Tag Archives: bordeaux

Chateau Cos D’Estournel winery tour

04 Saturday Mar 2023

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The second winery we visited on our trip to Bordeaux was right up the road from Lynch Bages, in St. Estephe.  This Indian inspired winery is stunning to say the least.  The inside is like a Maharajas palace- beautifully appointed with rich colors and exotic fabrics.  The winery wasn’t bad either- they were one of, if not the first to install a gravity flow system to ensure the wine was not overworked by pumping and other quality degrading operations.

The imposing facade

The tasting was amazing- Three wines from different vintages and obviously quality levels.  All were great for what they were but the Grand Vin was a complete standout.

Our guide was excellent.  Very informative and gracious.  Our tour ended in their shop where I purchased two bottles of their sister winery in Hungary’s Tokaji.  From the same vintage I bought the 5 and 6 puttonyos versions to compare.  Stay tuned for that tasting.  If you are in the area this is a must-visit winery.  Salut….

Chateau Les Ormes-de-Pez 2006, Saint-Estephe, France

01 Wednesday Mar 2023

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Purchased at the gift shop in Bages, this Cru Bourgeois is part of the Lynch Bages portfolio.  Pardon the abrupt notes, but it is being drunk at our Parisian Air-bnb in glasses that are not optimal.   Medium garnet colored , nose of blackberry, cassis, tobacco, cedar box, classic aged Bordeaux. Delicious with medium acidity and medium tannins that are well integrated with a medium body.  Slightly tart on the back end with black fruit puree and cassis.  Secondary and tertiary flavors of tobacco, cedar lined drawers, smoke and espresso.  Long finish with tart dark fruit- 91 points.  For around $43, you too can taste this delicious and mature wine.  4 stars.  Salut….

Chateau Lynch Bages winery tour

28 Tuesday Feb 2023

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If you know me at all you will know that Lynch Bages is on my top three wines of all time.  I have drunk several vintages and many bottles over the past 25 years of this stunning Bordeaux wine.  When we decided to visit the region, they were the first winery I contacted for a tour.  I must admit the grey overcast and rainy days of February might not be the most picturesque time of the year to visit but there were no crowds and we were greeted by our excellent host at the newly built, ultra modern gravity flow winery.  Lots of glass in the main building allows for ample light and the beautifully appointed offices included a whimsical set of bathrooms replete with some funny cartoons.

Our tour began with in the ‘fermentation room’.  Stainless steel fermenting tanks that are gravity fed by a system of elevators and controlled by computer, very impressive set up.

Next up was a museum of sorts- the old wooden vats and the railroad system they used to employ to fill the barrels with must and also to press the wine.  Some interesting artifacts indeed!

Barrels of wine resting up prior to bottling, smoothing out and picking up secondary notes over time.

Remnants of grape and olive presses are on display outside the vault that holds their library of vintages.

And finally- the moment we had waited for.   The tasting room greeted us with three offerings- the ’15 Ormes de Pez, ’16 Echo (their second wine) and the ’14 Grand Vin.  All drank beautifully and showed the power off this winery as well as its finesse.  Stunning wines to drink made ever more special by the surroundings.

Our tour ended with a visit to their local village where we shopped for wine, drank coffee and thoroughly enjoyed reveling in the moment.  What a special place.  Salut….

A trip to Bordeaux

27 Monday Feb 2023

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Moxie and I took a trip to France which started out in Bordeaux.  Once settled into the hotel we started our wine adventure with a taste of the local wares.  Our bar had a by-the-glass program of several delicious classified Crus that I worked through.  Dinner was fabulous and included a bottle of Graves.  We had to prepare ourselves for the next two days- visits to Chateau Lynch Bages, Cos D’Estournel and Guiraud as well as a pit stop in St. Emilion.  Dining was unbelievable, the wines were impeccable and scenery was pretty cool.  The only drawback being the rain for the first two days.  Overall it was a great three days in wine country followed by a hi-speed train to Paris, passing through the Loire Valley and catching a glimpse of the Vouvray appellation.  Stay tuned for more posts on this amazing trip.  Salut….

Wines by the glass

Our opener on arrival!

the smorgasbord

First full bottle

Amazing Burrata

Grilled Octopus

Delicious vino

The salmon dish

First of many steaks

Braised lamb

OMG

Chateau Carbonnieux Blanc 2019, Pessac-Leognan, France

27 Sunday Nov 2022

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Last night we drank four wines at the 29th Virtual Wine tasting.  Opening up with both a chilled and room temp serving of this Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon the group found the wine to be a pale lemon color with the textbook aromas of cut grass, citrus and dare I say- cat pee.  Other aromas and flavors included peaches, algae (?), pineapple, grapefruit and lemon curd.  The wine was dry with high acidity and a medium (-) body leading to a short finish.  I think this $45 bottle is worthy of 91 points, slightly shy of the pros who went as high as 94.  It’s delicious now and will keep for a few more years but why wait on this 4 star effort.  Seafood or poached chicken would pair nicely.  Salut….

Chateau De La Huste 2019, Fronsac, France

13 Thursday Oct 2022

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Rich ruby colored and about 75% opaque.  The nose has enticing aromas of black plum, cassis, blackberry, menthol, vanilla, coffee, mocha.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins.  They are well integrated but still grippy.  Flavors of cassis and plum dominate but I get blackberry with oak influence and some green pepper alongside the menthol.  Full bodied it carries on to a long finish.  This is textbook Right Bank Merlot with a dash of Cabernet Franc- delicious and reasonably priced at $25.  I like it and think it is worthy of 92 points and 5 stars.  I’m searing some Hangar steaks with Gratin Potatoes to pair.  Drink till 2028.  Salut….

Chateau Lamothe Blanc 2021, Bordeaux, France

16 Friday Sep 2022

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Bright lemon colored this is the third vintage of Lamothe that I have tasted.  A blend of 87% Sauvignon Blanc with 13% Semillon it has intense aromas of cut grass, gooseberry, flint, bell pepper, lemon zest, stone fruit and underripe strawberry.  The palate is dry, crisp and tart with medium (+) acidity.  Texturally speaking there is an oily component that gives this wine a medium (+) body.  The citrus takes center stage on the palate with the stone fruit backing it up.  The telltale cut grass and gooseberry are not as pronounced.  The finish is medium in length, perhaps the aromatics of this varietal linger longer.  Delicious and refreshing to say the least.  I’m impressed by this $15 wine that gets 90 points and 5 stars.  Drink with lighter fare including chicken and seafood.  It begs for oysters and clams on the half shell.  Salut….

Chateau Fleur Cardinale 2015, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France

04 Sunday Sep 2022

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This Right Bank Merlot based blend is a deep garnet color in the glass with long, lingering legs.  The nose is gorgeous- plum, steeped blackberry, cassis, licorice, vanilla bean, graphite and blueberry mixed with fresh oak and a touch of espresso.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are silky on the mouthfeel.  Medium to full bodied this just-maturing wine has got waves of blackberry, blueberry and plum flavors intertwined with a dash of vanilla, coffee and oak.  It is just starting to offer tertiary flavors and will develop nicely in the coming years.  It finishes long with a black tea component alongside cassis.  Very smooth and certainly delicious, this $55 bottle will drink nicely till 2032 and pair with most meat dishes and stews.  94 points from me make it a 5 star wine.  Salut…..

Chateau d’Yquem 2010, Sauternes, France

15 Sunday May 2022

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There’s dessert wines and then there is Chateau d’Yquem.  Head and shoulders above the rest it is the only Supérieur Premier Cru in the region.  This botrytised wine was still very young but we got exactly what we wanted out of it-

Deep gold colored. Honey, apricot, lemon marmalade, orange preserves, white blossom, nuts, super sweet with medium (+) acidity.  Full bodied. Youthful, long finish. 96 points

A pretty basic write up, but when you are sipping this stunner with chocolate lava cake it’s hard to divert too much attention to making assessments.  An amazing wine to savor with friends for the next 30 years or so.  I have to agree with the pros, this is at least a 96 point wine that gets 5 stars.  Salut….

Chateau Lynch-Bages 2000, Pauillac, France

15 Sunday May 2022

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We are moving next month and wanted to have a special dinner with close friends- this was the opener.  My last sampling of the 2000 Lynch Bages was 4 years ago.  It has developed further and is fully mature now.  Moxie said it was the best wine she has ever tasted.  A Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

A very light bricking on the rim gives clues to this wine’s age.  The nose is a complex melding of tertiary notes alongside some fruit and oak nuance.  Leather, tobacco, cassis, cedar box, cooked blackberry, prunes, fig and a touch of caramel.  On the palate this wine is so smooth- medium (+) acidity has kept it in fine shape alongside very fine grained tannins that are fully integrated at this point.  Medium bodied, the flavors have a medium intensity- it’s about finesse with this wine.  A long finish shows off its pedigree.  Simply stunning and a pleasure to drink after so long in the cellar.  It’s average price hovers around $450 now, jaw dropping I know.  I’m sticking with my original 96 point score.  It’s only fair to give this wine 5 stars.  Drink till 2027.  Salut….