Chateau Margaux tasting with Paul Pontallier

Academic openess and a possible Bordelais blind spot

Yesterday afternoon I attended a fascinating tasting at Trinity House, London with Paul Pontallier, Managing Director of the Medoc first growth Chateau Margaux.

Paul Pontallier discussing the experiments being conducted at Chateau Margaux

He showed 15 experimental wines, served in 5 flights, demonstrating the really interesting research being done at Chateau Margaux - with experiments looking at different farming methods (conventional, organic, biodynamic), stems in fermentation, closures (for whites and reds), the final flight was four of the component wines from the blend of Chateau Margaux 2011.  A plethora of questions were asked and responses were wonderfully open and honest. It truly displayed the work being done to ensure Chateau Margaux stays at the forefront of Bordeaux’s prestigious wine hierarchy for generations to come.

Burgundy 2010 – Special pre shipping offer

2010 is what Burgundy is all about – fragrance, elegance and depth of flavour.

We rate this as a must buy vintage for any Burgundy lover – In contrast to the super ripe 2009s, this is a more classic year that produced exquisitely refined, profound wines. It is also a better candidate for laying down.

A smaller crop than usual means there’s less to go round, and consequently most producers have raised their prices, but we’ve found a couple who not only made some cracking wines but also barely increased prices for their 2010s.

Château Bellevue & Château St Pierre Dinner at the Institute of Directors

Francois de Lavaux is joined by Coe Vintners' David Allen MW and Howard Wilkinson and others

Our great friends the de Lavaux family, owners of several fine Right Bank Bordeaux châteaux, presented a selection of their wines at a dinner at the Institute of Directors, London on Thursday 26th January 2012

Francois de Lavaux, resplendent in his robes as a member of the Confrérie des Hospitaliers de Pomerol, was joined by his wife Marie-Vincent and their son, Axel de Lavaux who presented a range of wines from Châteaux Bellevue in St Emilion and St Pierre in Pomerol.

Treasures of Chile – Carménère

Forget Sierra Madre, this is a real story of hidden treasure lost for 150 years!

This variety is practically unique to Chile. Carménère once formed part of the blend in classic Bordeaux wines, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. However as a low cropping and rather fickle vine it was not replanted after phylloxera ravaged the vineyards of Europe in the late 19th century.

Merry Christmas from Coe Vintners!

Thank you to all our customers new and old for your business this year, we hope you’ve enjoyed the wines, articles and offers.

The Fine Team will be taking a few days off over Christmas and New Year, but the office will be open on the following days:

Dressed to Impress – Giraud ‘Code Noir’ Champagne

This strikingly different Champagne stands out from the crowd. This is a wine with attitude and character, it’s about as far from the big brands as it’s possible to get. Highly rated by Robert Parker and Jancis Robinson, the Girauds’ luxury cuvées outsell Roederer’s Cristal in the Far East!

Christmas Case Offer

It’s Christmas in a box! For a hassle-free approach to Christmas drinking, why not try our two Christmas case offers?