Complex and velvety, with silky tannins and a delicious taste, this is how the “Alter Ego”, fascinating Rouge of Château Palmer presents itself.
This Margaux AOC is born from a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, grown according to certified biodynamic methods. With a pleasant gustatory balance and marvelous fruity aromas, “Alter Ego” is a refined and complex wine of great depth, a lively expression of the different parcels and of the natural and genuine flavors of the grapes.
The 2017 vintage at Château Palmer was precise, without excess. The wines exhibit the elegant balance of the most classic vintages. Their velvety tannins and aromatic depth are promises of splendid ageing potential.
Blason d’Issan, Château d’Issan’s second wine, was introduced from 1995 onwards to enable selection amongst the vines growing in the Margaux appellation area. Made from the younger plots (around 18 years old), it respects the identity of its terroir, while offering a tasty round fruitiness, which can be enjoyed earlier.
The grapes in 2017 that were picked were lovely and fruity, and very ripe with silky, classy tannins.
Illusion, esteem for the land and commercial will encouraged a group of farmers and wine experts to establish Bodegas del
Medievo. Medievo wines are the fruit of the work of generations of farmers who form Medievo and from the hands and know-hown of winemaker Santiago Garde.
A surprising, full bodied and structured example of Rioja Reserva red.
For more info, visit Bodegas del Medioevo website.
VARIETALS
Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo
In the heart of Langhe, Italy, where technology and rural tradition coexist, lies the Bosio Family Estates Winery. The winery, founded in 1967, is an official Unesco Human Heritage and prides themselves in keeping authentic winemaking traditions and excellences. Bosio’s wines are vinified in small parcels to produce vintages with great varietal character and are some of the best value from the Piedmont region.
The vineyards of Bosio ‘Boschi Dei Signori’ Barolo are located in the Verduno sector on clay-limestone soils. A rare find, a truly delicious, approachable and affordable Barolo.
Juan Cúneo Solari founded Casas del Bosque in 1993, at a time when the Chilean wine industry was pursuing quantity over quality. His commitment to quality is evident in the Gran Reserva Cabernet, a wine which is a great exponent of this characteristic variety of Chile that finds one of its most typical expressions in the Maipo Valley.
The Private Reserve are a limited edition wines with great body and balanced structure, with soft and elegant tannins. A unique terroir. Old vines. Grapes hand harvested at optimum ripeness. Only French oak barrels selected by the winemaker.
Located in the southern part of the Bordeaux Medoc peninsula, Château Cantemerle, designated a great growth in the famous 1855 classification, thanks to its unique terroir, produces complex well-balanced and refined wines.
The 2017 Cantemerle is deeply colored with reserved, sustained aromas…everything which indicates a bottle with a future, a very good bottle indeed. Nonetheless, those who appreciate young wines will find much to enjoy: with careful aerating in a decanter, pleasant blackberry aromas become evident. The wine shows good fruit that is both youthful and fresh.
One of the few Bordeaux châteaux with three words in their name, Château Haut Bages Liberal came across its unusual moniker for very simple reasons: the property is situated on the hills of Bages, a tiny area between Pauillac and St. Julien. Liberal is the name of the family that owned the chateau during the 18th century.
Today Chateau Haut Bages Liberal is run by Claire Villars-Lurton, the wife of Gonzague Lurton, the owner of Chateau Durfort Vivens located in the Margaux appellation.
The vineyard is widely dispersed in the appellation, as they have parcels located in several different sites in Pauillac, with their best terroir being situated on one of the better elevations in the entire Pauillac appellation. They have vines not far from Chateau Latour in St. Lambert, as well as parcels on the plateau of Bages.
The vintage is now undergoing certification in organic and biodynamics farming.
For more info, visit Château Haut-Bages Libéralwebsite.
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 recognised as one of the finest wines in the Pessac-Léognan appellation.
For more info, visit Château Larrivet Haut-Brionwebsite.
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.
Located in the village of Pez, whose name comes from the ancient French word meaning “peace”, the Château Ormes de Pez covers 40 hectares of vineyards. The château has been linked to the Cazes family for more than a century. Although Lynch-Bages is without a doubt the flagship of the Domaines Jean-Michel Cazes, Ormes de Pez belongs to the Medoc landscape since the 18th century. Purchased by Jean-Charles Cazes in the wake of the Second World War, the history of these two estates is closely linked.
The wines from Ormes de Pez are powerful yet characterized by their harmonious structure. They are indulgent, pleasurable and combine a smooth, fleshy texture with the distinctive elegance of a Saint-Estèphe.
Château Ormes de Pez 2017, although more like a Pauillac on the nose, offers the experience of a great Saint-Estèphe full of elegance and charm.
The Domaine’s Grand Vin vineyard is located to the west of the town of Ordonnac.
Its vines are aligned on a double clay-gravelly talweg and they produce a very fine wine with a tight texture, great richness and magnificent freshness. Its qualities often place Château Potensac as the representative of the “pure Médoc style”.
Legend relates that the name of this imposing estate originates with Connétable Talbot, a famous English warrior, defeated at the battle of Castillon in 1453. Talbot is one of the Medoc’s oldest estates, its glory never tainted. Through the years, it has been fortunate enough to remain in good hands. The owners are Nancy Bignon-Cordier and her family. They are the fourth generation of Cordiers to manage this Saint-Julien fourth Classified Growth.
For many, Talbot embodies the ideal Saint-Julien, a generous bouquet, extremely stable and dependable during aging, a champion of longevity; even young Talbot is pleasant and rounded, always characterized by silky, mild and very civilized tannins. Talbot possesses an expansive character. It’s never withdrawn into itself and has the courtesy of being in a good mood every day.
Léon Nony established the Château Treytins estate in the 1950’s, but its vineyards were planted in the 19th century by the Count de Kermartin. After Léon Nony’s death in 1959, his son, Michel, then his grandson, Jean-Marc, continued his work building up the vineyard estate. In the 1990’s, the vat room and cellars were extended and completely renovated to incorporate new techniques and the latest thinking in terms of vinification and ageing, while preserving traditional know-how.
From the 17th century to the present day, ten generations of owners have followed one another and have left their mark on the history of Château Lascombes. A destiny marked by colorful characters who all worked for the excellence of Château Lascombes wines.
The younger sibling in the Lascombes family is no junior. Selected from batches that are not earmarked for the Grand Vin, this Second Wine of Château Lascombes has undeniable charm and offers real drinking pleasure.
Clos de l’Oratoire, located on Saint-Emilion’s northeast slope, where the terroir of Fronsac molasse is made by a layer of sandy soil and a clay subsoil, ideally suited to Merlot (80% of the vines).
In the middle of the 19th century, Beylot, a merchant from Libourne, acquired Château Peyreau, a vast property located northeast of St Emilion. Redeemed in the 1960s by Michel Boutet, this one splits it in two and succeeds in classifying “Premier Grand Cru” the best vines under the name “Clos de l’Oratoire”. In 1971, he sold the ensemble (Peyreau and Clos de l’Oratoire) to Count Joseph-Hubert von Neipperg .
The family has made wine in Germany since the 13th century, and viticulture has never stopped being a central part of their life. The custodian of some 800 years of winegrowing tradition, the talented Stephan von Neipperg, agronomist and son of Joseph-Hubert, manages the Bordeaux estates acquired by his family in 1971. Ably assisted by a team of professionals, he has brought the wines from these châteaux to the pinnacle of quality.
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