wants to search for them. Of course you can always rely on the big names or their second wines, but they rarely come under $25, which, in this economy, can appear a bit expensive. With most people spending $15 and under, above $20 don’t sell as well as only a few years ago. Therefore, the segment of $15 to $20 as become the new place of choice for special occasions and out of the everyday drinking wines pattern.

I first tasted the following wine about 7-8 years ago, during the “En Primeur” campaign, while visiting the Perrin family at Château Carbonnieux and tasting the new vintage at the barrel.

At the time, part of the buying team of PJwine.com, it wasn’t my first time at Château Carbonnieux and as usual, late Anthony Perrin, who passed away at the age of 68 years old in September 2008, received us with welcoming friendly manners and a smiley face, living up to his legendary bonhomie. We tasted Carbonnieux Blanc and Rouge at the barrel as well as previous vintages. Always a great experience and surely one of the best Pessac-Léognan in my opinion!

In the mean time, Eric Perrin, brother of Philibert and son of late Anthony Perrin, introduced us to the wines from his property: Château Haut-Vigneau. I need to admit that I was taken aback by the quality of his wines and the demanded prices.

Since then, I bought most of the last vintages and continue to be impressed by the consistency of his wines. I just bought the 2008 vintage and I’m really please by it.

Especially that it is a fine example amongst these great Bordeaux that you can still find under $20 and remain pretty consistent pricewise year after year, not oscillating to high extreme in good years like so many other Bordeaux.

Chateau Haut-Vigneau Pessac-Léognan Bordeaux France

Situated near the commune of Martillac, about 5.5 kilometers northeast of Léognan and 10.5 kilometers south of the center of Bordeaux driving on the route de Toulouse, this property was originally part of the estate belonging to Baron de Montesquieu.

In 1765, Belleyme, the royal geographer, published a map on which the site “Vigneau de haut” appears to be a plant of land clearly planted with vines. Starting in the mid-20th century, the Perrin family, leaded by Marc Perrin the father of Anthony, slowly acquired a few properties in the Pessac-Léognan area, including Château Carbonnieux, Château Haut-Vigneau, Château Lafont Menaut and Château Le Sartre (since 2004 or 5, owned and managed by late Anthony Perrin's sister, Marie-José Leriche with the help of her husband René and their manager and winemaker David Château).

Nowadays, Eric and Philibert Perrin continue with assiduity the work of their late father at Château Carbonnieux, which belongs to their mother. Yet, they respectively inherited their own Château: "Lafont Menaut" belongs to Philibert and "Haut-Vigneau" to Eric, were both also spend a good amount of time, out of their responsibility regarding Carbonnieux.

In the early1980s, Eric took over the management of Château Haut-Vigneau and began the long-term work of clearing the land and replanting the vineyard from scratch. The property was in really bad shape, but Eric focused the last 10-15 years renovating it completely and reestablished its vineyard. With its remarkable situation, its Terroir of choice, and after somewhat recent, careful work in both vineyard and vat room, Château Haut-Vigneau can now compete easily with more reputed wines.

The property’s 20 hectares produce only one red wine typical of its Pessac-Léognan appellation: earthy and juicy and expressing Terroir oriented flavors with tobacco leaf and smoky hints. The resulting wine usually offers very pleasing aromas of black fruit (blackberries, black currant) and subtle roasted notes (grilled and smoky).

With oenological advice from Christophe Olivier, who works closely with Prof. Denis Dubourdieu, Eric Perrin strives to produce a truly classic great wine, expressing both the power and the finesse of its fruit.

Similar to Château Carbonnieux, vinification and winemaking at Haut-Vigneau are based on great respect for the grapes, the vines, the environment and the specific Terroir composed of deep “Garonnaise” gravel (a mixed of dirt and multiple small round pebbles and sea shells anciently rolled over and deposited by the "Garonne" river atop a calcareous subsoil), together with careful and traditional long oak aging in 20% new barrels.



2008 Château Haut-Vigneau Pessac-Léognan Bordeaux France
Suggested retail price $18-$21
Sold by Compagnie Médocaine des Grands Cru and distributed by Frederick Wildman & sons in NYC

The vines are cultivated according to environmental friendly growing practice, in respect for the plants and their surroundings, and consequently the soil. A blend of hand harvested and carefully sorted grapes, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, from south exposed and gently sloped vineyards planted on a naturally drained gravelly-calcareous soil, this wine was fermented and vinified in stainless steel vats for about 20 days, before ageing process occurred in oak barrels (20% new) for 15 to 18 months. 120,000 bottles were produced and mostly sold to the export market with major distribution in USA, Great Britain, Germany and Japan.

2008 Château Haut-Vigneau Pessac-Léognan shows a medium to deep lovely dark ruby color. The nose is clean, earthy and warm with ripe dark berry, black currants and blackberry aromas intermingled with liquorice, spice and slightly toasted oak notes. The palate offers interesting structure and texture with the same type of black fruits and grilled oaky flavors, enhanced by integrated acidity and framed by smooth, yet touch green, distinct tannins. Some may recognize the earthy, tobacco leaf, smoky character of this wine, which is typical to great Terroir driven Pessac-Léognan.

Some may see that as a default or may not find that very attractive, yet the juiciness of this wine tremendously compensate for it. And if you're still not convinced, as a food friendly wine, try to smooth it down with an aeration of about an hour in a decanter, then taste it over an earthy dish like “grilled Magret de Canard served with Ceps and Pleurottes sautéed with garlic and parsley”.

It is maybe sentimental, because I grow up the first 6 years of my life in Pessac, and obtained 18 years later my Sommelier diploma in the Catering College of Talence and sold a lot of Carbonnieux in my career; or even because I knew Mr. Anthony Perrin and his sons after eating at the Château and tasting the wines at the barrel with them quite a few times over the last 14 years; or even because when I first started as a waiter-commis Sommelier, I served Mr. Perrin quite a few times in the Relais-Château where I used to work…

... However, it is definitely in memory of his late father, who was the inspiration for all the hard work invested by Eric Perrin to revamp his property, continue the family tradition of excellent winemaking and attention to details with the gentle bonhomie inherent to the Perrin’s family and produce top quality Pessac-Léognan wines. I liked it a lot and I hope you will too!

Enjoy!

Ledom du vin

Info partly taken and edited from the Château website at http://www.haut-vigneau.com

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines (and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide. "Commerce Equitable" or "Fair Trade" is evidently and more than ever a needed movement connecting producers and customers, to be aware of others and their cultural and traditional products based on high quality, natural components and craftsmanship.

2007 Tour des Gendres Rouge "Le Classique" de Tour des Gendres Bergerac Southwest France

This morning, my son and I decided to make Pizza for the lunch. What a mess! We first tried to knead the dough, the best we could with our hands. Things would have been better if we had had a rolling pin. Once the dough was slightly unevenly covering the bottom of the rectangular pizza pan, (but hey that was our first pizza together, so it doesn't matter), my son tried to spread out the tomato base sauce. He surely ate more than putting it on the dough.

While the oven was starting to reach the right temperature, we put a few tears of olive oil on the sauce, and spayed out a first layer of grated Italian cheeses, then added a thick layer of grated Mozzarella. Here again, my son, for each handful of grated cheese put on the Pizza, another handful was disappearing in his month. We then covered the layers of cheeses with as much pepperonis and mushrooms as we could, leaving a small line only with cheese just in case. Then another layer of grated Mozzarella and other cheeses with a last sprinkle of olive oil. Once satisfied by the way it looked, we put it in the oven and waited until ready to add a little touch of white truffle oil atop to add more flavors, just before serving.




Although making it is quite fun, especially with my 4 years old messing around with everything, the waiting part is the part that I prefer, because that is usually when I open my wine fridge to choose a bottle of wine. I didn't know what to try, but a bottle of red Bergerac was taunting me.

Nestled in Dordogne, touching the eastern part of the Gironde department and often assimilated with Bordeaux, Bergerac is a misunderstood place. Quite well known from the Britts who refurbished and repopulated the area over the last 30 years, it is a place of peace and quiet, a lost treasure grove of history, stories and legends. Some counts the adventures of the first hunters, covering the wall of underground prehistoric cave (like Lascaux), and other make knights and dark creatures reappearing in the multiple scattered hilltop medieval villages and Châteaux surrounded by impenetrable forests where time seems to have stop and remain still since the 12th century.

Therefore, in my quest of always trying to introduce you to lesser known wines, regions and producers, I think that a Bergerac wine is very "à propos"!

Moreover, the Bergerac that I'm about to describe today is somewhat sentimental because it is the first Bergerac that I ever tasted when I was younger (around about 14 years old, not very American I know, it is the French side of me) and then, that I first visited in my early twenties, in 1997. It was also one of my first Bergerac wines that I sold to my customers when I was starting my career as young waiter-Sommelier in a Relais & Chateaux restaurant in Péssac, in the outskirt of Bordeaux. This close to my heart Bergerac winery has managed to keep up with the high quality of their wines and even after all these years remains one of my favorite top Bergerac producers.

Château Tour des Gendres Bergerac

Owned and run for the past 3 generations by the "De Conti" family, Château "Tour des Gendres" is the flagship of the Bergerac appellation.

Known since the 12th century as the winery of "Château de Bridoire", Château “Tour des Gendres” (literally “Tower of the sons in law” in English) is located on the site of an old Gallo-Roman villa. Referenced in the “Féret” of 1903, the Domaine gets its name from its then owner, Mr. de Peyronny, who was none other than the son in law of the Marquis de Foucault Lardimalie, lord of Bridoire. Destroyed by phylloxera in the early 19th century, the vineyard now covers only one-tenth of its original surface.

Originally from Italy, Vincenzo de Conti and his wife and children settled in the Southwest of France in 1925. In 1956, Primo de Conti, his son takes over the family farm with Michelle, his wife, who is raising a few horses. In the early 80's, belonging to the third generation, Jean de Conti, guided by his passion for the land and Luc de Conti, guided by his passion for horses, finally settled in Ribagnac (home of "Tour des Gendres"), a little village of Dordogne located about 12 kilometers south of Bergerac. For several years, with their wives, Carol and Martine, they carry out their projects separately.

In 1986, the “de Conti” brothers find themselves in a common project. They combined their properties, associated their families and created the “SCEA de Conti”, a company regrouping the family farm, lands and vineyards. After both families took over the vineyard and the farm lands, they restructured and improved them. Then tasks were divided and remain the same til today: Jean takes care of the farm grain and Luc of winemaking and wine marketing; Carol supports the accounting and Martine, the reception at the Domaine for guests and customers. Francis, the cousin, joined the operation in 1990, adding his 20 hectares of vineyards of “St. Julien d’Eymet” to the vineyards of “Domaine des Gendres” and of “Grand Caillou”. He took over the culture of the vine within the 3 Domaines now encompassing 52 hectares of vineyards.

Chronologically, here is what happen since Jean and Luc decided to regroup the Domaines:

• 1984 - early work of replanting the vineyards, first on two hectares to experiment
  

• 1986 - first wine, Chateau Tour de Gendres, the classical Bergerac red was born

• 1987 - first white wine, the Cuvée des Conti, the addition of a new classical white

• 1988 – Beginning of ageing the white on its lees to add extra dimension and depth
  

• 1989 - first bottling of “La Gloire de Mon Père”
  

• 1994 - First vintage of “Moulin des Dames” Rouge, a very upscale Bergerac,
  

• 1994 - first tests of organic viticulture at the “Domaine des Gendres”
  

• 2005 – Organic Farming established and practiced on the property’s 52 hectares
  

• 2005 – first 100% Muscadelle à petits grains Since the beginning of the conversion to organic farming in 1994, de Conti family has been witnessing significant Nature changes in the vineyards and their immediate surroundings.
  

The physico-chemical equilibrium of the earth, the exploitation of all layers of the soils and sub-soils, and the strength of the vines have naturally altered the taste of the wines: the alcohol level has lowered, the natural acidity has increased, the mineral character of the soil is more assertive on the red and white wines, tannins are riper and soft and the flavors are typical of their plot of origin. The persistence of these features perfect the style of the wines, these are qualities appreciated by wine lovers and easily recognizable during tasting.

Nature’s advocate and being raised as the grandson of a winemaker in a natural agricultural environment for the first 24 years of my life, I have always been very supportive of Organic, Biodynamic and other natural vinification processes and techniques. Many times, I wrote my views and opinions about them in some other posts.

However, writing about Domaine “Tour des Gendres” is particularly enjoyable for me, because I adhere totally to the philosophy and natural agricultural approach of the "de Conti" Family. And to confirm what myself and many more have said about Natural ways, here is once again facts about why everybody should be more aware and respectful of the Nature, with the words of Luc de Conti:

“By practicing organic farming, we raised a few secrets about the natural mechanisms, we realized that we were part of a whole, one and indivisible. Every day we see its benefits on our vineyards, our wines and our environment.” - Luc de Conti

Here are some of his own personal advices and keys (with a few of mine intermingled with them), which I respect tremendously and actively incite people to follow, regarding the complex mechanisms of organic (Biologique in French) farming and agriculture:

• The herbicides destroy life in the soil; but constant periodic tillage under each vine aerates and purifies the earth.
  

• Chemical fertilizers trivialize the soil; but natural compost promotes the natural life of the sub-soil and reveals the character of the Terroir.
  

• Chemical treatments weaken the vine; but treatments using natural products strengthen it against diseases.
  

• Planting "buddies" or “partners” seeds of other plants, encourages biodiversity and reveals the character of soil (and Terroir)
  

• Planting plants with deep root penetration - as the oats & phacelia - promotes aeration and the life of sub-soils.
  

• Deeply rooted, the vines can easily manage and benefit of the cool and moisture of the sub-soil and mineralization of the bedrock, which is indispensable especially with the rise of temperatures, more signs of global warming and climatic changes with sudden heat waves across Europe, like in 2003 and 2005.
  

• Promoting biodiversity in the sub-soils acts on biodiversity at the soil surface and reveals the character of the Terroir: insects, earthworms, rodents and birds live in the vineyard; they graze, touch and land on the berries and deposit Natural yeasts, the true signature of the Terroir, which irrefutably will reflect in the produced wines.
  

Their website is in French and I translated some of the above texts adding my personal touch on some of them, however Tour des Gendres produces 5 different labels coming in white and red (and rosés) and 1 sweet wine:

• Château Tour des Gendres Classique (blanc, rouge, rosé)
  
• La Gloire de mon Père (blanc, rouge)
  
• Moulin des Dames (blanc, rouge)
  
• Anthologia (blanc, rouge)
  
• Cuvée des Conti (blanc, rouge)
  
• Conti-ne Périgourdine (sweet white)
  

Therefore, I invite you to go visit their website for more info on the different cuvées at www.chateautourdesgendres.com



2007 Tour des Gendres “Le Classique” rouge Bergerac France
Suggested retail price $11-$14
Imported / distributed by Baron François in NYC

Tour des Gendres “Le Classique” Bergerac Rouge wine is a benchmark for Bergerac appellation. A well-structured, enjoyable and versatile red to enjoy at any occasion, preferably with local food from the Perigord. It represents the outstanding result of the work of talented winegrowers and an exceptional winemaker: Luc de Conti, often referred as “the Prince of Bergerac”. Considered as one of the best winemakers in France, Luc, his brother Jean and his cousin Francis, as well as their respective families, run this innovative Bergerac estate with upmost respect for the terroir and to the balance of the ecosystem.

2007 Tour des Gendres “Le Classique” Bergerac Rouge is a blend of 70% Malbec and 30% Merlot from south exposed vines planted on clayish soils resting on calcareous-limestone bedrock. After full destemming, the grapes were pressed then underwent a long fermentation of about 30 days immediately followed by the malolactic fermentation, both in stainless steel tanks and Bordeaux size oak barrels. The ageing process also occurred in both stainless steel tanks and oak barrels, with the wine resting on its lees to add richness, roundness, complexity and depth. It was finally bottled without fining or filtration to maximize and emphasize its lush, earthy, Terroir oriented profile.

2007 Tour des Gendres “Le Classique” Bergerac Rouge offers a dark ruby color; quite intense and opaque with just few, light ruby reflects near the rim. The nose is clean, somewhat delicate and discreet, yet definitely refine with aromas of ripe dark berries and dark fruit, light touch of eucalyptus, mint, spice, mineral, earth and smoke intermingled with profound and well integrated dark bitter chocolate and toasted oak nuances. The focus and dark palate is lush, rich and soft with well-balanced ripe dark juicy fruit flavors framed by a solid and present yet extremely well integrated, earthy tannic structure and enhancing acidity. The generous mid-palate is expanding with the same yet more expressive notes as in the nose. The textured finish is lingering and call for another glass.

This gorgeous Bergerac wine is as dark and appetizing as the black truffles (Tuber melanosporum), which grow exclusively within the oak roots and abound in the forest of the Périgord, enhancing further the already rich and flavorful local traditional food often prepared with Duck, Goose, Game, Venison, Wild Boar and Rabbit.

FYI: Périgord, which by the way gave its name to the eponymous truffles, is a former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne département (county), now forming the northern part of the Aquitaine region, in the southwest of France.

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken and edited from the winery website at www.chateautourdesgendres.com and from the importer website at www.baronfrancois.com

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines (and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide.

Buzet & 2004 Chateau de Gueyze Buzet red Southwest of France

Buzet

Buzet? Did you ever heard about Buzet? No? Well I will try with this post to enlighten you. Let’s go back to the southwest of France to discover it together.

Often confused with Bordeaux or even more confused for being one of the numerous Bordeaux appellations, Buzet has always lived in the shadow of Bordeaux. It is partly due to the fact that during the Middle-Age period, Buzet belonged to the Bordeaux wine region; but it is also because even nowadays, Buzet wines, which are predominately red, are produced with the same prominent Bordeaux red grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Although Buzet are usually darker, fruitier, spicier and earthier than Bordeaux, they both have somewhat similar tasting features.

The village of Buzet, which gave its name to the surrounding eponymous wine region, is located about 110 kilometers (about 60 miles) southeast of Bordeaux, about halfway between Bordeaux and Toulouse when you drive south on the Highway A62, in the Lot-et Garonne.

Buzet is a short name for “Buzet-sur-Baïse”, named after the Baïse River, an affluent of the Garonne River, near which the Romans first built it centuries ago, and also where, some centuries later, influential Lords of Gascony established their quarters and built their Castle near by. Consequently, Buzet gave its name to the wine region, which is now regrouping about 900 hectares of vineyards that roughly stretches between Agen and Marmande, in the heart of Gascony.

All Buzet vineyards enjoy a continental microclimate slightly influenced by the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean yet protected by the Landes forest, which allows for a good amount of sun and ideal ripeness. Growing conditions are imparted by the west wind, which aerate the vines, and the nearby Garonne River, which provides just the right amount of moisture for the grapes to fully ripen.

The main economic activity of Buzet has always been the agriculture, and more especially the viticulture. From the village archives, it easy to attest that the wine of Buzet had their glorious days back in the 13th and 15th centuries; then were fairly reputed in the 18th century; rediscovered during the 19th century when the village experienced a needed renaissance, and enjoyed a fair amount of recognition up until early 20th century. The Baïse River and the Canal de Garonne inaugurated in 1856, also brought a lot of commerce activities.

However, due to the Phylloxera plague, which occurred between 1860 and 1930 and devastated more than 75% of most European vineyards, Buzet wine quality dropped and the village became more renowned for its pencil factory than its wines, especially in between the two world wars, up until the mid-1950. But wine production has always prevailed, adored by the locals, and more especially the Lords and Bourgeois since the Medieval times, it was normal that wine production had to resurface.

Buzet is now somewhat known worldwide through the “Cave des Vignerons de Buzet”, which was established in the 1950s, thanks to the will of a handful of growers who wanted to free themselves from the tutelage of traders and Négociants. It is both a qualitative and commercial success, beyond the hopes of its creators. La Cave des Vignerons de Buzet accounts for about 90% of total production of Buzet wines.

In 1973, the region was elevated to the rank of Buzet AOC, a well-deserved victory that once again confirmed the will and determination of its growers and established the quality of Buzet wines, once and for all marking the difference with Bordeaux, taking the shadow away. Rare are the independent producers, but there are a few that grow, vinify and bottle their wines at the estate.

La Cave des Vignerons de Buzet produce many different wines under various labels, which depend on the Terroir of origin, the type of soil, the quality of the parcels, the age of the vines and the potential of the resulting wines depending of the vintage.

Château de Gueyze is the leading brand of “La Cave des Vignerons de Buzet”, it has became a real standard for the appellation.

Château de Gueyze

Château de Gueyze is a magnificent 80 hectares (200 acres) vineyard situated on gravelly and clay-limestone soils overlooking the Garonne River. It is the largest vineyard of the appellation and the venerated benchmark of the area. Over the last 25 years, the estate has gained great recognition, producing powerful yet delicate wines. The maturing period in oak enhances the wine’s expression without ever dominating it.

The key of the complexity of Château de Buzet comes partly from the quality of the various types of soils: gravely, chalky and clayey, which allow for greater texture and structure; and also from a rigorous selection of the best parcels.



2004 Château de Gueyze Buzet Southwest of France
Suggested retail price $20-$23
Imported/Distributed by Baron François in NYC

"Gueyze" is like "Baïse". It's a Gasconised Celtic word meaning, roughly, "little river". At the edge of the nearby heath, a tiny stream full of trout and shrimps is called "the Gueyze". In other words, water! How has a place with a watery name become the flagship "terroir" for Buzet wines? It's one of the great mysteries of this marvelous soil. And it's here that one of the best wines in Gascony is made.

After careful hand-harvest, the wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks, with a long maceration (about 3 weeks) like in Bordeaux to extract the maximum of components: color, tannins, fruit, etc.. And then matured in French oak barrels for 12 months. The wine is finally lightly fined in barrel before bottling without filtration.

A blend of 40% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2004 Château de Gueyze Buzet red is quite dark in color with good intensity. The nose offers complex and fragrant aromas like ripe dark and red fruit mixed with spices and earth and complemented by menthol and eucalyptus hints. The palate is quite dense and rich, yet well balanced with the same flavors as in the nose and present yet integrated tannins. The finish is soft and harmonious, a touch earthy an elegant tannic structure, a promise of good ageing potential.

Pair it with stew and grilled meat, and more especially with some specialties of Gascony like: "Confit de Canard", "Cassoulet de Castelnaudary", "Saucisses lentilles de Toulouse a la graisse d'Oie", "Gesiers de Canard aux Pruneaux d'Agen", "Magret de Canard a L'Armagnac", "Tournedos Rossini" (tender piece of beef topped with pan seared Foie Gras), etc...

The last vintage that we had in the store was the 2000, which was truly enjoyable and complex. Although integrated and fairly well rounded, the 2004 vintage seems a touch more tannic with less riper fruit than the 2000, but it still shows promises for the near future. Southwest of France wine lovers should enjoyed it a great deal. I know I did.

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken from the importer website at www.baronfrancois.com and from the winery website at www.vignerons-buzet.fr

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Domaine du Poujol Coteaux du Languedoc France

Domaine du Poujol

Yesterday, I had the pleasure to receive Robert Cripps, owner of Domaine du Poujol, an English man living with his American wife, Kim, in the Languedoc for the past 18 years, which, as he likes to joke about it, makes them one of the first expatriate small owners of a Languedoc winery.

Robert is a self-taught winemaker, who trained and learned how to make wine in the cellar of a winery in California, where he met his wife Kim. Curious and creative with an artist attitude and adroit with his hands, he rapidly discovered his love for winemaking and the need for crafting wine. He also created his own wine labels. They both very handy and like to be in control of their Domaine.

It all began after a year of rain and part-time work in Burgundy, when Robert and Kim started looking for a place under the sun and found “Domaine du Poujol” in the Languedoc region, about 20 km/12 miles northwest of Montpellier, and situated between Pic St Loup, Montpeyroux and St Georges d'Orques.

Family owned, Domaine du Poujol is producing Appellation Contrôlée Coteaux du Languedoc and Vin de Pays wines from grapes grown, bottled and vinified at the domaine. The wines are well structured, elegant, and ideal for immediate drinking yet with good ageing potential.

The Domaine possesses 18 hectares of vines planted with various mostly indigenous and a few international grape varieties: Syrah, Grenache, Carignan Noir, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon for the red and rosé wines, Vermentino (Rolle), Roussanne and Carignan Blanc for the white wines.

Robert and Kim do pretty much everything themselves from the vineyards to the cellar. Helped by Kim, Robert has multiple hats: owner, oenologist and winemaker. Their philosophy is to produce elegant, well-balanced wines that express the uniqueness and the character of the terroir: a unique combination of soils, topography, microclimate, exposure and environment.

They are not organic or biodynamic, but apply the technique of “Lutte Raisonnée” (comparable to Sustainable culture), which is somehow a compromise between the two previous methods with more flexibility and the possibility to moderately use some chemicals and pesticides but less often and less aggressively than conventional producers and only if really needed. Conscientiously practiced, this method resembles quite a lot to organic culture in many ways, except for the use, even if minimal, of chemicals. And compared to Organic culture or Biodynamic culture, the producers using the Lutte Raisonnée method (or concept) are not subject to any system of checks from certified organizations or any previously agreed limits to what is permissible to do in his vineyards.

Robert is quite old school and traditional, instead of trusting multiple analyses and other statistic numbers, he prefers to walk in his vineyards, listen his guts feeling and be guided by his taste buds especially during harvest time. As he told me today:” I pick randomly some grapes in different parcels to taste them and assess the level of ripeness of the fruit and tannins: if the tannins are too ripe, it is already too late because the grape should have been harvested a few days earlier; if the tannins remain a bit crisp and the fruit is ripe with good acidity, then it is time to harvest.”

Yet, harvest are also operated differently, he never harvests an entire parcel at the same time, he picks and chooses rows or portions of rows here and there to only pick gradually the grapes with the most ideal ripeness. He makes his vines selection depending on the soil, the exposure and the microclimate.

After being hand-harvested, the grapes are usually fermented in concrete vat lined with epoxy (much less expensive than the stainless steel tanks, less variation of temperature and more air interaction) or in 10 years old “demi-muid”, a large oak barrel of 600 liters. Some of its demi-Muid comes from Francois Chidaine, a great producer of Montlouis in the Loire Valley. The wines are naturally crafted with minimal intervention, minimal use of sulfur and bottled with no fining or filtering.

Usually labeled under “Appellation Contrôlée Côteaux du Languedoc” and “Vin de Pays” wines from grapes grown, bottled and vinified at the domaine; the Cripps produce excellent, earthy, terroir driven wines that are fresh, textured and structured, a touch rustic yet somewhat quite elegant, with good acidity, crispy tannins and integrated alcohol, which is rather unusual for Languedoc wines. They are usually ideal for immediate drinking about 6-8 months after bottling yet possess very good ageing potential.


We tasted:



2008 Domaine du Poujol "Pico" white Vin de Pays de l'Hérault Languedoc France
Suggested retail price $14-$17
Imported by Kermit Lynch

A blend of predominantly Vermentino, also known as Rolle (45-50%) and Carignan Blanc (35%) with a twist of Roussane (5-10%) crafted in concrete vats, this pale straw color wine offers aromas of white fruit, fresh nuts, earth and minerals. The medium bodied palate is fairly well rounded, clean, rich yet crisp, balanced and food friendly, with a long mineral finish where linger white fruit and nutty notes. Quite lovely overall!




2007 Domaine du Poujol “Proteus” red Vin de Pays de l'Hérault Languedoc France
Suggested retail price $14-$17
Imported by Kermit Lynch

“Proteus” is predominately a blend of Merlot (50%) and Cinsault (30%) completed with a blend of all the other grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, etc..) that they do not use for their other wines (that doesn’t mean that the grapes are bad or that the quality of this wine is low, it just mean that after careful harvest and sorting for the other wines, the remaining grapes go into this wine).

Here again, produced in concrete vats, the resulting wine is quite well crafted with dark ruby color and good intensity. The nose is fresh, earthy and mineral with ripe red wild berry fruit, earth, hints of garrigues and rustic leather, spicy notes. The palate is also crisp with vivid acidity, bright red fruit, earth, mineral and a lingering finish with slight tannic touches. A food friendly wine for everyday drinking, touch rustic but balanced and pleasing!





2005 Domaine du Poujol “Podio Alto” red Côteaux du Languedoc France
Suggested retail price $23-$26
Imported by Kermit Lynch

Grapes for the “Podio Alto” are grown in six, predominantly south facing, rocky limestone based hillside vineyards, situated at 100-200m above sea level. The Grenache vines are 25 years old, the Mourvèdre was planted in 2001 and the Syrah in 1985 and 1997.

The flagship of this winery, “Podio Alto” is a blend of 35-40% Syrah, 25% Mourvèdre, 20-25% Grenache and 10-15% Cinsault that was aged in old demi-Muid oak barrel of 600 liters for 12 months and was bottled, like all their wines, with no fining and no filtering.

Behind its deep garnet color, the expressive 2005 Podio Alto shows intense aromas of dark red fruit, plums, leather, garrigues, earth and liquorice. The palate has had time to settle down and open up. It offers a soft, integrated, rich and generous profile with great structure and enhancing acidity despite the ripeness of the fruit. Supple tannins support the ripe dark fruit character that lingers through to the finish. The touch of oak, which is barely noticeable, adds complexity to this wine. Here again, the rustic touch is enjoyable, makes this wine even more food friendly and represents the undeniable proof of the nature oriented way of producing wine from the Cripps. Enjoy over grilled meat like Beef and Lamb, but also country dishes like rabbit, venison or wild boar.

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Info mainly taken from my discussion with Robert Cripps while tasting his wines at the store

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2007 Joseph Pimpel red “Carnuntum” Austria

2007 Joseph Pimpel red “Carnuntum” Austria

In my quest of bringing your attention to lighter, crispier red for Spring and Summer seasons, I thought that it will be a good idea to introduce you to a Zweigelt based wine. They are some delightful Zweigelt wines on our shelves, but the following wine seems to me more interesting because of its blend of Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch and Merlot.

Blaufränkisch wine usually offers aromas of dark ripe cherries and dark berries, with spicy hints, medium tannin level and in general very good acidity. Young wines are deeply fruity and become more velvety, supple and complex with age.

Zweigelt is a red grape variety developed in 1922, at the Federal Institute for Viticulture and Pomology at Klosterneuburg, Austria, by Fritz Zweigelt. It was a crossing of Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent. It is now the most widely grown red grape variety in Austria.

Weingut Pimpel is a fairly small innovative Austrian property of about 23 acres, in Carnuntum, one of Austria's premier winegrowing areas.

Carnuntum was an important Roman army camp in what is now the eastern Austria, also called “Lower Austria”. Its remains are on the main road halfway between Vienna and Bratislava (Slovak Republic), on the "Archaeological Park Carnuntum" in eastern Austria, extending over the area of today's villages Petronell-Carnuntum and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg.

Joseph Pimpel is an enlighten producer, in love with his land, his vines and his wines. Fairly young and dedicated, it has a very natural approach regarding the vineyard and the cellar management.



2007 Joseph Pimpel red “Carnuntum” Austria
Suggested retail price $10-$13
Distributed by Savio Soares in NYC

A blend of two popular Austrian varietals, 40% Zweigelt and 40% Blaufrankish, completed with 20% Merlot, the resulting wine is highly aromatic with lush red and wild berry flavors. The palate is bright and dry, with ample acidity to provide a balanced structure. The intense yet soft and crisp fruit-forward flavors make it a good match for Thai or other highly flavored ethnic cuisine.

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken from the winery website at www.pimpel.com

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Short view on Bordeaux Right bank, Left bank & 2002 Chateau de Lussac Lussac-Saint-Emilion red Bordeaux France

Short view on Bordeaux Right bank, Left bank & 2002 Chateau de Lussac Lussac-Saint-Emilion red Bordeaux France

Often people ask me: What’s Bordeaux left bank and right bank? And what differentiate them? Well, it is an interesting question, especially for someone like me who grew up in the Cotes de Bourg on the right bank, which is a much different world than the left bank.

Basically, if you look at a map of France as if it was someone face, “Bretagne” or little Brittany represents the nose, and the estuary of the Gironde River going downwards represents the frowning mouth of France, and to a certain extent also reflects the moodiness and temper of the French, which somewhat also confirm the constant underlining probability of another revolution in the public mind.

However, politic and personal opinions aside, let’s go back to Bordeaux and the Gironde, the wide estuary narrows down to the “Bec d’Ambes” (Ambes’ beak in English), a beak-like piece of land called “Entre-deux-mers”, separating the Gironde river in two long arms, the “Garonne” river stretching down towards the Pyrenees mountains and the “Dordogne” river stretching east towards the massif central where it takes its source.

If you follow the course of those rivers from their respective sources and start your journey once in the Gironde department (or district), the left Bank of the Garonne River and the continuation of it along the Gironde, represents the “Left Bank”.

The Left Bank comprises some of the most sought after wine appellations in the world, like Pessac-Léognan and more especially in the Haut-Médoc, with prestigious names like Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Julien and Saint-Estephe. Due to the fact that this part of Bordeaux has been covered so many times and by so many people and magazines, I will just say that it is the land of the 1st Growth and the Graves which also have a common characteristic, the gravelly soils were the Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon and Semillon thrive.

In my opinion, the Médoc is also the most boring part of Bordeaux, especially the upper part of the Haut-Médoc. One may wonder how some of the most renowned and established Médoc Châteaux can produce some of the most expensive wines on the planet. Influenced by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the large Gironde River to the east, the Médoc is damp, flat and gray most part of the year. It is also planted with uninterrupted miles of vines, an ocean of vineyards stretching as far as your eyes can see, with spotted 18th and 19th century Châteaux scattered here and there, magnificent for some when under the sun, yet unfortunately sad and sober for most when raining, which is the case about 200+ days a year in this part of France.

On the opposite side, the right bank of the Dordogne and the continuation of it along the Gironde constitutes the “Right Bank”, including, from north to south, the following appellations:

• Côtes de Blaye (now part of 1eres Cotes de Bordeaux for marketing reasons)
  
• Côtes de Bourg
  
• A large part of Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur
  
• Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac
  
• Pomerol and Lalande de Pomerol
  
• Saint-Emilion and its satellites appellations
  
• Côtes de Castillon
  

All these appellations of the right bank benefit from a common characteristic, which is that most vineyards are planted on gentle rolling hills atop a chalky-limestone plateau, roughly stretching down from the Côtes de Blaye to the north to the Côtes de Castillon in the south, where the Merlot and Cabernet Franc excel.

Offering many hilltop points of view, the landscape is beautiful, more colorful and inviting than the left bank, with quaint small villages scattered around, surrounded by vineyards and small patches of forests.

The chalky-limestone plateau homes quantities of deep, cavernous chalky-limestone carriers carved in the early 13th century, and mostly extended during the 18th century and still in use for some of them. The carved pale-yellow chalky-lime stones from these carriers are the cornerstones of most “échoppes” (the traditional name for the classic 15th – 18th century Bordeaux houses, intramural) and Châteaux in the town of Bordeaux and the whole department of Gironde.

Located on the Right bank of the Dordogne River about 40 kilometers east of the town of Bordeaux, Saint-Emilion is one of the most attractive examples of a Limestone entirely built village of the Bordeaux region, and more especially the right Bank. If you’ve never been to this stock-in-history medieval village, you will never understand the chemistry that occurs between the winemaker’s “savoir faire” and the old Terroir of Saint-Emilion. This town is like something out of a history book set back in the XIII century, where one may still encounter knights and brotherhood members of another time.

Dominating the nice Dordogne valley from the top edge of a little hill where it has been built many centuries ago, Saint-Emilion is a charming and quiet little village, the perfect image for a postcard. The Roman legions planted the first vineyards in the 2nd century AD. The village also became one of the resting points for weary travelers on the road to “Santiago de Compostela”, a town which has been a historical pilgrimage center for centuries too, in the far northwestern part of Spain. With a reputation dating back to the XIII century, Saint-Emilion has kept intact its magic and high quality as one of the most famous vineyards in the world.

The wines of Saint-Emilion are produced from nine communes, with vineyards planted on gentle slopes with three distinct types of soil. First, in the northern and the western parts of the main town, the soil is sandy and gravelly (Cheval Blanc and Figeac). Second, on the escarpment (or also called the “cotes” section of Saint-Emilion) to the south and east, the soil is mainly chalk, with mix of limestone and clay (Ausone). And finally, coming in third position in terms of quality and concentration, the sandy soils (with gravelly sub-soils) of the plain to the south of the appellation, where much lighter wines are made.

Overall, Saint-Emilion and the Right Bank are the preferred ground of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, where they play a more predominant role than Cabernet Sauvignon. It is worth to visit slowly over a few days to really embrace and discover all the treasures scattered along the 50+ kilometers of the right bank, between the fortified "Citadelle de Blaye" to the medieval hilltop village of Saint-Emilion, both jewel of history built between the 12th and 13th century for the most ancient parts.

Château de Lussac Lussac-Saint-Emilion Bordeaux France

The wine of today comes from one of Saint-Emilion’s satellites, Lussac Saint-Emilion, a small village located about 9 kilometers northeast of Saint-Emilion.

In the heart of the village, Château de Lussac is easily visible by its distinctive architecture. The Neo-Classical main building was built in 1876 by Gascon Montouroy. This vintner and vine grower transmitted the property to his son-in-law, Marquis de Sercey. The property remained in this family until the 1980s when Mr. Olivier Roussel repurchased it and produced wines for about 15 years. In 2000, Griet and Hervé Laviale fell in love with this property and bought it. They completely refurbished the estate in 2001, enhancing the interior with 18th and 19th century furniture. They also own of Château Franc Mayne.

Despite the beauty of the Château and its surrounding gardens, winemaking is emphasized by the quality of the technology used and other major recent investments made in the cellars: stainless steel truncated vats and the ‘Tribaie’ machine for sorting the grapes (a very clever machine that weighs the sugar levels in the grapes, to sort out the ones with the best density, therefore selecting the ones with full ripeness to make the best wine). Laurence Ters, one of the rare Bordeaux female winemaker, works in both properties, crafting smooth, elegant Merlot based wines aged for at least 12-14 months in new French oak barrels from various coopers.

The 30 hectares (74 acres) of average 30 years old vines are planted on the far northeast side of Saint-Emilion limestone plateau, on gentle slopes naturally well drained and exposed. The vineyards are planted with 77% Merlot and 23% Cabernet Franc. They produce two wines: "Château de Lussac", and the 2nd label "Le Libertin de Lussac".




2002 Château de Lussac Lussac-Saint-Emilion Bordeaux France
Suggested retail price $28-$31
Imported/Distributed by Madrose/Rosenthal in NYC

The 2002 Chateau de Lussac Lussac-Saint-Emilion is a nice, supple and well tamed wine, that had the time to settle down and now drinks beautifully. Predominantly Merlot with a touch of Cabernet Franc, this wine is soft and gentle with enjoyable red and dark berries, nicely integrated oaky notes with earthy nuances. Once a bit tight, the tannins are now framing the fruit and bringing structure to this wine. The acidity enhances and lifts nicely the overall profile and fruit of this wine. A enjoyable discovery to pair with braised baby lamb and grilled duck breast.

Of course, it won't be as harmonious as the 2000 vintage, or super ripe like the 2003 (or overriped and inharmonious like many other Bordeaux of this particular vintage) or even as opulent and complex as the 2005, yet it is in my opinion one of this wine that came together with a bit of bottle time from probably the best bargain vintage of the last decade (2002) in Bordeaux, which was booed by the press and critics but end up offering some beautiful hidden gems and in the same time surprised many skeptics.

Even if you’ve never been to Saint-Emilion, you can just close your eyes and drink a sip of this medium-bodied wine and may be the postcard image of Saint-Emilion will come to mind.

Enjoy!

LeDom du Vin

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1999 Château Quinault L’Enclos Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux France

1999 Château Quinault L’Enclos Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux France

Château Quinault L’Enclos is a tiny Château and walled vineyard, thus its name “L’Enclos” (a walled and closed area) within the city of Libourne in an area that was once called “Sables Saint-Émilion”, a satellite appellation of Saint-Emilion up until 1973.

Bought by the negociant Baptiste Mons in 1930, the Château can be dated back to the 17th century. History facts somewhat prove that the Château may have been given its name after famous writer - Philippe Quinault (1635/1688), who was a very popular Parisian dramatist and librettist at that time.

Château Quinault has been among the pioneer “garagist “ wineries of the right bank. It quickly became a rising star with the arrival of new ownership and needed investments and techniques that tremendously improved the quality of this previously rather unknown estate.

Dr. Raynaud, a former physician and president of the Union des Grands Crus (1994-2000), also owner of the Pomerol estates Château La Croix-de-Gay and Château La Fleur-de-Gay, bought Château Quinault L’enclos in the 90s.

The Raynauds made substantial investments to the estate while applying some techniques considered unorthodox to the winemaking. Michel Rolland and Denis Dubourdieu remained as consultant oenologists.

Producing Parkerized wines with fluctuating prices and always featured in the press for its rather blunt behavior compare to other Bordelais Chateau owners, Raynaud has long been recognized as a “Bordeaux maverick” generating tumultuous and controversial reactions in the wine press and the blinded world of the Négociants and other Châteaux owners.

By Fall 2008, Quinault was sold to Bernard Arnault, head of luxury goods empire LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) and his associate Albert Frère, adding to their portfolio of Saint-Émilion properties including the illustrious Château Cheval Blanc.

The vineyard area extends 15.6 hectares (39 acres), and is composed of 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec, with a large portion of the vines planted between 1930 and 1948, and another between 1957 and 1961. Quinault L’Enclos produces 3 wines: 3-5000 cases of “Quinault L’Enclos”, “Lafleur de Quinault” (2nd wine) and a special cuvée called “L’Absolut de Quinault”.




1999 Château Quinault L’Enclos Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux France
Suggested retail price $72-$80
Imported/Distributed by BNP (Châteaux & Estates) in NYC

The 1999 vintage was not the greatest in Bordeaux, often qualified as austere, with dry tannins, poor fruit and late blooming wines, it wasn’t promising at all. Yet some wineries like Quinault succeeded to produce a decent wine that received lot of press and quite enthusiastic notes and ratings. 10 years later this “garagist” wine is alive and kicking, a bit dry but showing decent fruit and acidity with interesting secondary and tertiary aromas and flavors. Interestingly enough, in my opinion, most 1999 right bank didn’t open for a long time, they were tight and lean at first then they went into a down phase after a short opening about 5 years ago, and reopened slowly about 2-3 years ago, and have been drinking beautifully for the past 2 years overall. Do not expect the drink the most fascinating wines, but for such a difficult vintage like 1999, some of this wines really developed nicely with time.

That is the case for 1999 Quinault L’Enclos, after a little needed decantation, it offered an interesting experience. Still quite dark in color, the nose is quite rich and aromatic with ripe dark plumy fruit mingled with earthy, smoky, forest floor and underbrush notes. Once dry and oaky, the wine is now finally more integrated and settled, showing smoky ripe dark fruit, plum and prune, with toasted, oaky and earthy hints. Although the tannins remain one of the main characteristics of the vintage and are still present in this wine, they nicely framed all the components and layers of this perfect companion for roasted leg of lamb and grilled rib eye steak.

Enjoy!

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken and edited from various websites.

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2000 Chateau Pavie Macquin Saint-Emilion France

Chateau Pavie Macquin Saint-Emilion

Over the last decade, I visited many times this property during the "Bordeaux en Primeur" campaign, during the month of April. Tasting at the barrel the current vintage (which happened quite rarely at this estate, because usually one only tastes the "echantillons" that have been prepared for this special occasion for the press and the trade of wine buyers and critics from all around the world who come especially to estimate and speculate on the "futur" vintage every year).

Although a bit difficult of access and not always open for appointments, it is still worth visiting and tasting if you can get an appointment with Nicolas Thienpont or even the busy Stephane Derenoncourt, who I had the pleasure to met in many tastings and lunches, and more especially at the tasting of "La Grappe"(a tasting regrouping most of the estates advised by Stephane Derenoncourt from around the world, usually held at Chateau Rol-Valentin, an estate owned by ex-professional football player Eric Prissette, also worth tasting and visiting if you can).

The wines at Pavie Macquin are rather rich, opulent yet harmonious and balanced with a lot of depth. The tasting usually includes some of the other wines from the other estates owned and managed by the Thienpont Family, with the exception of course of the most famous Pomerol "LePin".

Owned by the Corre family, who since 1995 have contracted Nicolas Thienpont to manage the estate, and advised by the renowned oenologist, Stéphane Derenoncourt, Pavie Macquin is one of the leading Chateau of Saint Emilion, situated on the top of the plateau overlooking the town.

On the occasion of the reclassification of the Saint Emilion chateaux (in September 2006), Chateau Pavie Macquin was promoted to the prestigious level of Premier Grand Cru Classé.

The 15 hectares are planted with 80 % Merlot, 18 % Cabernet Franc and 2 % Cabernet Sauvignon of 35 years old in average vines growing on clay-limestone on chalk soils.

The vineyard work and vinification process is totally organic with biodynamic approach. The vinification process occurs in 80% wood and 20% cement vats, followed by a 16 to 20 months ageing period in oak barrels of which 80 % are new and 20 % 1 yr old.

2000 Chateau Pavie Macquin Saint-Emilion France
Suggested retail price $115-$125
Imported / Distributed by Chateau & Estate and others in NYC

From the classic 2000 vintage, this bottling is now collector and worth the high price. This wine is exhibiting the quality, intensity and complexity of the old Merlot vines. The palate is concentrated, rich, voluptuous and extracted with present yet already fairly integrated oak tannins that will need a bit of time. The natural methods applied in the vineyard and the vinification process brought a lot of earthiness, minerality and depth. For those of us who have patience, it is an excellent wine to cellar.

Enjoy!

LeDom du Vin

For more info go to the winery website at www.pavie-macquin.com

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2006 Stonehedge Merlot California USA

2006 Stonehedge Merlot California USA
Suggested retail price: $9 - $12
Imported & distributed by Nestor Imports in NYC

2006 Stonehedge Merlot California is a blend of 89.3% Merlot and 10.7% of Syrah and Sangiovese. It somewhat brings to your palate the roundness of a good, ripe Merlot from California with a spicy Rhone edge add by the Syrah and the freshness of the Sangiovese. The resulting wine is clean, rounded, nicely balanced and uncomplicated.

Enjoy!

LeDom du Vin

For more info go to their website at: www.stonehedgewinery.com