After the 2000 vintage, Juliette Bécot and her father Gérard Bécot wanted to join forces to acquire a new family property. A new challenge for Gérard, and for his daughter Juliette, who is taking her first steps in this magical and exciting profession.
It was while searching in the neighboring Appellations of Saint-Emilion, a property offering great potential due to the quality of its wines and its terroirs, that they discovered Château Joanin in Saint-Philippe-d’Aiguille. With the desire to personalize this vineyard, they wanted to add their family name to it. Thus, they brought this vintage to life, giving it a first and last name: “Joanin Bécot”.
The main desire, through each vintage, is to preserve all the flavors and charm of the fruit, while relying on the notion of terroirs, truly attractive and promising in the “Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux” appellation.
Château Kirwan is an estate located in Cantenac, not far from the city of Bordeaux and the river Garonne, in a terroir where man and nature have been living together harmoniously for hundreds of years.
The Château, built in 1751, was one of the few Medoc properties that Thomas Jefferson, the future third President of the United States, visited on his Bordeaux wine tasting trip in France and mentioned in his diaries written in 1780. Mark Kirwan passed away in 1815 and over the centuries it passed from hand to hand through several owners, until, during the early years of the twentieth century, it was acquired by a family of “negociant”, the Schyler and Schroder, which moved to Bordeaux in 1738 and still in business today.
With 40 hectares divided into 46 parcels that wind within the territory of the AOC Margaux, it is clear and obvious how the keystone of this Château, over the years, has always been the terroir and its strong identity. Its wines have a characteristic soft, gentle attack, followed by a very Margaux lacework of flavours. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot provide Kirwan’s main wine with a multi-layered structure that is very big, tempered by the roundness of the Merlot and the delicate elegance of the Cabernet Franc.
Like all great vintages, 2015 offers fine balance. The alcohol is imperceptible and perfectly balanced by a refreshing natural acidity. The tannins give the wine a velvety unctuousness. In the end, the wine is wonderfully fruity and refined, with a gourmand, tactile character that far outshines it simple potency. 100% Margaux.
Château La Croix Du Casse was for many years owned and administered by Jean-Michel Arcaute, who also owned Chateau Jonqueyres and world famous Château Clinet.
He was one of Bordeaux`s true innovators and propelled Croix du Casse into the front line of Pomerol properties.
Located at the southern tip of the Pomerol plateau , the Château La Croix du Casse vineyard extends over a terroir characteristic of the appellation, made up of ancient gravel and sand with an underlayer containing a significant proportion of iron dross.
Family property, on the north-west slope, 1 km from the village of Saint-Émilion, based on traditional cultivation with absence of weedkillers, limited yields, manual harvesting, traditional aging in oak barrels/foudres and amphoras.
This Saint-Émilion Grand Cru is the fruit of the work of the land and the grapes harvested by women and men in symbiosis with nature.
Château La Petite Duchesse is a family property owned by Jean-Louis Champagne. After inheriting from his father, he continued to enlarge the vineyard and modernized the winery. His son Xavier, recently joined him on the wine estate.
This property also produces the appellations Bordeaux Rouge; Bordeaux Supérieur; Bordeaux Rosé and Bordeaux Blanc.
Château Langoa Barton, 3rd Classified Growth, was the first of the two Bordeaux wine estates bought by Hugh Barton in the 1820s, the other being Léoville-Barton, 2nd Classified Growth.
Both Langoa and Léoville wines are models of typical St Julien restraint and elegance, and for years, Langoa Barton was considered slightly lighter and more forward than Léoville. However, in the last decade it has become noticeably deeper in colour and richer and more concentrated on the palate. Langoa Barton is now often the equal of Léoville.
The plots that compose the Château Langoa Barton terroir overlook the river. The splendid slopes of quaternary gravel bring the grapes to full maturity and then they undergo a rigorous selection process before being chosen for the Langoa Barton. The plowing is traditional, without weeding or herbicide.
For more info, visit Château Langoa Bartonwebsite.
VARIETALS
54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc
Called at various times Château de Canolle, La Rivette, and Château Brion-Larrivet, the estate was given its current name, château Larrivet Haut-Brion, in 1949 by Jacques Guillemaud (owner since 1941). Devoted and hard-working, he conscientiously managed the estate until 1982. Château Larrivet Haut-Brion was acquired by the Gervoson family in 1987. They restored the estate’s unity, once again combining the château, outbuildings, 13 hectares of grounds, and 42 hectares of vines under one owner, as well as replanting 18 hectares of land that had laid fallow.
Today a team of enthusiastic professionals has done a wonderful job of giving Château Larrivet Haut-Brion back its superb reputation, and the estate is once again universally recognized as one of the finest wines in the Pessac-Léognan appellation. This 2018 is a very nice expression of the new style they want to produce: well-balanced, representative of the terroir, with identity.
For more info, visit Château Larrivet Haut-Brionwebsite.
VARIETALS
56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc
The Château Les Moines belongs to the estate Château la Grâce Dieu which in the Middle Ages was a Cistercian prioress called «A LA Grâce De Dieu».
The vineyard of Château Les Moines is situated on the western hillside of the city (estate) of Saint Emilion, located just 2 km from the famous village of Saint Emilion.
Bernard Magrez’s journey is that of passion, a constant desire for improvement, know-how and exceptional success which has its roots first in Bordeaux, in the Grands Crus Classés, then in other prestigious terroirs in France and around the world. Bernard Magrez’s journey is that of passion, a constant desire for improvement, know-how and exceptional success which has its roots first in Bordeaux, in the Grands Crus Classés, then in other prestigious terroirs in France and around the world.
Located in the town of Pompignac, “Château Les Songes boasts a beautiful clay and limestone terroir where Merlot, the ‘king’ of grape varieties on
the Right Bank flourishes. This supple, fruity and full-bodied wine reflects the style of the area, lively and energetic.
At the gates of Pauillac, Château Lynch-Bages now represents a symbolic history of the Medoc. Born in 1691 by the hand of John Lynch, an Irish nobleman in exile, the winery was implemented by John’s son, Thomas Lynch, who managed the company with wisdom and foresight from 1749 to 1824, producing excellent wines initially known as ” Cru de Lynch ”, later classified as Grand Cru at the Paris Exposition of 1855.
Having become the property of the Cazes family in 1939 and led by the outstanding Jean-Michel Cazes since 2007, Château Lynch-Bages’ style has established itself, and this reflects Pauillac’s identity with an extraordinary depth and richness, thanks above all to Jean-Michel Cazes.
Wines have been made at Château Macquin since 1885, when the first cellar was developed by François-Albert Macquin. François was the first to re-plant vines in the Saint-Émilion region following the phylloxera outbreak in the 19th century.
Château Macquin is located just three kilometres north of Saint- Émilion, in the small village of Saint-Georges, the smallest of all Bordeaux appellations. However, at its peak of 89 metres above sea level, Saint-Georges enjoys one of the best elevations on the right bank, giving the wines freshness and concentration.
The south facing vines are planted on clay and limestone soils and range from 15 to 60 years old. The vines are sustainably farmed, without the use of herbicides, fertilizers, or other harmful chemicals.
VARIETALS
80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc
Castel Estates and Vineyards offer a range of unique estate wines, finding some true gems by following the advice of the people who know and love the place best. In Bordeaux, at the gateway to Entre-Deux-Mers, they selected Château Malbec which also houses an education center dedicated to wine and the art of wine tasting. Contrary to appearances, Château Malbec is not named after the famous grape variety, but for one of its former owners, Louis Malbec.
Vignobles Lassagne gather several family properties that were bought since three generations and are grown according to tradition and innovation on unique terroir located in the Libourne area.
Vignobles Lassagne encompasses these three properties: Château des Arnauds (the original estate), Château des Landes and Château Maltus, the latest addition to the Vignobles Lassagne.
History tells us that the origin of the Château Maltus goes back to the Middle Ages, in the time of the crusades.
The Order of Malta, well implanted on the land named Lalande de Pomerol, cultivated vines for the first time on the grounds of the Château Maltus.
Nicolas Lassagne acquired this parcel in 2015 of sixty-year-old vines with the purpose of producing this richly dense wine.
A well regarded 28ha property on the borders of St Georges-St Emilion owned by the Amart family since 1949, which it is looking out over her neighbours like Cheval Blanc, Vieux Chateau Certan and Chateau Petrus who are just over the Barbanne stream. Tasted against far greater names this is a exceptional value, very elegant, with a lovely weight of fruit. It will not disappoint.
Château Nénin is located in the village of Pomerol, one of the most prestigious areas of Bordeaux. The Domaine was bought by Jean-Hubert Delon in 1997 from his cousins, the Despujols, owners of the estate since 1847. Jean-Hubert had the intention of continuing the centuries-old tradition of the Château, and precisely for this reason, since immediately, extensive renovation and modernization works, including technical ones, were carried out. Under his direction, the land was in fact drained, the vineyards renewed and the cellars modernised, to improve the vinification and aging processes.
According to the Delon family, Château Nénin is the epitome of a great Pomerol “vin de garde” (wine for laying down). It combines power and elegance, complexity and balance, purity and refi nement. The gradual increase of Cabernet Franc within the vineyards gives the wine tautness, distinction and freshness. To really appreciate the Grand Vin’s ageing ability, you may need to be patient. Like all great Pomerol vins de garde, Château Nénin blossoms over time.
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