The grapes used for producing this wine were extracted from the vineyards located in the Uco Valley, Mendoza, at 1.300 mt (4,300 ft.) above sea level.
This area is characterized by its wide thermal amplitude, which allows for grapes of great intensity in color, an important aromatic expression and great natural acidity.
This wine represents all the purity, the simplicity and the exquisite expression of its varietal.
Andrés Valiente and his son Rodolfo formed Viñedos & Bodegas Vegalfaro in 1999. The name Vegalfaro comes from a combination of the word “vega,” meaning a lowland meadow or stretch of alluvial soil, with the historic name of their winery property, Casa Alfaro.
Bodegas Vegalfaro cultivates 60 hectares (148 acres) of low-yielding vines that fully conform to the strict requirements of Ecological Farming established by the European Union. The winery has never utilized artificial products in its vineyards, so soils are alive with a prolific variety of microfauna. These microscopic organisms are very important for the decomposition of organic material, as well as for the absorption of nutrients through a symbiotic relationship with the vine roots.
The Pago de Los Balagueses estate is a privileged vineyard site in a solitary location entirely surrounded by forests within the mountainous Parque Natural de las Hoces del Cabriel, an ideal microclimate and soil for vine growing.
Pago de Los Balagueses is Vegalfaro’s top-echelon wine brand, entirely sourced from one of only seventeen wine estates in Spain awarded the DOP Vino de Pago designation to date. Spain’s “vino de pago” system is an appellation structure that was legally created in 2003 by the Spanish government, in coordination with Spain’s winemaking community, to indicate a higher qualification of excellence than DO or even the top-level DOCa. It is comparable to the French-wide Grand Cru system.
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.
“La Trampa” is the culmination of a constant search for excellence in interpreting the terroir, achieving a great cool climate wine.
A north-east facing hillside of sandy loam soils on its surface, gives way to deeper clay-like soil typical of Serie Lo Vásquez, of granitic origin and rich in iron. These controlled yield vineyards produce remarkable quality grapes of Syrah, Malbec and Pinot Noir, of rich and balanced acidity and firm tannins, which give birth to this unique and atypical assemblage, where the fruit is the main protagonist.
Chappellet is recognized as one of the great Napa Valley wineries, and one of the few which remains family owned. Today, the second generation is committed to continuing the vision of their parents, Donn and Molly Chappellet. Together, the siblings are dedicated to maintaining sustainable farming techniques, a relentless focus on wine quality, respect for Pritchard Hill’s natural beauty and the preservation of family ownership for generations to come.
The most sought-after wine in the portfolio, this limited-production Cabernet Sauvignon represents the pinnacle of Chappellet winemaking and embodies the elegant power and complexity of Pritchard Hill winegrowing. Like the great Bordeaux wines that first inspired Donn Chappellet, this wine is crafted by blending Cabernet Sauvignon with other classic Bordeaux varietals. The wine was aged for 22 months in 100 percent new French oak. Grown on rocky, mountainside vineyard, these Cabernets have consistently displayed an ability to age for several decades.
“I inherited Château Cantelaudette in 1984, I was thirty years old and married in the same year. The property was not really a wedding gift: the house and vines had been abandoned and there was no winery. However, my wife, when she saw the old château, thought that it should be our home. Starting from scratch, we refurbished it to our taste, replanted the vines according to expert recommendations, and built an operational winery to produce a wine under the Cantelaudette label. Without my wife, Laurence, I never would have had the courage to undertake this adventure. I make wines for her and which reflect her… refined, elegant, balanced, rounded, and with a certain complexity.” – Jean-Michel Chatelier, owner and manager of Château Cantelaudette.
For more info, visit Château Cantelaudettewebsite.
The origin of the name Château Croizet-Bages dates back to the seventeenth century when the Croizet brothers, emblematic dynasty of the Médoc landscape, founded this estate in the heart of the Pauillac appellation.
In the heart of the Médoc Regional Natural Park is the vineyard of Château Croizet-Bages, already planted with vines during the imperial classification of 1855.
Pauillacais in essence, the wines of Château Croizet-Bages are solar and generous.
To perfect the most delicate blends, Merlot, harvested relatively early, brings roundness to the great wine. The petit verdot, present in a tiny quantity, gives all its colorful passion to the wine. The backbone of the great wine, Cabernet Sauvignon brings an aromatic power all in length that will be revealed after a few years of ageing.
Aged 12 months in French oak barrels, the wines are fine and velvety in texture.
For more info, visit Château Croizet-Bageswebsite.
VARIETALS
58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot
“Fons Brogiera: a spring surrounded by heather”. This was the first mention of the name Fombrauge which, for 6 centuries now, has epitomised the elegance of the Grand Cru Classé wines of Saint Emilion. From the Canolle family in the 15th century to Bernard Magrez today, six families have succeeded each other in owning and running Château Fombrauge, providing the estate, which harvested its first grapes in 1599, with a rare stability and a pioneering spirit beyond compare.
To ensure the full expression of the estate’s rich terroir, Bernard Magrez, the owner since 1999, today combines ancestral savoir-faire with precision viticulture. The result is a sublime wine, the epitome of a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé.
The SCEA des Vignobles Marcel Petit was created in 1986 by Mr. Marcel Petit with the acquisition of Château Pillebois from the Castillon Côtes-de-Bordeaux appellation.
In 1988, the vineyard grew with Châteaux Franc Lartigue and Grande Rouchonne, located in the Saint-Emilion appellation. It was that same year that the Vignobles Marcel Petit joined the Vignerons Indépendants de France.
In 1997, Mr. Marcel Petit retired, thus entrusting the vineyards to his daughter Elisabeth and his son-in-law Jean-Pierre Toxé.
The vineyard then reached 22 hectares of vines, divided between Saint-Emilion and Castillon.
On a map dating from 1811 there are five castles, not far from each other, all bearing the name of Corbin.
Today, the Grand Corbin vineyard extends in one piece over 37 ha of which 28.5 ha are Grand Crus Classés of Saint Emilion.
Thanks to the expertise and know-how of an experienced team, the latest vintages confirm the progress made both in the vineyard and in the cellar. Wines with silky and suave tannins, with a nose marked by truffles, a discreet woodiness and a few touches of mocha. Freshness, elegance, shine are the other characteristics. The blue clays give these wines structure, density and ensure real aging potential.
For more info, visit Château Grand Corbin website.
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
Running along the edge of the Saint-Emilion appellation, this vineyard is owned by the Fauchey family, who have been making wine in the Bordeaux area since the 17th century. The estate, until the second world war, made mostly white wine for the army. Today though, the vineyard is mostly planted with merlot, the grape best suited to the climate and soil of the domain.
VARIETALS
85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
The Château Pontet-Fumet is located near the village of Vignonet in the well-known wine-growing region of Saint-Émillion.
It is one of the outstanding Grand Crus in Saint-Émillion, where the soils of the vineyards are characterized by sandy gravel soils.
The Château Quinault l’Enclos property is located on the right bank of Bordeaux in the Saint-Émilion appellation. Belonging to the famous Château Cheval Blanc, the first classified A growth of Saint-Émilion, the wines of Château Quinault l’Enclos benefit from the same care as those of Château Cheval Blanc.
A vintage of challenges marked by strong climatic contrasts, 2018 will remain a great year in the memories of the property. The heavy rainfall at the start of the year will have generated significant mildew pressure. The precision and constant attention paid by the property’s technical teams made it possible to save Château Quinault L’Enclos from mildew. The beautiful summer which set in in July with an ideal September favored perfect ripening with berries with good concentration.
VARIETALS
72% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc
Château Vieux Moulin is located on a clay-limestone plateau near the village of Saint-Emilion.
It was in the early 20th century that Herman Sublett invested in the vineyards of Puisseguin and its surroundings. Grégoire Sublett, the great-grandson and a member of the fourth generation, has taken up the torch and continues, surrounded by his family and team, the work of his father Didier Sublett, his
grandfather Michel Sublett, and his great-grandfather Herman Sublett to make this estate shine.
The vineyard is managed with a commitment to environmental respect. Being winegrowers for several generations, the family’s sensitivity to nature is at the heart of their concerns. Thus, their approach pays attention throughout the year to vineyard cultivation and the unique character of this terroir.
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