Les Villages De Terroir Catalan
Pattes Loup (Thomas Pico)
Butteaux Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay 2015
So, when fine wine drinkers think Chablis, it’s Raveneau & Dauvissat they desire the most. I would say that you could add Pattes Loup to that list and it is less expensive than the fore mentioned. Really appreciate the 11.4% ABV.
The nose is beautiful revealing; golden & green apple, ripe pineapple, lemon with peel, lime zest, tropical melon with green dominant, peach, apricots, grapefruit, orange citrus blend, some brown butter, excellent cream notes, caramel, honeysuckle, waxy notes, vanillin bean, butterscotch candy, slivered almonds, amazing chalkiness, volcanics, sea fossils, touch of saline, understated white spice, light herbaceousiness with yellow flowers/lilies. A dash of spring flowers framed in orange blooms and jasmine.
The body is full, round, waxy & gorgeous. Excellent viscosity for those that enjoy that. It is simply a beautiful elegant wine. Golden & Granny Smith green apples, ripe pineapple, lemon with peel, lime zest, tropical melon with green dominant, more peach on the palate than nose, apricots, grapefruit, orange citrus blend, some brown butter, excellent cream notes, melted, salted caramel, warm toast, honeysuckle, waxy notes, vanillin bean, butterscotch candy, slivered almonds, amazing chalkiness, crushed & powdery volcanics, sea fossils, touch of saline, soft woodiness, understated white spice with delicate palate heat, fresh Provence herbs with yellow flowers/lilies. A dash of spring flowers framed in orange blooms and jasmine. The round acidity is voluptuous & near perfect. The long finish is simply, rich, lush, well balanced and persists delicately for minutes. A wine well worth seeking out if you have not tried Pattes Loup. This bottling will pick up another point or two with 3-5 more years in bottle.
Photo of, Domaine Pattes Loup, Owner-Winemaker Thomas Pico and their beautiful Chardonnay grapes on their way to be pressed.
Producer notes & introduction. Third generation vigneron, Thomas Pico, took over his grandfather’s work in 2004. Pico’s grandfather planted and worked his terroir in the hillsides near Courgis and Preys, the two highest altitude villages within Chablis, with vineyards up to 300 meters. It was in the 1970’s when Pico’s father took over the Domaine.
In 2004, Pico returned back to his home town of Courgis after completing his studies of viticulture and oenology in Beaune. Pico began farming 8 hectares of vines immediately converting the vineyards to organic. In 2006, Pico released his first wines under the Pattes Loup label founded on the principles of organic farming, low yield harvesting, and minimal intervention. In 2009, the domaine was certified Agriculture Biologique by ECOCERT. Pico gained a reputation locally and internationally as one of Chablis most exciting growers/winemakers releasing wines with only one issue, there wasn’t enough.
In August of 2011, Antonio Galloni professed, “Pattes Loup is arguably the single most exciting young Domaine’s in Chablis today… Stylistically, Pico’s wines remind me of the laser-like focus of Cedric Bouchard‘s Champagnes combined with the richness and inner sweetness found in the wines of the late Didier Dagueneau. Simply put, these are some of the most ground-breaking, intensely captivating wines being made in Chablis today.”
All work at the domaine is done by hand. Only indigenous yeasts are used in the cellar and élevage occurs on the lees at cold temperatures for 14 to over 30 months. Malolactic fermentation begins and finishes naturally. Pico works with a combination of concrete egg shaped fermenters along with stainless steel tanks and used French oak of different sizes depending on the cuvée. The wines are never fined or filtered before bottling. Pico is evolving and is always fine tuning his work in the cellar. Over the years, he has decreased the amount of his sulphur use, extended élevage, and is now using expensive Portuguese wood corks for bottling believing, “the cork is my finishing touch.” — 5 years ago
Domaine de Cristia
Côtes du Rhône Villages Red Rhone Blend 2013
Bought at Terroir Wines Rotterdam in their Christmas tasting Dec 2017.
Deep, Structured, Elegant, lightly spiced. Not tannic, a definite H+S wine. Had it with homemade cod tacos 😊 — 7 years ago
Domaine Fichet (Pierre-Yves et Olivier)
Terroir de Burgy Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay
Fruit forward but long and elegant. Very nice — 7 years ago
Earl Gelin
Domaine des Nugues Beaujolais-Villages Gamay
The 2015 is proving to be an amazing vintage for Beaujolais at every level. This $14.99 Village is beyond belief good. Mineral, black stones, charred earth aromas with tannic red and black fruits, hints of fig in background, why spend a dollar on wine from anywhere else when you can drink something of this quality with this tradition. Beaujolais is where to look for understanding terroir. — 7 years ago
Domaine de Piaugier
Sablet Côtes du Rhône Villages Red Rhone Blend 2014
Dry and not fruity with not juice notes. Char/smoked aroma. Oak tannins + terroir come forward. Finished with notes of black licorice. — 7 years ago
Domaine Philippe Plantevin
la Daurelle Côtes du Rhône Villages 2013
Arnot-Roberts
Trout Gulch Vineyard Chardonnay 2019
Very pretty aromas. Quince, white flowers, lemon, gooseberries, a hint of lactic richness, also with salt spray nose. Chablisien. But the volume on the palate is more villages than GC. Not getting Cali terroir so much as old world *stylings* ie grapes picked way early. Normally I’m in line with AG but can’t get behind the score here. — 4 years ago
Vignerons Catalan
Red Domus Roussillon Villages Syrah Grenache Noir 2015
Blackberries and blueberries, with some raspberries initially, which fade some after opening. Also salt, with hints of green bell peppers, caramel, and pork fat. Good acidity to balance, low-ish tannins, and very approachable. Wine Spectator said 90 points, and I have to agree. — 6 years ago
Clos del Rey
Côtes du Roussillon Villages 2010
60/40 Carignan/Grenache...Opened as midweek foil for Filets and Bakers. Showing little sign of age... vibrant dark berry notes with noticeable ABV... bit more “modern” and fruit/forward than expected. Recall buying two of these at 50% discount. Probably at $15-20 a far price...but tasted fully “Parkerized”. Little if any sense of terroir or connection with place. — 6 years ago
Château Lafite Rothschild
Carruades de Lafite Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2003
On the nose, ripe; blackberries, sweet & sour dark cherries, cooked cherries & strawberries & hues of blueberries. Black tea, cola, soft baking spices; vanilla, light clove & cinnamon. Crushed rocks, stones, limestone, turned, moist black earth, tobacco leaf, saddle-wood, soft leather, dry & fresh dark red florals.
The body is medium edging toward full. The tannins pretty well resolved. The ripe fruits show the hot, ripe vintage. Blackberries, sweet & sour dark cherries, cooked cherries & strawberries & hues of blueberries black tea, cola, soft baking spices; vanilla, light clove & cinnamon. Crushed rocks, stones, limestone, tobacco with ash, some graphite, soft medium dark spice, turned, forest floor, powdery but edgy minerals, saddle-wood, soft leather, dry & fresh dark red florals with some violets on the finish.
This showed better with Ribeye. The Ribeye brought out a fuller, richer wine with even more complexity. 9.35-9.4 with the Ribeye. It just missed 9.2 on its own. It’s big brother the 03 “Lafite” is 💯 point Parker wine.
Photos of; Chateau Lafite, their oak vat fermenters, Estate wine and their magnificent barrel room.
Interesting history and producers notes...Lafite Rothschild has a long and interesting history dating back to 1234, even though the property was not in the Bordeaux wine business at that time.
It is has been largely believed that vines were already planted on their terroir. The owner of the estate at the time, Gombaud de Lafite left his mark, his name. Almost 1,000 years after he owned it, the Chateau is still named after him! The vines were probably in existence at Lafite for over a century, it was not until around 1680, the majority of vineyards of what we know of as Lafite Rothschild today were created. This is because on the 1680 estate manifest, there are six mentions of their Bordeaux vineyards. Jacques de Segur, earns credit for cultivating the vineyard as I wrote in my Colon Segur post last weekend. In 1695, Alexandre de Segur married Marie-Therese de Clauzel, heiress to Chateau Latour. So to dovetail that write up, within a generation, the Segur family married into two of the greatest Bordeaux vineyards, Chateau Lafite and Chateau Latour! When their son, Nicolas-Alexandre passed away, Chateau Lafite and Chateau Latour were separated.
In 1797, Chateau Lafite was sold again. In the deed of sale, Chateau Lafite was described as a Premier Cru of Medoc. This is one of the earliest mentions of what we know of today as Lafite Rothschild producing wines of what would later be classified as an 1855 First Growth.
At that time, of Lafite were managed by the Goudal family. The Goudal family were wine historians and were able to read accurate records and details of the viticulture and marketing plans for Chateau Lafite in the estates formative years. The Goudal family gets the credit for creating the cellar and saving many of the oldest bottles that remain in the cold, dark cellars, including their oldest bottle, the 1797 Lafite!
The start of the famous Rothschild family begins in 1744, with the birth of Amschel Meyer. Amschel Meyer began creating his fortune while working as a merchant at “Zum Roten Schild,” which eventually became the family name of Rothschild.
In 1798 his sons were sent to various cities to create their fortunes. Needless to say, his sons all prospered as did their children in turn. This eventually led to them wanting to own a Chateau in Bordeaux. So in 1853, Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild, an English member of the Rothschild family, purchased Chateau Brane-Mouton. As was the custom of the day, the new owner renamed it using his name and Chateau Mouton Rothschild was born.
This was followed in 1868, when James Rothschild, another member of the family purchased Chateau Lafite, which was now a coveted First Growth.
On 8 August, 1868, Baron James d’Rothschild purchased Chateau Lafite, which was sold at a public auction in Paris. It’s assumed, he bought the property for family competitive reasons looking to one up his brother, the owner of Mouton Rothschild. At that time, Mouton Rothschild was only a Second Growth at the time. But, that does not paint the entire picture. The 1855 Classification had not taken on the importance associated with it the we see it today. Plus, buying Lafite was a reasonable investment as the vineyard sold for about 8 times its earning potential.
The actual Chateau is one of the older structures in Bordeaux, as part of the building dates back to the later part of the 16th century. In 1868, the vineyard took up 135 hectares, of which 74 hectares were cultivated with vines. Production was much smaller in those days than it is today as it was between 4,000 and 5,000 cases.
Just three months after the purchase, Baron James d’Rothschild passed away and Chateau Lafite Rothschild became the joint property of his three sons; Alphonse Rothschild, Gustave Rothschild & Edmond Rothschild. Since 1868, Chateau Lafite Rothschild has remained in the hands of the of Rothschild family. The new owners renamed the estate Chateau Lafite Rothschild.
Jumping ahead to the modern age, in 1962, the Rothschild family added to their holdings when they purchased Chateau Duhart-Milon, a Fourth Growth vineyard also located in Pauillac. It was owned by the Casteja family for more than a century, Chateau Duhart Milon suffered from neglect and was in a awful condition. By the time Duhart Milon was obtained by the Rothschild family, the vineyard was down to only 17 hectare which required extensive renovations.
Baron Eric Rothschild, nephew of Baron Elie Rothschild, took over the management of Lafite Rothschild in 1974. Baron Eric Rothschild was part of the fifth Rothschild generation to inherit Chateau Lafite Rothschild. In 1984, the Rothschild family added to their holdings in Bordeaux with the purchase of Chateau Rieussec in Sauternes.
1987 was a difficult vintage, but because that was the year Lafite celebrated the inauguration of their wine new cellar, they had a lot to be excited about.
The new cellars were built under the supervision of Catalan architect Ricartdo Bofill, is both underground and circular, with a vault supported by 16 columns, giving the structure a majestic architectural style. The cellar holds 2,200 barrels, which is about 55,000 cases of wine. The construction took two years to finish and was completed in 1988.
Domaines Baron Rothschild became one of the first Bordeaux properties to invest in South America when they purchased Vina Los Vascos from a Chilean family. The owners of Lafite Rothschild continued expanding their holdings with the purchase of Chateau lEvangile in Pomerol from the Ducasse family, who owned the property for almost 100 years.
The wine making at Chateau Lafite Rothschild was managed by Charles Chevallier, who began his position in 1994. Charles Chevallier was replaced by Eric Kohler in January 2016. 2017 saw another change at the estate when Jean Guillaume Prats replaced Christopher Salin as the President of Domaines Baron Rothschild.
Perhaps, it’s the most refined of the First Growth. The wine, like all First Growth’s takes decades to mature. It has remarkable staying powers. Bottles of 1870 Lafite Rothschild discovered in the Glamis castle remain profound at more than 140 years of age! It is consider by many Master Sommeliers to be the best wine in the world.
Chateau Lafite Rothschild is one of the earliest major Bordeaux estates to bottle their own wine. In 1890, they bottled a large portion of the wine and again in 1906. Part of the estate bottling was due to requests from Negociants who were willing to pay more for Chateau bottled wines. Also, bottling was primarily done to combat piracy. At the time, it was known that merchants in some countries, like Russia were bottling cheap wine and placing labels from Lafite Rothschild on the bottles. The Koch’s famous Jefferson bottles were not the first attempt at counterfeiting.
Prior to 1996, some would say the property had its share of ups and downs. The 1960’s and 1970’s were not great for Chateau Lafite Rothschild. But since 1996, Lafite Rothschild has been producing some of the best wine in their history!
Sadly, only the wealthy can afford to purchase it. Price aside, there is no denying the level of quality. In 2003 Lafite Rothschild produced a wine that is possibly unequaled by the estate at any time in their long history. Hence, my purchase of their 03 second wine. 2009, 2010 and 2016 are not far behind.
Starting in about 2008, Lafite Rothschild became the most collectible wine from Bordeaux. Prices exploded due to demand from China as Chinese businessmen bought them as gifts or bribes depending on you look at it.
The reason this started was Lafite Rothschild paid for product placement on the number one rated Chinese soap opera on television. Characters in that show were pictured enjoying life with Lafite Rothschild and since then demand went through the roof as did priced.
However, Issac Newton had it right when he declared “What goes up, must come down.” Prices for Lafite Rothschild plummeted after 2011. By the difficult 2013, prices were finally starting to hold firm, but many of the vintages that were setting price records on a daily basis had lost close to 50% of their value.
Starting with the 2012 vintage, Chateau Lafite Rothschild began instituting anti-counterfeiting measures. From 2012 forward, to help fight, rampant counterfeiting, the estate places a seal of authenticity on the capsules of both Lafite Rothschild and Carruades de Lafite. The seal features a unique, numbered code that can be checked on their website, to verify if the wine is real.
The 112 hectare vineyard of Chateau Lafite Rothschild is planted to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. This shows a slight change in the vineyard.
While Cabernet Sauvignon remained at 70%, today there is slightly more Merlot, less Cabernet Franc and the Petit Verdot has been added since the mid 1990’s.
Located in the far north of the Pauillac appellation, only the small, Jalle de Breuil stream separates the vineyards from St. Estephe. You could divide the vineyards of Chateau Lafite Rothschild into three sections with 100 separate parcels in all. The estate has close to 50 hectares of vines located close to the Chateau, on both sides of the D2, which offers gentle rises in elevations of up to 27 meters. They also have about 50 hectares vines planted on the plateau in the Carruades sector, where they have two blocks of vines, one of which is inside the vineyard of Chateau Mouton Rothschild. It is interesting to note that even though the parcels in the Carruades sector give their name to the second wine of the estate, those vines are almost always placed in the Grand Vin.
There are also vines adjacent to, and interspersed with the vineyards of Chateau Duhart Milon. The property also consists of a smaller, 4.5 hectare parcel of vines located in the Saint Estephe appellation, “La Caillava”. The vines in St. Estephe are situated not that far from Cos d Estournel, which are located on a larger a parcel known as Blanquet. The vines in Saint Estephe are allowed to be placed into the wine of Chateau Lafite Rothschild because those vines were used to produce Lafite in 1885, at the time of the classification. The vineyards are close to their famous neighbor Mouton Rothschild.
Located just south of the Chateau, the best terroir of Lafite Rothschild has a thick layer of gravel with sand, clay, marl and limestone in the soils with rolling, gravel slopes. The gravel can be as deep as 4 meters in some parcels.
It is important to note that even though their vineyards are in the far north of Pauillac, most of the soil is pure gravel, rocks and stones. With more than 50% of the soil consisting of gravel, that is a large part of the reason Lafite Rothschild has such elegant, feminine textures and that coveted sensation of minerality.
On average, the vines are close to 40 years of age. However, Chateau Lafite Rothschild has much older vines. In fact, they have some vines that are more than 100 years of age planted in the La Graviere section. That small parcel of Merlot vines dates back to 1886. Less than 1% of the vines are that old.
Additionally, they have a small section of Cabernet Sauvignon that dates back to 1922! Other old vines range from 50 to 90 years of age! They also maintain some of the oldest Petit Verdot vines in the Medoc that was planted in the early 1930’s.
At Chateau Lafite Rothschild, between 1% to 1.5% of the vineyard is replanted every year. Vines less than 20 years of age are never included in the Grand Vin.
The vineyard of Chateau Lafite Rothschild is planted to a vine density that ranges from 7,500 to 8,500 vines per hectare. Only organic fertilizers are used in the vineyards of Lafite Rothschild.
During harvest, the goal is not to pick at the maximum level of ripeness. Instead, they are seeking a blend of grapes at differing levels of maturity, which gives the wine its unique textures, freshness, aromatic complexities and elegant sensations.
Lafite Rothschild is the largest of the First Growth vineyards with close to 112 hectares of vines. A large portion of the estate is taken up with stunningly, beautiful landscaping, lakes, trees and parkland.
At one point in time, Chateau Lafite Rothschild produced a dry white, Bordeaux wine that was sold as Vin de Chateau Lafite. The wine was produced from a large percentage of Semillon, blended with a small amount of Sauvignon Blanc. The last vintage for their white wine was 1960. The wine was sold as a generic AOC Bordeaux blanc with a simple, scripted label, black and white label.
Lafite vinification takes place in 66 vats that are a combination of 29 wood vats, 20 stainless steel tanks and 17 concrete vats that range in size from as small as 45 hectoliters up to 123 hectoliters in the concrete and as large as 270 hectoliters for the wood. The wide range of vat sizes coupled with different materials allow Chateau Lafite Rothschild to vinify depending on the needs of each specific parcel and grape variety. The stainless steel tanks and oak vats are used for Cabernet Sauvignon. The Merlot is vinified in the concrete tanks. Malolactic fermentation occurs in smaller, stainless steel tanks that vary in size from 25 hectoliters up to 60 hectoliters. At this point, Chateau Lafite Rothschild does not yet use gravity to move the fruit and juice in the cellar. It’s a good bet that a remodel is coming soon.
The average annual production of Chateau Lafite Rothschild ranges from 15,000 to 20,000 cases of wine per year, depending on the vintage. They of course make this second wine, Carruades de Lafite, which due to the name and association with the Grand Cru, has also become extremely collectible. Carruades de Lafite takes its name from a specific section of their vineyard that is located near Mouton Rothschild. Carruades is actually one of the older second wines in Bordeaux, as it was first produced in the mid 1850’s. About 100 years later during the mid 1960s, the estate reintroduced their second wine naming it Moulin de Carruades. The name was changed again in the 1980’s to Carruades de Lafite.
There is also a third wine which is sold as an AOC Pauillac that is produced from declassified fruit from Lafite Rothschild and Duhart-Milon.
The blend for Chateau Lafite Rothschild changes with each vintage depending on the character and quality of the vintage. Generally speaking, the amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend ranges from 80% to 95%. Merlot is usually 5% to 20%. Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot usually varies from 0 to 5%.
— 7 years ago
Dupont-Fahn Raymond
Chaumes des Perrières Bourgogne Blanc Chardonnay 2017
This is Noble terroir declassed due to politics. Drink Meursault for the price of Bourgogne villages. Its absolutely excellent and there is nothing comparable at these price points. Highly recommended ! — 5 years ago
Joseph Drouhin
Côte de Beaune Villages Pinot Noir 2013
Since 1880, Maison Joseph Drouhin has built a reputation for wines that primarily reflect their individual terroir and vintage. Medium Ruby with pure red fruit on the youthful nose,100% Pinot Noir. On the palate, this dry red has flavors of cherry and strawberry with a bit of licorice. Medium+ acidity with fine soft tannins on medium finish. Good now and over the short term. Nice value. — 6 years ago
Antoine Lienhardt
Les Plantes aux Bois Côte de Nuits-Villages Pinot Noir 2015
This is broader on the palate than the ‘16 Les Essards, the result of a riper vintage and predominantly clay terroir. Darker fruit profile. Has had a few years to harmonize so it feels in balance, but still tightly wound. — 7 years ago
Maison Henry Fessy
Vieilles Vignes Beaujolais Villages Gamay 2015
Exactly what I would expect from a Beaujolais. Medium bodied with light fruit, bigger terroir and a very clean finish. Great with grilled lamb — 7 years ago
Hubert Lamy
En Remilly Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Chardonnay 2010
I bought my first vintage from this producer & terroir beginning with the 2010 vintage and what a vintage to start. I bought four bottles for right around $50 or a little less. They were so amazing, I drank through them in no time at all. For those of you that read my posts, that’s not normally what I do. I like to drink one & age the rest. Since then, I have looked & looked for more. I’d finally given up hopes of finding more until recently I struck gold. I should have bought all nine bottles but a calmer head prevailed. It’s definitely changed since having it fresh. On the nose, the fruits are slightly macerated. Heather honey, beeswax, golden & green apple, pineapple upside down cake, slight orange citrus blend, mango, glazed nuts, soft, delicate, chalky minerals, a touch of jasmine & yellow lilies. The body is much rounder & thicker than when it was young. Waxy. So, beautifully layered across the palate. Much of the palate matches the nose. Heather honey, beeswax, golden & green apple, apricots, peach, pineapple upside down cake, slight orange citrus blend, mango, slight molasses character & glazed nuts with citrus blossoms, yellow lilies & jasmine. The minerals are much more grippy & bold as they cut across and set on the palate. The acidity round & phat. The texture is amazing as is the length, balance & beautiful, rich, long finish that lasts two-minutes plus. So glad I found more of this wine! Hubert Lamy seriously over deliver the terroir & the price point by a country mile. If you are not buying this wine on pre-arrival, you are missing great wine and excellent value. Can’t say enough good things about it. Especially, the 2010. I expect the 15 to hold similar quality. Photos of; Olivier Lamy, Olivier working in this vineyard, barrel room and their Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Vineyard. Producer notes and history...There have been Lamy’ s growing vines in St-Aubin since 1640, today it is run by Olivier Lamy. Olivier is a new breed of Burgundian grower keen to progress. He trained Méo-Camuzet & made a number of vintages before taking over in 1996 from his father Hubert. Hubert Lamy used to sell fruit to négociants, but that stopped in 1997. He grubbed up and sold off peripheral vines, keeping only the best and oldest sites. Currently he is experimenting with different planting densities in a quest to capture even greater expression of terroir. The Domaine produces both reds and whites and now has 16.5 hectares of vineyards, mostly in St-Aubin but also own a few parcels in Chassagne-Montrachet and a tiny plot in the Grand Cru Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. Yields are kept low and recent innovations have been introduced with selection tables in the cuverie to ensure that only the healthiest and ripest grapes are used. His more recent move to reduce the amount of new oak with the introduction of demi-muids 300-600 liter barrels have also helped to improve the wines. Vinification is traditional and the wines are matured with only 20-30% new oak for 12 months before minimal filtration and then bottling. The quality is very high and is often superior to many wines from much more prominent villages that sell at twice the price or more. — 7 years ago
Domaine Henri Perrusset
Terroir de Farges Selection Vieilles Vignes Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay 2014
Peach and apricot on the nose, ripe flavors of peach throughout. Mild acidity, smells of hay in the finish... Kermit Lynch website: Here in the southernmost part of Burgundy, the soils of clay and limestone favor crisp, mineral–driven Chardonnays layered with ripe fruit, perfect for an apéritif and versatile at table with all sorts of appetizers. — 8 years ago
Terroir la Baume Saint-Paul
Tautavel Red Blend
la baum.good — 8 years ago
Byron Fuller
Simple but very well made. Lovely terroir and fruit— definitely villages level. Drinking well now & could evolve a bit but probably not intended for long haul (unlike other bottlings!). — 4 years ago