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A Century of...Fives
France: Bordeaux, France: Bordeaux featured Verticals and Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux Verticals and Retrospectives featured, featured
, Jun 2025
My annual "Century of..." article revisits vintages on their decennial anniversaries. This year, we dive into Fives.
Cellar Favorite: 1990 Hennebelle
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux, featured
, Jun 2025
The 1990 Hennebelle is a pertinent reminder of the glories of Bordeaux, how a modest quarter-century-old Haut-Médoc could deliver such pleasure.
Bordeaux: The Crisis Laid Bare
France: Bordeaux, featured
, Jun 2025
Bordeaux is facing its biggest crisis since the 1930s. After speaking candidly to people in and outside of Bordeaux, I felt a duty to depict the sheer scale of the calamity the Bordeaux wine industry is up against.
Bordeaux 2015 At Age Ten
France: Bordeaux, France: Bordeaux featured Verticals and Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux Verticals and Retrospectives featured, featured
, Jun 2025
The 2015 vintage in Bordeaux was warmly received on release, but 2016 stole the limelight just 12 months later. How is the vintage faring now that the wines have reached age ten? Blindfolds on.
The Innings Continues: 1948 to 1995 Yquem
France: Bordeaux, France: Bordeaux featured Verticals and Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux Verticals and Retrospectives featured, featured
, May 2025
I have tasted a great deal of mature Bordeaux wine, including Sauternes, but I have not yet achieved the magic number of 100 different vintages from a single estate. I mentioned my goal to Lorenzo Pasquini, Yquem’s head winemaker, when visiting in April, and he promised to do his best to help, cracking open a selection of mainly off-vintages that filled some of the gaps.
Going Underground: Clos Fourtet 1989-2019
France: Bordeaux, France: Bordeaux featured Verticals and Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux Verticals and Retrospectives featured, featured
, May 2025
Clos Fourtet is one of the most picturesque and ideally located châteaux in Saint-Émilion, blessed with some of the finest terroir on the limestone plateau. Under Mathieu Cuvelier, Clos Fourtet has realised its potential and is now regarded amongst the appellation’s best wines. The heart of this piece is an interview with Cuvelier following a vertical tasting of recent vintages, detailing specifics of the vineyard and winemaking approaches.
Event Horizon: Bordeaux 2024 Primeur
France: Bordeaux, featured
, May 2025
Twenty-four was a tough fight for Bordeaux winemakers, but one that some were prepared for. While there are unavoidable shortcomings in the wines, some châteaux succeeded where they would have once failed. This report will not tell you whether to buy the wines or not, since prices are only just being released. But it will tell you exactly what I think about the quality of the unfinished barrel samples.
2024 Bordeaux En Primeur: The Razor’s Edge
France: Bordeaux, featured
, Apr 2025
It’s no secret that Bordeaux endured a challenging growing season in 2024. Despite the ups and downs of a year that featured heavy rainfall and constant disease pressure, among other events, the most skilled winemakers found a way to make gorgeous wines. The 2024s are all over the place in terms of quality and style, so readers will have to be selective. Within that context, the very best wines have a lot to offer.
Balloons, Mermaids & Margaux: Château Giscours 1938-2023
France: Bordeaux featured Verticals and Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux Verticals and Retrospectives featured, featured
, Apr 2025
Château Giscours is a storied Margaux estate that has, in some ways, been “rebuilt” over the last three decades under Estate Director Alexander van Beek. This article tells the tale and examines the terroir and techniques, signposted by a vertical tasting of the wines from the thirties to the present day.
Strutting Peacocks: Raymond-Lafon 1979-2021
France: Bordeaux featured Verticals and Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux Verticals and Retrospectives featured, featured
, Mar 2025
This vertical tasting focused on recent vintages, with several older bottles dating back to the 1979 vintage. Raymond-Lafon can produce exemplary Sauternes that equal the elite.