At the beginning of the 19th century, John-Lewis Brown (1769-1851), bought a vineyard and designed in the village of Cantenac, a traditional Tudor style château, reminding him of his Scottish origins. His name is forever linked to the Grand Cru Classé. After the 1855 Grand Cru Classification, Louis Armand Lalande (1820-1894), Bordeaux winemerchant and owner of several estates in Médoc, extended the building. Surrounded by a remarkable British style park, Château Cantenac Brown is since then among the most original in Médoc and of the wines to watch out for, getting better vintage after vintage.
2017 will remain in the memories as the vintage of the frost…but 2017 is above all an early vintage with a regular and fast flowering and a homogeoues veraison. The great terroirs gave great grapes: Merlots are plumps and gourmands; Cabernets reveal complex aromas.
For more info, visit Château Cantenac Brownwebsite.
Château Carbonnieux is one of the oldest and largest wine estates in the Bordeaux region. Its history extends over almost 8 centuries and its vineyard over a hundred hectares. Belonging to the Perrin Family since 4 generations, the whole vineyard is located around the castle at the top of a superb gravel hill. All the wines produced depend on the Pessac-Léognan AOP.
2017 will be remembered for the frosty spells in late April that severely affected the Château Carbonnieux vineyard, but thanks to the meticulous attention paid to the vineyard and the precision and technique of the château team, they have succeeded in extracting the best from this vintage like true winemakers. A flagship wine of the estate, the 2017 Château Carbonnieux red is the result of a rigorous selection of the finest lots tasted.
Past Château Lafite, then up the small hill of stones, the locals call “Caux”, to Cos d’Estournel and its discrete neighbour Château Cos Labory.
The name of the estate comes from its geographical location on the Cos hill and the name of François Labory, who was the first owner until 1845. Mr. d’Estournel then acquired it before selling it again to an English banker, Charles Martyns in 1852. The property was finally taken over by George Weber in the 1930’s, who bequeathed it to his daughter and son-in-law, François Audoy in 1959. In 1971, the couple acquired the neighbouring estate, Château Andron Blanquet, until their elder son Bernard took over, now the emblematic symbol of the estate, having always lived in Saint-Estèphe.
Over time, the changes came gradually through substantial investment into technology, particularly an ultra-modern vat house and a new cellar. Having decided to vinify the wines at low temperatures to preserve and extract the fruit, their aim is to offer wines that age well but are also enjoyable when still young. Château Cos Labory combines characteristic Saint-Estèphe vigour and elegance and its rich tannin content gives this wine good ageing potential.
Château Laffitte Carcasset was founded in 1759 at «Le Carcasset», an area located at the heart of Saint-Estèphe appellation. In 1781
his owner, Jean Laffitte, lawyer and prosecutor of the King Louis XVI in Bordeaux, gave his name to the estate.
This beautiful chartreuse typical of the 18th century, is surrounded by the Classified Growths of Saint-Estèphe. The vineyard is on the gravellous plateau, near the Gironde estuary where the Cabernet and the Merlot best express their potential.
Château Laffitte Carcasset is a classic Saint-Estèphe red wine. A powerful, deep and well-structured wine, round and elegant, with excellent ageing potential.
For more info, visit Château Laffitte Carcassetwebsite.
VARIETALS
59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc
The Barton family’s passion for wine is reflected in the elegance and consistency of Château Léoville Barton. This estate was classified as a 2nd Grand Cru Classé in 1855 and lies within the iconic terroir of Saint Julien in the Médoc.
The Château was built in 1758 by Monsieur de Pontet. Beneath the private apartments lie the crypted vaulted cellars in which silence reigns eternal.The most renowned vintages of Léoville Barton are left to age in the peace and quiet of these cellars to reach their ultimate potential.
For more info, visit Château Leoville Barton website.
Like all the greatest wines of the appellation, Château Pédesclaux has the complexity that reflects the terroir it springs from. On this mosaic of soils, the clays convey power while the gravels express pure elegance. Pédesclaux embodies the depth that is the quintessence of Pauillac, balanced by a unique sensuality With each vintage, the painstaking work on these excellent plots pays off, while the revolutionary equipment in the winery enables the wine to develop its own unique personality. Across the years, a narrative arc has become visible: a scent special to this terroir that is a blend of blackcurrant, violet and cigar box. Sometimes denser and more tropical, at other times more ethereal, always maintaining the balance between powerful aromas and the silky delicacy of the tannins, Château Pédesclaux also boasts a formidable cellaring potential – another key feature of the great Pauillac terroirs.
Château Phélan-Ségur is a St Estèphe property that produces textbook meaty, solid and long-lived St Estèphe. Founded by Irishman Bernard O’Phelan, the estate was developed by his son, Frank, and renamed Phélan Ségur in the early 20th century. It was bought by Xavier Gardinier in 1985 and run by his sons, Thierry and Laurent until 2018, when Philippe Van de Vyvere bought the property.
2017, the first vintage under the new ownership, was marked by the episode of spring frost in the Bordeaux vineyards which spared these vineyards. It is a wine characterized by the high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%) and the integration of Cabernet Franc in its blend.
5th Grand Cru Classé of Pauillac, Château Pontet-Canet has experienced an irresistible rise which has made it one of the most emblematic brands of the Médoc. Led by Justine and Alfred Tesseron, Château Pontet-Canet has established itself as one of the finest references on the left bank of Bordeaux.
The 2017 vintage was marked by an episode of frost at the end of April, which had little impact on the vineyard due to the protective influence of the Gironde estuary. The growing cycle took place under favorable climatic conditions, including flowering in mid-May and veraison at the beginning of July. Despite some rain during September, the health condition is perfect and the grapes harvested at full maturity are of high quality.
Château Prieuré-Lichine’s history is an amazing mix of different eras and styles. From the Roman origins of the property to its rebirth under the Ballande group, 500 years of historic figures and events at this estate have combined to forge its special spirit, perfectly embodied by the Pope of Wine, Alexis Lichine.
Voluptuous and classic, the Grand Cru Classé of Château Prieuré-Lichine fully expresses the fine characteristics of its terroir with the elegance, subtely and breeding of great Margaux wines.
The year 2017 will long remain in our collective memory in Bordeaux, because of the devastating spring frosts that ocurred over the last ten days of April. It is in these difficult years that the Great Margaux Terroirs shine through and demonstrate their ability to moutain the quality potential of a vintage in spite of the vagaries of the weather.
For more info, visit Château Prieuré-Lichinewebsite.
VARIETALS
63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot
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.
Corte S. Anna is the name of the courtyard located in front of the restored tufa country house. It is symbolized by the weathervane in the courtyard, which features a rooster.
The line Corte Sant’ Anna, which is vinified and bottled by Rubinelli Vajol, identifies this younger Amarone, which has a shorter ageing period.
Originally Venetian wine traders in 1912, the Fabiano family moved to Verona in 1956 to produce wine on a larger scale, sourcing fruit from Estate and contract vineyards in Soave, Bardolino, and Valpolicella.
Produced by a careful selection of local grapes from the high hills vineyard located in the classic area of the Valpolicella DOC region, in particular around the ancient village of Negrar, this Amarone is a wine of antique lineage. It is a limited production dedicated by Nicola Fabiano to his grandfather Francesco and to his father Sergio. They have been for their children and in particular for him (Nicola) an inspiration and a good example with their passion and tenacity in producing great quality wines.
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.
Fugue de Nénin was created and first sold in 1997. Fugue comes from sandy-clay soils found in the eastern part of the Château’s vineyards, as well as from the young vines. This second wine is a typical example of the charm of Pomerol. The wines are smooth and silky and can be enjoyed earlier than those of the Grand Vin.
2017 is a vintage presenting smooth Merlots and structures on the predominantly clayey parts of the Pomerol plateau, and more in finesse and roundness on gravelly-sandy terroirs. Cabernet Francs, once again more decisive on these same great terroirs, offer a pleasant balance to the blend of the first wine, combining power, elegance and complexity.
Three large plots in the best parts of Pauillac form the vineyard of this classified growth, an unusual configuration and a direct inheritance from the estate’s founder, Pierre Ducasse, an eminent lawyer. In the 18th century he gave a single name to a fine vineyard holding, which was put together through inheritance and purchases. When he died in 1797, his son, Pierre, inherited a 60-hectare exploitation, named Ducasse-Grand-Puy-Artigues-Arnaud, of which two third were planted with vines. The estate was classified in 1855, under the name of Artigues Arnaud.
L’Héritier de Grand Puy Ducasse is the second wine of Château Grand-Puy Ducasse. A distinguished red wine that embodies the classic elegance of the Pauillac AOC with rich flavors and refined tannins.
For more info, visit Château Grand-Puy Ducassewebsite.
Located in the heart of the Haut-Médoc appellation, on the edge of the Saint-Julien appellation, the Château de Camensac covers 75 hectares. Purchased in 2005 by the Merlaut family, he benefits from the experience and know-how of the Château Chasse Spleen team, it regains its glory of 1855, when it was ranked 5th Grand Cru in the Bordeaux classification and its wines renew with the traditional quality of the castle.
La Closerie de Camensac is the second wine of Château de Camensac and it is a cuvée from the young vines which it enjoys the same careful care during the vinification as the great wine.
A wine with a captivating personality, La Closerie de Camensac offers the opportunity to taste a vintage from a Médoc classified vintage at a very affordable price.
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