World Wide Web
Negretti
Mirau Barolo Nebbiolo 2012
Strikingly ruby with a wide brim and cherry undertones. Aromas of strawberries, vanilla beans, herbs, spices, and fresh cut flowers. About as classically Barolo as you can get. Obviously very young, this can sit for at least another few years. As it is, this is still tight but after an hour the youthful fruit takes over. On the palate, more delicious red fruit, oak, smoky cloves, that gorgeous Old World leather, and nice spice. Very well structured, save this one for a while. — 7 years ago
Château Cos d'Estournel
Les Pagodes de Cos Saint-Estéphe Red Bordeaux Blend 2005
Is there anything better than Ribeye & Claret? From my perspective, no. This is the second wine from one of more prestigious Chateaus in St. Estephe. Bordeaux rule number 2, buy the hell out of good producers second wines in very good vintages, like 2005. You’ll get great wines at more affordable prices. Providing, you exercise patience; which is rule number 1. Decanted for 3 plus hours. On the nose, ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, baked strawberries, black plum & cherries pull up the rear. Incense, herbaceous character, anise, scorched dark earth, burnt ambers, anise, baking spices dominated by vanilla, black tea, black cherry cola, loamy dry soils, dry & fresh red florals with violets for days. It’s in a great phase with many years ahead. The body is full and round. The texture has you wanting more. It’s velvety and ripe. Tannins soft and powdery, around 65-70 resolved. The fruits are ripe & ruby...showing the excellence of the 05 vintage. Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, baked strawberries, black plum & cherries pull up the rear. Incense, herbaceous character, anise, scorched dark earth, dry stones, leather, cigar with ash, burnt ambers, anise, baking spices dominated by vanilla, black tea, black cherry cola, loamy dry soils, dry & fresh red florals with violets for days. The acidity is dead on. The length, structure, length & balance is harmonizing like America on the album, “ Horse with No Name.” The long finish is; ruby, rich, elegant, round, beautiful and lasts a minute plus. Beautiful wine. 9.4 with the steak. 9.2 on its own. Photos of; Chateau Cos d’ Estournel, hosting/tasting area, private wine stock and barrel cellar. Producer notes and history...Chateau Cos d’Estournel has a long history in the appellation of St. Estephe. Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, gave his name to the estate after founding it in 1811. It only took a few years before Chateau Cos d’Estournel became famous with wine lovers and royalty all over the world. In the early days, the wines of Cos d’Estournel were not sold through the Negociant system. The owner preferred selling his wine directly to his customers. In fact, Chateau Cos d’Estournel was exported to numerous countries across the globe, with a large portion of the production being sold to India. It was that connection to India that inspired much of the unique, east Indian design we see at Cos d’Estournel today. Chateau Cos d’Estournel was one of the first Chateaus to bottle, label and sell their own wine. This practice continued until the death of Louis Gaspard d’Estournel in 1852. After his death, the estate was purchased by an owner that sold their wines on the Place de Bordeaux, using the negociant system. If the Chateau had not been selling their wines through the negociant system, it would never have been included in the 1855 Classification! Chateau Cos d’Estournel was sold to the Charmolue family, the owners of the neighboring Chateau Montrose. They continued to own the estate until 1917, when it was bought by Fernand Ginestet. The purchase was the next major step in the development of Cos d’Estournel. The next era in the development of Chateau Cos d’Estournel took place in 2000, when Chateau Cos d’Estournel was bought by Michel Reybier, who made his fortune in the food industry. Michel Reybier hired the son of Bruno Prats, Jean-Guillaume Prats to manage Cos d’Estournel. Things improved with the efforts of Jean-Guillaume Prats who helped design the most modern wine making facilities in the entire Bordeaux wine making appellation at the time. A complete renovation of Cos d’Estournel took place in the winemaking facilities and cellars. The wine making facilities are completely modern, using 100% gravity. On October 15, 2012, Jean Guillaume Prats announced he was leaving Chateau Cos d’Estournel to join LVMH. Jean Guillaume Prats was replaced by Aymeric de Gironde. Following the departure of Aymeric de Gironde in 2017, the owner, Michel Reybier took over managing the estate. In 2018, the estate released COS100, produced from their oldest Merlot vines that were 100 years of age. It was limited in production to a 100 Jeroboams, (3 litres) and 10 Balthazars (12 litres) and a few other sizes were produced from only 2 barrels of wine. The proceeds from COS100 go to the charity, Elephant Family, that is devoted to protecting and nurturing Asian elephants in their own, natural habitat. Cos d’Estournel’s new cellar is a joint reflection by the technical team, the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte and Jean Guillaume Prats. It’s a marvel blend of simplicity and modern technology. Cos d’Estournel is unique to Bordeaux and the rest of world. What makes this special is that the cellars of Cos d’Estournel are entirely operated by gravity. There are no pumps of any kind to force the wine. The purpose is to allow a gentleness to the wine and improve its purity allowing for expression of their special terroir. It set a new benchmark for cellars not only in the Left Bank, but in all of Bordeaux. The new cellars at Chateau Cos d’Estournel include 72 isothermal cone shaped stainless steel vats. The vats are specifically designed for thermal inertia. The 72 vats have a wide range of capacities to correspond with the needs of each parcel of vines. The vats range in size from as small as 19 hectoliters all the way up to 115 hectolitres. 12 of the smaller vats that are designed to handle between 19 and 60 hectoliters that have two levels in each vat. In other words, this offers the technical equivalent of 24 separate vats. Each of the vats are double lined, which allows for more exact and temperature control. None of the vats use interior heat coils. Perhaps the most inventive part of the cellars is the four 100 hectoliter lift tanks or wine elevators that replace the pumps used in the traditional pumping over and racking off processes, which introduce air and often destabilize the marc. From the moment the grapes arrive, everything travels by the flow of gravity. Jean Guillaume Prats called this process a pumpless, pump over. What takes place is, the wine is released from the main vat where the skins remain. By gravity, the juice is then moved into smaller vats which are on wheels. These small vats are sent to the glass elevators where they are moved up one floor and returned back into the vat by gravity to cover the skins. At this point, the process is still unique to Chateau Cos d’Estournel. The wine production of Cos d’Estournel is labor intensive starting the moment the grapes enter their new facility. The berries travel through a tunnel that instantly lowers the temperature of the fruit to 3-5 degrees Celsius. This sudden chilling stops the loss of juice while also slowing oxidation. Next, the grapes are cold macerated at 7-9 degrees Celsius for about a week. Pump overs are done by gravity recycling. The juice from the top of the vat moves to the bottom of the vat entirely by gravity. The fermentation takes place at low temperatures to avoid over extraction or harsh tannins. The 91 hectare vineyard of Chateau Cos d’Estournel is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The vineyard is located close to the border of Pauillac and Saint Estephe at the southern tip of the Saint Estephe appellation. The vineyard has cultivated 84 hectares of vines. Even though the vineyard has been expanded over the years, the grape varietals planted here have remained consistent. The vineyard, located on the hill of Cos, has gentle elevations of up to 20 meters. On average, the vines are 35 years of age. However, the estate has very old Merlot vines as well, which date back more than 100 years. Part of the terroir is situated on the hill of Cos, which is at a high elevation for the Medoc at 20 meters. Cos d’Estournel is translated from old Gascon speech; which means the hill of pebbles. It describes the terroir along with clay, gravel, sand and limestone soil. However, there is a unique aspect to the soil at Cos d’Estournel, as you find more gravel and less clay here than you do at other neighboring vineyards. Because the fruit is grown close to the Atlantic ocean in a cool climate, Cos d’Estournel is often among the last of the properties in the Medoc to harvest. The vineyard is managed by teams and each team member is given 45,000 vines to look after. The vineyard, which is almost one large block, can be further divided into 72 separate parcels. — 7 years ago
The Standish Wine Company
Single Vineyard Shiraz 2003
If you thought Australian wine weren't for you or just weren't that noteworthy, you haven't had Dan Standish's wines. This is as good as any great producer I've had anywhere. On the nose, boysenberry, blueberries, black raspberries, olallieberries, raspberries, vanilla, nutmeg, clove, Asian spices, raspberry cola, dry stems and brilliantly fragrant violets. The mouthfeel and texture are liquid elegant heaven. 12 years in the bottle and it's just now peaking. On entry, it's a rush of ripe, lush; boysenberry, blueberries, black raspberries, raspberries &raspberry cola. Dark chocolate, darker but mellowed spices with uplifting heat, hint of pepper, loamy moist soils, dusty tannins, crushed dry rocks, vanilla, nutmeg, clove, blue fruit pie with crust, volcanic minerals, liquid fragrant violets, perfect acidity with a finish that doesn't fade and lasts minutes. The tension, length, structure and balance push perfection. photos of; estate with with Dan, wide side shot of the estate, a sample of the soil structure of the vineyard this wine is grown...under the top soil and Dan's estate vines. Producer history and notes...The Standish Wine Company was created in 1999. Dan Standish purchased a small parcel of Old Vine Shiraz from his parent’s vineyard in the heart of the Barossa Valley. The 96-year old vines are planted on the typical sand over clay soil profile characteristic of Vine Vale the sub region of the Barossa Valley. Dan never got a enology degree. He learned on his own traveling to the Rhone Valley. The influence definitely comes out in his wines despite the very different terroirs. He's worked in various regions around the world including; Napa, Sonoma and La Rioja. After he returned to Australia, he eventually became the Winemaker at Torbreck in the Barossa Valley. Interestingly, Dan worked as a chemical engineer prior to his career as a Winemaker. Meeting him for the first time in April was a pleasure. He is a true salt of the earth type of person, with a great sense of humor, who is absolutely passionate about making wine. He marches to his own drum...not at all a person who follows trends or changes styles if something or one becomes successful. His wines are beautifully special if you can find them on Winesearcher or other. He does not have, need nor want a US importer. He sells all his wine through his mailing list. You can order his wines from here but the shipping charges are hugely expensive from Australia. The shipping cost for three bottles were as much as the cost of the three bottles. The quality of his wines will stand in there with any producer world wide. Tasting his new releases in April was impressive. Finding a well aged bottle back in the US to enjoy tonight is simply fabulous! — 8 years ago
Marchesi de' Frescobaldi
Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2011
First wine who through it's wide range of notes made me glimpse into the world of wines — 9 years ago
Hugel et Fils
Cuvée Les Amours Alsace Pinot Blanc 2006
Hugel cuvée des amours Pinot blanc... I love Pinot blanc done well and this is an exceptional example.
I cannot believe for one, how inexpensive this wine is, and two, how it is normally reviewed by the pundits. Phrases like "drink up within first couple years of life" or "lacks this and that"
This is really good stuff and for an 06 it has aged nicely. It goes to show that Alsace is a tremendous source of value in the wide world of wine.... I usually dont expect a whole lot from Sylvaner and Pinot blanc but this is right on par...
Golden color with aromas of quince, apricot, peach, and mandarin orange.... Smells sweet but tastes dry. Remind me of a huet clos de bourg (sec) in a lot of ways. Surprisingly good and worth picking up a few bottles
— 9 years ago
Rémy Martin
1965 Rare Edition
My best friend picked this up at a silent auction fund raiser and has been holding it for over a year now waiting for the right occasion to open it. Wait, did I say "best friend"? Sorry, what I meant to say was, "MY BEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD WHO IS BY FAR THE MOST KIND AND SHARING PERSON I HAVE EVER KNOWN!" 8>) — 10 years ago
Marqués de Riscal
Reserva Herederos del Marques de Riscal Rioja Tempranillo 2007
Consistent from 2006 to 2007. Cork it and sit. Needs 10 minutes of air for a world of difference. Good pair with a wide range. Pairs well with cheeses or chocolate. And I'm guessing is up to the task with castelvetranos. — 12 years ago
La Pitchoune
Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2014
A pretty light ruby in the glass with a wide brim. This nose. So outrageously good. Hints of tar, rose petals, and some funky earth. I love this wine. I’m always so reluctant to use this term but yes this is definitely Burgundian. And not in a pretentious way, more in a slightly dirty, funky fun way. Medium bodied and certainly not overripe or too dense on the tongue and the structure and balance are out of this world. In the mouth there’s a wonderful Pinot profile of cherries, cranberries, and earth. There’s also a smoky quality and just the right amount of oak going on. This is an absolutely gorgeous Pinot. Who’s making stuff like this as their entry level bottlings? — 6 years ago
Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards
Right Bank Red Bordeaux Blend 2014
Clear garnet with a wide brim and cherry undertones. Brilliantly fruity nose of cranberry sauce, black cherry, and plums. Licorice and oak also come to play. With Right Bank in the name, this has a lot to live up to and it certainly does. Indeed reminiscent of Pomerol, this is medium bodied with lighter acidity. Old World leather, more black cherries, currant, menthol smoke, and an herbal essence on the palate. Medium length finish with hints of vanilla and even more fruit. Beautiful stuff. — 7 years ago
Castello di Verduno
Langhe Nebbiolo 2015
Beautiful Nebbiolo. Once again a great wine with food. In this case at Juniper & Ivy the meal was out of this world and the wine paired nicely across a very wide flavor spectrum. Good acidity; good structure. — 7 years ago
Sojourn
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2012
Light, light ruby in the glass with wide edges. Huge nose of red fruit and earth. Raspberries, toasted wood, and a muted floral aspect going on. So unapologetically New World Pinot with incredible balance, this baby showcases some power. As easy drinking as this particular bottle is, it still shows plenty of complexity and layers of fruit. You really do feel like leaning back and relaxing while drinking this. Pomegranate, cherries, and a spoonful of blueberries constitute the fruit. Oak, damp forest floor, vanilla wafers, and the slightest bit of fresh leather. There’s a spicy note throughout culminating in the finish. Outstanding for what’s considered an entry level offering. — 7 years ago
Golan Heights Winery
Yarden Odem Vineyard Merlot 2009
Price $75.
Beautiful dark ruby in color with a wide brick rim.
Gorgeous nose of black currants, blackberries, vanilla, oak, licorice, cloves, dried figs, smoke, spices, chocolates, dark coffee, earth, light vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn.
Medium bodied, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with blackberries, plums, cherries, strawberries, red currants, oak, wet leaves, smoke, light vanilla, graphite, earth, vegetables, and white pepper.
Medium plus in finish with soft tannins and spices.
This wonderful Merlot is drinking very nicely now. Soft and elegant with great balance and complexity. A little earthy, with an old world feel and a soft, luxurious mouthfeel.
This Single Vineyard is interesting and attractive. Peaking now, and will be good in the next 5 years.
100% organic Merlot grapes were grown at around 3,500 feet elevation, and aged for 14 months in French oak barrels.
I decanted it for 90 minutes. Yummy!
15% alcohol by volume. — 8 years ago
Mount Mary
Quintet Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2012
On the flight from Dubai to Singapore. Mount Mary quintet 2012. Deep ruby core and quite wide light ruby rim, still seems quite young. Comes across as more mature on the nose, more tobacco , leather , red berries , spice and coffee, however there is sweet blackcurrant and cassis, underneath . Elegant and complex, and seems quite 'new world cool climate' so I suppose Yarra Valley would be in that category. Seems more fruit driven on the palate , nicely refreshing acidity , medium bodied only . Length is reasonable though not hugely long . Elegant is a word that comes to mind. Not sure how it will develop , tannins seem very interrogated and soft. Ready now and over the next 5 years ? 91 points — 8 years ago
Villa Maria
Cellar Selection Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2016
In the middle of dog days of summer, when the late afternoon sun is blazing and the breeze is heavy with humidity, opening a chilled bottle of crisp, fruity and zesty Sauvignon Blanc is too great a temptation to resist.
I have to admit, though, I'm a newbie to this grape variety. As a regular reds drinker and a big fan of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc never ranked high on my list. Things changed last late summer, when I encountered the beautiful bottle of Cloudy Bay from Marlborough on the South Island of New Zealand. It opened my eyes, not to mention my palate.
Since then, I usually choose NZ Sauvignon Blanc over those from Pouilly-Fume and Sancerre in the Loire Valley, France, especially in the summer months.
The classic French examples tend to be more elegant and creamy thanks to oak barrel fermentation and aging. Its flinty aroma, a gift of the terroir, is world-renown. On the other hand, the NZ Sauvignon Blanc is more expressive, showing off its lively aromas loaded with fresh fruit flavors, successfully retained by fermentation in stainless steel or concrete vat. This style of Sauvignon Blanc has set itself apart from its French cousins and put New Zealand on the map.
I've opened four different NZ Sauvignon Blanc, all from Marlborough, around the C$19 range over the last few weeks, including Villa Maria Cellar Selection 2016, Momo 2015, Kim Crawford 2016 and Astrolabe Province 2016. Among them, I like Villa Maria the most.
The pungent aroma with white peach, nectarine, passion fruit, gooseberry, lime and grape fruit is just intoxicating.
The first sip is almost like biting into a juicy, underripe white peach and Granny Smith apple, followed by zesty grapefruit and gooseberry, and then a slice of passion fruit kicks in. The hint of grass and crushed rock definitely adds another layer of complexity. Then the vibrant flavor lingers with a subtle green pepper note.
I paired with a wide range of dishes. The wine's refreshing sweetness and zest beautifully enhanced the spicy kick of Thai green curry and the cheesiness of margarita pizza. It nicely complemented grilled salmon and a big bowl of salad thanks to its crispness and subtle herbal note and minerality.
Still, this is a perfect summer wine to drink solo. As the glaring sun slowly goes down, a glass of Sauvignon Blanc guarantees to quench the thirst on a warm midsummer's evening. Cheers! — 8 years ago
Giant Steps
Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2015
Deep Crimson with reddish purple rim. Lovely complex perfume of Black Cherries Earth Stalks Twigs and Light Pepper from partial or full whole bunch ferment I suspect. Palate of cherries with earthy notes of Medium Intensity. This is their less expensive General Cuvée in contrast to their individual Vineyard Cuvees like Sexton Applejack Tarraford etc. From the much lauded 2015 vintage in the Yarra. 2015 seems to be one of those great world wide vintages like 1990. Great in most parts of Australia and New Zealand. Also in Bordeaux Burgundy and France generally it appears. Mediterranean countries. Not sure about North or South America? — 8 years ago
Clos des Brusquières
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend 2014
Lets travel across the pond to a little place called The Rhone in Rhone France. This is Chateauneuf du Pape Controle. Yep, no Cali cabs tonight. This is Clos des Brusquieres 2014. The color is that of a merlot, slightly darker than a pinot noir (Im sorry, Im a California guy. The legs are thick and slow to fall. The longer I decanted the more I had to change this review!!!!!! I finally added it to my wide base decanter and vigorously swirled it around creating many bubbles. The initial bouquet is rose water and cherry pie and an almost pepper aroma. The initial palate is earthy and spice. It begins with notes of red raspberry and leather. It quickly dissipates to a wonderful dark purple and red fruit like almost ripe plum and crabapple finish. It is dry yet somewhat light on the palate. I highly recommend this one.!!!!!!!!! It will be my French representation in my around the world tasting coming up next month. A very interesting wine. The best French wine Ive had to date. — 8 years ago
Poderi Luigi Einaudi
I Filari Dogliani Dolcetto 2006
Discontinued, but glad World Wide Wine in DC still stocked. Tannic. Easy to drink while making orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe and also paired with same. — 10 years ago
Heidi Schröck
Rosé Biscaya Rosé Blend 2014
Heidi Schrock 2014 Rosé Biscaya, Burgenland | 12% | From the warm continental (what they call Pannonian) climate of Neusiedlersee-Huggeland in Burgenland –Austria’s eastern most wine region pressed against the Hungarian frontier, this vintage seems to have dropped the St Laurent of previous vintages and is made of 40% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Pinot Noir although Heidi admits to using eight varieties in all –each in supporting roles. It’s a beautiful rosy red with a fragrant headful of umeboshi pickled plums of Japan for their tension of salty tart fruit and their fragrant shiso perilla leaf lift, but other fruit wafts up bright and fresh. Red currants and white cherries all carry over as well onto the palate –a scrumptious sip of tang and texture, brine and savor –for which it bears that saltwater taffy charm that I love about this rosé –in a watering-at-the-corners-of-the-mouth sort of way. It’s appealing in a way I’d never known before it –like feelings of fervor among inchoate lovers before which everything seemed so certain and after which the world seemed wide. Prepare yourself for a first kiss where red fruit orchards meet the sea. Food? Who needs food? …if I were to dream up a dish for this specifically it might involve a crispy rendered duck breast with a compote of those gamey black currants but you name it: pork chops, schnitzel, tempura, or citrus poached fish of the herring family.
Wine review by Nicholas Livingston, July 20th, 2015 (Fruit) — 10 years ago
Cameron Winery
Abbey Ridge Pinot Noir 2010
Currently my favorite in the whole wide world — 12 years ago
Two Shepherds
Saarloos Vineyard Grenache Blanc 2014
William bottles one of the best Grenache Blanc world-wide. Brine and dried green herbs on the nose. The herbs carry to the palate with flavors of melon and Asian pear. — 7 years ago
Flowers Vineyard & Winery
Sonoma Coast Rosé Blend 2017
Beautiful salmon shade in the glass with a wide brim. Typical notes of strawberries, rose petals, orange peel, and apricots. Pinot Rosé is not my favorite type, it just isn’t. But this absolutely works. The creaminess and elegance that the Flowers team has put together something special here. Medium body, with medium acidity and crisp fruit. On the palate, there’s white flowers, a ton of citrus fruits, lemon zest, and even a little earthiness to round things off. A beautiful New World Rosé. — 7 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
Booker Vineyard
Paso Robles Tempranillo 2009
As my tastes gradually drift to an old world sensibility, Paso wines are still a guilty pleasure. Purity and richness of fruit (deep dark red in this case), tobacco/leather notes, and a touch of spice. Significant presence of oak/vanilla but not offensively so. Overtone of smoke on a medium finish. Easy to drink alone but also adaptable to a wide range of heartier foods. — 8 years ago
Penfolds
Bin 28 Kalimna South Australia Shiraz 2001
Amazing how well these mid priced Penfolds reds can age. This 2001 Bin 28 tasted much the same 10 years ago! Suspended animation with a powerful core. This will easily go on for another 7+ years. For a wine that cost around $20 what other world wide wine company can do that? Rich and satisfying. Drank another bottle 18th October. Perfumed nose of ripe blackberry and prune, chocolate notes. Still rich and satisfying. 92 points. — 10 years ago
Two Hands
Bella's Garden Barossa Valley Shiraz 2011
I need to readjust my scale as I am rating all my wines in the 9 plus range (or I'm just drinking fantastic wines).
My favorite vineyard in the whole wide world would be two hands! — 10 years ago
Tenuta di Arceno
Il Fauno di Arcanum Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2008
Very bold and complex, yet easy to drink and leave a lingering pleasant aroma in your mouth. Very cheap for its quality. This wine actually is 96 pt rated world wide, but inexpensive as with other incredible Tuscan wine. Reminds me of a higher brunello di multipulciano. — 11 years ago
"Odedi"
It’s time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here's a great Napa Cabernet.
Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
Pronounced nose of red cherries, vanilla, blueberries, light oak, dust, tobacco, light vegetables, graphites, alcohol, spices, herbs, leather, earth and black pepper.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry and fruity on the palate with cherries, sweet raspberries, tobacco, cloves, vanilla, wood, earth, leather, coke, tobacco leaf, bitter vegetables, herbs and black pepper.
Medium on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a very nice Cabernet based Bordeaux blend. Showing nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel. A wine that keeps changing as it opens up, which is always enjoyable.
Feels more like a new world bold Pinot Noir. Very unique.
Good by itself or with food. Still young and needs another 5 years to mature. Has good potential to be a 92+ point wine.
Needs 90 minutes to open up properly and show some tannins. After 2.5 hours, it changes again, and the new world Cabernet shows up. Definitely still young. I've had the 2013 not too long ago and loved it.
I paired it with Brie cheese and roasted almonds.
A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon 3% Petit verdot, 3% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 26 months in French Oak barrels.
14.8% alcohol by volume.
90 points.
$90. — 6 years ago