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.

The examination of three wines produced using different farming methods involved three wines produced from the same plot of Cabernet Sauvignon where a third was farmed conventionally, a third organically and a third biodynamically. The three wines were clearly different, but the results were inconclusive.

It is not surprising that the retention of stems in the ferment was not a positive improvement for Cabernet Sauvignon, if herbaceous green tannins are produced even in the 2009 vintage the variety is unsuited to the technique and the Bordelais should probably reserve the approach for Merlot or better still leave it to Pinot Noir and Syrah producers.

To me the most interesting experiments were the two flights of wines sealed with screw-caps and cork. The white flight was marred by a couple of bottles of one sample that appeared to have oxidised prematurely, but the results from the red flight appeared to show that a Cabernet Sauvignon from a plot deemed to be of Pavilion Rouge quality aged at least as well under a gas impermeable screw cap as it did under cork. Pontallier even went so far as to say that with further experimentation it is not impossible that Chateau Margaux might appear with a screw cap at some stage in the future – he did clarify this by saying he probably wouldn’t be around to see it as they would need to see the effect on ageing over many years – but he was adamant that there would be no point in doing such experiments if you were not prepared to adopt the results.

The tantalising taste of a few of the blending elements from the 2011 Chateau Margaux showed two superbly elegant Cabernet Sauvignons, a fleshier wine from a vineyard adjoining the cellars and then finally a stunningly deep and rich, purple-coloured Petit Verdot that was so explosive and spicy that they could only allow it to comprise 1% of the final blend.

An Ominous Afterthought
It was a privilege to attend this tasting, it was generous of Chateau Margaux to allow us to taste these wines and to so openly answer questions and receive feedback. It was, however, ominous to hear Paul Pontallier’s reply to a Margaret Rand’s probing suggestion in discussion after the tasting that the 2011s might be “wonderfully cheap?”… He paused momentarily then pointed out that 2011 was the smallest vintage in 20 years and the top wines were very good (he did admit they were not 2009 or 2010!)… This sounded to me awfully like the justification he used for the high prices asked for the 2010s. I don’t want to seem ungrateful and I don’t dispute the wines we were shown here were lovely, or crops may well have been reduced, but if we are being open I have to say that if prices for 2011s don’t fall by 20-30% there will be no point in buying these wines en-primeur. The 2009s and 2010s are still for the most part widely available – frequently at prices at or below merchants’ initial offers, making many of them excellent buys. If the 2011s are not released at prices akin to those where the 2008s are currently trading, there will be little reason to buy or offer them. The Fine Wine market is currently alive with excitement about Opus One, 2010 Burgundies, DRC and plenty more. If customers eschew the 2011s there is plenty of interest elsewhere in the wine world, if buyers come to find Bordeaux unrewarding then all M. Pontallier’s excellent research could come to for naught.

I hope this will not prove to be the case.

David Allen MW

The folllowing Chateau Margaux wines are available from stock (except 2010)

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.

François Parent and Anne-Françoise Gros are a husband and wife team controlling two domains that produce contrasting styles of wines. A-F Gros’ wines are delicate elegant, supple and ethereal with clean fruit and fine poise while the Parent wines are fuller, firmer and a touch more meaty. Francois Parent makes both sets of wines.

The wines of Anne-Françoise Gros and François Parent combine excellent quality across the board and offer good value for money in a vintage that has seen some steep price increases from other quality producers.

Each wine has unique label designed by Marie-Paule Deville-Chabrolle

Domaine A F Gros
As is the way in France, and Burgundy in particular, inheritances can be tricky affairs, even more so when all the family want to be involved in the business. There are several strands of the Gros family making highly sought after wines in Burgundy and it would take a full episode of the BBC’s “Who do You Think You Are?” to fully understand the family tree. In the case of the Gros family of Vosne-Romanée there are at least 4 separate producers called Gros, all closely related but independent businesses.

Anne-Françoise is the daughter of Jean and Jeanine Gros, her parents planned the handover of the family vineyards to their 3 children Anne-Francoise, Michel and Bernard gradually handing over their holdings before their retirement in 1996. Anne-Françoise Gros received her third in 1988, since then she has added vineyards in Flagey-Échezeaux, and married François Parent, also a vineyard owner in Pommard, it is François who makes the wines for both domaines today.

Tasting Notes and wine scores by David Allen M.W. Download offer and notes

Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Domaine A-F Gros 2010 (91-92+/100)
The wine has a vibrant medium to pale ruby colour, with perfumed red soft fruits and slightly smoky aromas on the nose. The palate is ethereal – it has light to mid weight with sweet red fruit flavours and a lovely soft supple texture. The wine manages to be both mouth-wateringly fresh and possess surprising richness. There is a delightful balance between the wine’s alcohol, fruit and fresh acidity. There is a long clean finish. This wine sets the tone superbly for the whole A–F Gros range.

Cote de Nuits

Vosne-Romanée Aux Maizières 2010, Domaine A-F Gros 2010 (93-94/100)
Delicious and ethereal from the outset with fine aromas, fresh acidity, balanced alcohol, lovely depth and superb balance.

This village appellation vineyard is located at the foot of the Grands-Echezeaux, close to Clos-Vougeot.

Vosne Romanée, Clos de La Fontaine, Domaine A-F Gros 2010 (94-95/100)

This is a typical Vosne Romanée, combining richness with suppleness, power and elegance. Ripe, juicy red fruits on the palate and supple, fine tannins are given a bite by leafy notes on the finish. The wine has lovely poise, its acidity is fresh and the alcohol in balance with the mid weight fruit. The finish has good length and definition.

A family monopole of 0.35 ha (0.86 acres) this vineyard is wholely owned by Anne-Françoise Gros

Vosne-Romanée Aux Réas, Domaine A-F Gros 2010 (95-96/100)

A restrained red fruit nose leads to a palate of divine, supple, silky-soft tannins, vibrant red fruit flavours and mouth-watering freshness that lingers superbly on a long finish. This wine has effortless poise.

This vineyard is an extension of the Clos des Réas (a 1er Cru and Gros family Monopole) at the foot of Nuits-Saint-Georges.

Chambolle Musigny, Domaine A-F Gros 2010 (95-96/100)

Lovely fresh red fruits aromas have a pleasant, lifted green note. The palate is delicious, a typical Chambolle Musigny with delicate red fruit flavours, superbly fine rounded tannins, lovely balance and good intensity and length. The finish has surprisingly good grip.

From a total of 0.39 hectares of vines from several tiny parcels in several climats: Frémières, Le Pas de Chat, Derrière le Four, Les Athets, but always fermented in the same vat.

Echezeaux Grand Cru, Domaine A-F Gros 2010 (94-96/100)
The ripe fruit aromas have a lovely fresh leafy edge. The palate has a nice concentration of fine tannins that are initially supple, but give good grip at the finish tannins and ripe red fruit flavours. The palate has a mouth-watering freshness at first that then gives way to an attractive richness, ripeness and warmth on the long finish.

From a 0.26 hectare parcel of vines planted in 1931 in the climat Champs-Traversins at the top of the slope above the vines of the DRC.

Richebourg Grand Cru, Domaine A-F Gros 2010 (94-96+/100)
Notes of leather and cocoa combine with intense, ripe red fruits on a wonderfully complex nose. The wine displays lovely freshness, fine tannins and extremely ripe red-fruit notes that are quite hight toned. For all its richness the wine is the only one of the line-up to seem slightly closed at present. The alcohol is in balance with the fruit and the finish is long and harmonious, but this clearly has much more to offer as it matures.

The holding now totals 0.6 hectares after it was combined with the vines that formerly belonged to Michel Gros, which were exchanged with vines in the Vosne 1er Clos de Réas, now a family monopole of Domaine Michel Gros. The Richebourg vines have been replanted 3 times over the years and they are now 15, 25 and 70 years of age

Cote de Beaune

Beaune Premier Cru Les Boucherottes, Domaine A-F Gros 2010 (93/100)
The nose adds cocoa and chocolate aromas to the vibrant aromas of soft red fruits typical of A-F Gros wines. The palate is silky smooth at first then gains bite at the finish. The fine yet firm tannins surround a core of deep rich red fruits. The alcohol is balanced to warm and the finish is very long.

Pommard Premier Cru Les Pézerolles, Domaine A-F Gros 2010 (92-93/100)Hints of smoky bacon enrich the delicate red fruits on the nose. The plate displays lovely sweet ripe, supple soft red fruit character that finishes with good grip from lovely fine tannins. There is a good weight of fruit on the fresh finish which persists well.

Domaine Francois Parent

Pommard Premier Cru ‘Les Arvelets’ 2010 – Domaine François Parent 2010 (93-94/100)
The nose has lovely fresh, sweet, soft red-fruit aromas. The mid-weight palate has a good concentration of red fruit flavours. The flavours last well and the finish combines fresh acidity, a touch of alcohol warmth and some quite firm tannins.

A south-west facing vineyard in the more sheltered La Petite Combe, the sun reaches the vines mid to late morning.

Pommard Premier Cru Les Epenots, Domaine François Parent 2010 (93-94/100)
Lovely, fresh, sweet red-fruit aromas on the nose. The mid-weight palate is fuller than the Gros wines and displays concentrated, ripe-fruit flavours. The wine has fresh acidity and lasts well with some good grip on the finish. There is a little alcohol warmth on the finish, which lasts well.

This is a pre shipment offer, we will ship these wines in June 2012. 
Download offer and tasting notes

This is a pre shipment offer, we will ship these wines in June 2012.
Wines offered while stocks last at the domaines.

Prices for a case of 12 bottle, inclusive of duty, VAT and delivery for orders over £250 to most parts of the UK*.  Orders must be paid for in advance.

Cases can be mixed including Grand Cru wines.
Grands Crus can be ordered in 6 bottle cases if required
Please ask for in Bond Prices

* Free Delivery – Orders over £250 delivered free to most parts of the UK.
Exceptions include N Ireland, the Highlands and Islands where delivery will be charged at cost, please ask for details.

Errors and Omissions Excluded.

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.

The meal, prepared by the IOD’s head Chef Roger Evans, was a superb backdrop to all the wines, with the Bellevue 2007 and the 2003 St Pierre showing especially well – The vinous high point of the evening was the St Pierre 1989 served from the Chateau’s last two remaining double magnums of this wine… This fully mature Pomerol showed a myriad of developed truffle and mushroom aromas that provided a wonderfully mellow end to the evening.

Château Bellevue – St Emilion, Grand Cru Classé

This is a beautifully situated Grand Cru Classé that’s going places! – located on the Côtes, neighbouring Châteaux Angelus, Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse and Beau-Séjour Bécot.  Recently Hubert de Boüard de Laforest of Angélus bought a half share in this property in 2007, his input together with improvements already in hand will no doubt gain the château a greater prominence in the future.

Wines marked* were served at the IOD dinner

Château St Pierre – Pomerol

This is a tiny property lying right at the heart of Pomerol, on the Plateau, next to the church. Thus the vineyard is just a stone’s throw from many of Pomerol’s top estates – Eglise Clinet, Trotanoy, Vieux Château Certan and Le Pin. This is a classic, traditional, elegant Pomerol that offers great value drinking.

Wines marked* were served at the IOD dinner

Free delivery for orders over £300
Prices Valid until 28th February 2012. E&OE

Tasting notes for the wines shown

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.

It was believed extinct, but nearly 150 years later it was rediscovered in Chile – Carménère had survived, even thrived, in the drier Chilean climate where it was assumed to be a type of Merlot. Its true identity was revealed as recently as 1994 by a visiting ampelographer’s careful comparision of leaves, bunch shape, this was later confirmed by DNA testing. 

It’s assumed that Carménère vines were shipped along with other classic claret varieties from Bordeaux around the world in the 1850s to European settlers who established vineyards along the lines of the great Bordeaux estates in their newly adopted countries.

Ventisquero ‘Grey’ Carménère 2008    £141.85 case 12 including VAT £11.82 each 

Deep red colour with dark purple heart

An expressive nose of red berries, blueberries, blackberries and black cherries with spicy undertones of cacao.

Full-bodied, mouth filling but not fat, this has concentrated ripe black and red fruit flavours balanced by soft, elegant tannins and long mellow finish.

Carménère 85 % Syrah 7.5 % Cabernet Sauvignon 7.5%

Sourced from plot 5 of the Trinidad vineyard, Maipo Valley, Chile. Matured in French oak casks for 18 months, then aged in bottle for a further 8 months before release.

Ventisquero is a relatively new wine Chilean winery, founded in 2000. The Grey range is the personal project of Head Winemaker Felipe Tosso and ex Penfold’s chief winemaker John Duval. The focus is on terroir and elegance, these are unique wines, each is made from the fruit of single plots within Ventisquero’s vineyards in the Maipo Alto, Casablanca and Apalta areas of Chile.

Delivery is free for orders over £250, we charge £15 for orders below this value.  Deliveries to some areas including the Highlands, Islands and Northern Ireland may cost more.

Other Ventisquero wines are available, bottles can be mixed with other wines from our lists.

All prices include VAT @ 20%

In Spanish ventisquero is a cirque or snowfield, a mountain area where heavy snow accumulations occur. Before the term glaciar (Spanish for glacier) replaced it glaciers in Patagonia called ventisqueros.

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:

“This may be the finest Champagne house virtually no one has ever heard of”
Robert Parker Jr.

These are some of the most powerful and intense Champagnes you will ever encounter – they are the essence of the rich, ripe Pinot Noir when cultivated on the prime Grand Cru vineyards of Aÿ. 

Henri Giraud Code Noir, Aÿ Grand Cru Brut NV
£856.14 per case of 12    £71.35 per bottle including VAT
*Free delivery for 6 bottles or more of this wine*

Pale gold with a discrete hint of red in colour and a, delicate mousse of very fine bubbles. Very full-bodied, muscular, rich, fat, powerful, virile, vinous wine with warm notes of ripe golden apple, biscuity hints, yellow fruit, wild strawberries, cherries and a hint of musk – a sign of great vivacity!

Henri Giraud Code Noir Rosé, Aÿ Grand Cru Brut NV
£856.14 per case of 12    £71.35 per bottle including VAT
*Free delivery for 6 bottles or more of this wine*

A deep vibrant orange / pink colour (almost red) it has a persistent bead of very fine bubbles. Very full-bodied and muscular, this has rich, ripe, powerful, fruit flavours. It oozes juicy soft red fruits reminiscent of a compote of raspberries, wild strawberries and red cherries.

These are both wines made for intimacy, pleasure and gastronomy. Richer than most Champagnes they can be enjoyed with a wide range of foods – the white with river fish, white meat, pork mignons, and light sauces. The rosé is truly a wine for gastronomy. It’s gorgeous with white meats (imagine this with a slow cooked pork belly!) through more delicate red fruit tarts to a fantastic – if rather unusual – match for your Christmas pudding!

About Code Noir
Named in celebration of the decoding by French scientists of the DNA of Pinot Noir, this is a superb expression of the richness the variety achieves when grown on the South-facing chalk slopes of the Grand Cru of Aÿ – Code Noir is a great representation of the area’s Terroir – Aÿ is the only Grand Cru whose vineyards face southwards, and therefore produces some of Champagnes richest and ripest Pinot Noirs. This is Champagne with heart and body.

These are typical Giraud wines – amazingly complex, displaying not only power but also balance and freshness. The powerful fruit gains additional complexity as a result of cask fermentation and ageing, followed by four years maturation with the yeast lees in the bottle prior to disgorgement. The rosé colour is achieved by the addition of still red Côteaux Champenois wine to the blend.

Aÿ Grand Cru
Bollinger, Gosset and Krug are other major players in this village, which has been the home of the Giraud family for many generations. The Grand Cru vineyards are the source for the best and richest Pinot Noir grapes in the Champagne region, most producers use a little in their prestige wines, very few are able to produce wines from 100% Aÿ Grand Cru grapes.

*Delivery is free for orders over £250, £15 for orders below £250. Delivery surcharges may apply for Highlands, Islands and other areas. We can deliver to most UK addresses if orders are placed before 16th December – we will advise you before confirming your order.

Prices correct at date of publication, but are subject to change without notice.

The Giraud wines are included in our ‘Christmas in a Box’ offers! click for more details

Chateau St. Pierre, Pomerol

These special cases include some exclusive vinous gems – Aÿ Grand Cru Champagnes from Henri Giraud, the sumptuous Chateau Saint Pierre 2000 from Pomerol and a velvety old vine Gevrey Chambertin. 

Each 12 bottle case contains a selection of classic wines for the festive season, carefully chosen for maximum drinking pleasure and delivered free!*

Pushing the boat out – why not try our deluxe case below….

Henri Giraud, Hommage à François Hémart, Aÿ Grand Cru NV

Don’t like the selection or want to change the quantities?
No problem – we’re flexible!
If you want to change the quantities or any of the wines just let us know – just contact us. 

PYO – Pick your own
Choose your own Christmas wines from our full list

* Delivery surcharges may apply for Highlands, Islands and other areas. We can deliver to most UK addresses if orders are placed before 16th December – we will advise you before confirming your order.

Offered subject to availability – Last orders 20th December 2011.
Errors & Omissions excluded.

Domaine Henri Gouges

Henri Gouges came from a long line of vignerons in Burgundy, he established his own domaine in 1919 buying his father’s vineyards,  later snapping up a few more premier cru sites in the 1920s in the aftermath of the Great Crash he created a domaine of 9 hectares.  Henri’s grandsons and great grandsons now manage the estate which has grown to 14.5 heactares, they maintain his traditional approach, producing firm classic wines that demand several years in the cellar.

A champion of the authenticity of Burgundian wine, Henri introduced estate bottling in the 1920s, a rare move at a time when Burgundy was dominated by negociants, and wines were frequently mixed with stronger wines from the Rhone or even Algeria. Henri also one of the founding fathers of the appellation system of vineyards in Burgundy in the early 20th century, he was heavily involved in the initial classification of the vineyards and sat on the regional regulatory committee too.

Given Henri’s involvement in the classification of vineyards it is surprising there are no Grand Crus in Nuits St Georges, but there is one site that is acknowledged to be the best and worthy of promotion. The quality of the ‘Les Saint-Georges’vineyard was clearly recognised many years ago, and in common with many villages with famous vineyards this was added to the village name - Puligny and Chassagne have Le Montrachet , Gevrey has Chambertin and so Nuits has St Georges. 

Henri’s grandsons and great grandsons now manage the estate, and maintain his traditional approach, producing firm classic wines that demand several years in the cellar. The estate comprises 14.5 hectares of vignes, nearly all premier crus, each site is handled separately, the grapes are destemmed and crushed before fermentation in a closed cement vat. This unique approach was developed by Henri in 1947, it is effectively a carbonic maceration which extracts deep colour from the grapes skins quickly. The amount of time the wines spend in vat varies markedly with each site and year, sometimes it is as short as a week sometimes two weeks, after which the wines are transferred to used oak barrels for 18-20 months with minimal racking – all wines see very little new oak. The wines are bottled with little or no filtration, and so may throw a natural deposit after a few years in bottle.

Those looking for light pretty wines should look elsewhere, these are dark firm deep flavoured wines typical of the Nuits, showing a tightly structured palate of minerals, dark fruits, and leather. The wines are highly prized by Burgundy aficionados and critics alike for their depth of flavour and typicity.  

The 2004 Vintage

“Vintage 2004 is pinot noir without excess, the classic pinot of Burgundy” Christian Gouges.

A successful vintage chez Gouges, partly due to ongoing improvements in the vineyards but also to careful sorting of the grapes before they went into the fermentation vats. Sugar levels in the ripe grapes at harvest were typically 12.7%-12.8% potential alcohol before fermentation, consequently many of the premier cru wines were not chaptalized at all. Given the suppleness of the 2004 wines Christian Gouges made the decision to add some press wine to increase the aging potential.

 Prices are inclusive of VAT. Subject to change without notice. O&E excluded.

Les Pruliers, from 45-year-old vines is characterised by very mineral flavours – corsé, full, with sweet fruit and fine long beautifully balanced flavours – as with most of Gouges wines, long keepers in the best vintages.

Les Vaucrains, in the heart of the Premiers Crus just above Les St.-Georges, is almost the most typically Nuits of all Gouges wines – small yields from 50-year-old vines generally giving a deeply coloured wine, dense and limpid in the glass – a level up in concentration and nuance from Les Pruliers.

Les St.-Georges produces a wine of yet more completeness and complexity than the Vaucrains. Tannic, plenty of charpente and muscle to start with, developing ripe complexity as it ages in bottle. If Nuits were ever to have a Grand Crus, it would be Les St. Georges.

 Château Langoa-Barton [now sold out]is a perfect example of the vintage, a fresh and elegant claret with deep colour, plenty of clean ripe fruit around a core of gentle cedary tannins. Langoa is a third growth, in recent years Langoa has gained colour and concentration and at times challenges the quality of its sister property Leoville-Barton, a lofty second growth. Both wines are made in the winery at Chateau Langoa in the traditional way, using large open oak vats with a quick fermentation followed by 20 months in oak barrels. While Leoville is typically more austere, Langoa is made in a richer more accessible style that can be approached at an earlier age.

Chateau Langoa Barton, 3eme Cru Classe, St Julien 2007  £338.05 per case of 12 inc VAT, equivalent to £28.17 per bottle.  [SOLD OUT]

This parcel was shipped direct from the Chateau in the last week, we offer this at a great price – 90 bottles available!  [SOLD OUT]

“A blend of 77.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 7.5% Cabernet Franc. This has a ripe blackberry, violet tinged nose that is perhaps lacking the clarity and vigour that it often shows at this stage. A touch of seashells become apparent in the glass. The palate is full-bodied, quite sinewy comparative to other Saint Juliens with good concentration and purity of fruit with no signs of under-ripeness. The Langoa 2007 has a persistent finish with good depth and focus with blackberry and cedar to the fore. Very fine, as usual.” Tasted April 2008.  

Score 90-91/100 Neal Martin  – Wine Journal May 2008

A larger selection of wines from the 2007 vintage can be found below, quantities and prices were correct at the time of publishing but may change without notice.

This sophisticated dry white is a perfect wine for entertaining. This is a classy all rounder showing elegance and character as an aperitif and the weight and richness to accompany all the courses of a meal from starter through to the cheese course.

Chateau Brown has a growing reputation for high quality wines both red and white wines, it’s ideally placed in the northern Graves, within the elite Pessac-Léognan appellation on the outskirts of Bordeaux. This estate of 50 hectares has committed new owners determined to unlock its potential. Recent vintages have been spectacular successes, prices remain reasonable for the amazing quality when compared to peers such as Smith Haut Lafitte or Domaine de Chevalier. It there offers great value for money and is surely a candidate for Grand Cru Classé de Graves in the any new Graves re-classification.

The resurection of the property is recent, the estate was in a sorry state for much of the twentieth century, at its nadir it lay fallow, with no vines planted at all.  As a consequence it was not included in the 1953/1959 classification. Over the last twenty years the vineyard has been replanted and the winery brought up to date with rows of gleaming steel vats and the latest press technology by owner Bernard Barthe, completing much of this work before he sold a majority share to the Mau and Dirkzweger families in 2004. From that time day to day management has been handled by Jean-Christophe Mau.

The vast majority of the estate’s output is red, the Chateau Brown blanc is therefore quite rare, with less than 1700 cases produced per year. A classic blend of 70% Sauvignon blended with 30% Semillon, the grapes are picked manually, before pressing and a cool maceration on the skins before fermentation in a combination of stainless steel vats and new oak barrels. The wine is then matured in oak casks for 8 months, 50% which are new, imparting a subtle vanilla note and creamy texture to the wine. In bottle it is the Semillon that defines the character of the wine, with fresh ripe citrus fruit on the nose and a broad dry palate of fine mineral fruit; it develops a richer texture as it evolves.

Chateau Brown blanc, Pessac-Léognan 2007         £266.04 x12 inc VAT     £22.17 each

Rich yellow gold colour
The complex fresh nose displays plentiful honeyed lemon, other citrus fruits with hints of buttered toast.
The palate is full, dry and flinty with mouth-watering zesty freshness, the wine broadens nicely when served with food, showing a more complex honeyed mineral character and good length.

Tasting note by Neil Stewart

Errors and Omissions Excluded. Prices quoted were correct at date of publishing, however we reserve the right to change these without notice.