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Cellar Favorite: 1986 Pape Clément
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, Feb 2023
I don’t drink enough mature Pessac-Léognan. I’m not alone there. It’s one of Bordeaux’s overlooked genres of wine. You do not see bottles as often as their Pauillac or Saint-Julien counterparts, as Pessac-Léognan wines do not garner the same reverence, for whatever reason. Meeting up with a friend, newly liberated from Hong Kong, we tasted this little gem.
Cleaning Out the Cupboard: Bordeaux 1943-2020
France: Bordeaux, featured
, Jan 2023
This article cleans out my cupboard of miscellaneous Bordeaux tasting notes. It embraces legendary bottles and iconic vintages, minnows and seasons long-forgotten, even derided. Few pleasures in life surpass that of a bottle of wine with years under its belt.
Cellar Favorite: 1943 Petrus
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, Nov 2022
In my continuing and futile attempt to drink every Petrus of the 20th century, I ticked off one of the lesser-known war vintages this summer. Incidentally, it was served blind, and though I identified the château, I was quite a few years out on the vintage. Maybe even decades!
Cellar Favorite: 1928-2011 Lascombes
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, Oct 2022
During this year’s en primeur campaign I had a chance to taste nine mature vintages of Lascombs. I plan to assess more recent vintages for a more in-depth, standalone piece. But in the meantime, these wines see the light of day as a Cellar Favourite.
Bending Rules: Les Carmes Haut-Brion 1955-2019
Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux, featured
, Oct 2022
Not so long ago Les Carmes Haut-Brion was just another Pessac-Léognon estate. Now it’s one of Bordeaux’s most forward-thinking châteaux. I recently spent a morning with winemaker Guillaume Pouthier, as I wanted to discover the anatomy of the estate and what links its past, present and future.
Cellar Favorite: 1964 La Tour Figeac
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, Oct 2022
Given price inflation in recent years, a good tactic is to aim for a vintage/wine region with a high reputation and go a little off-piste. Take the Right Bank in 1964, for example. Sure, you can open that bottle of Cheval Blanc or Petrus, and it will knock your socks off…but you’ll pay a king’s ransom for the privilege. Foraging around a retail shop in Burgundy, I spotted a bottle of 1964 La Tour Figeac with a reasonable fill and clarity. I decided it was worth a gamble, given that I had no idea of provenance and no experience with the estate in this era.
Dive In: Cantenac Brown 1978-2018
Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux, featured
, Oct 2022
Cantenac Brown is one of Margaux’s most ornate, eye-catching châteaux. It has also witnessed a “quiet revolution” in terms of quality. I re-examined recent vintages with winemaker José Sanfins, though sadly there was no chance of a swim afterwards.
Looking Back: 2007 Sauternes
France: Bordeaux, featured
, Oct 2022
Each year I look back at a vintage of Sauternes to see how the wines are evolving. This year, I decided to revisit 2007, a vintage that contains a handful of botrytized jewels.
A Century of Bordeaux: The Twos
France: Bordeaux, featured
, Sep 2022
Why look back 10 years when you could look back 20, 30, 40, perhaps 110 years? After a lockdown hiatus, my annual “Century of…” article examines an array of Bordeaux wines from a raft of 2012s, all the way back to the year the Titanic sank.
Léoville-Poyferré 1936-2018
Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux, featured
, Sep 2022
Didier Cuvelier rejuvenated Léoville-Poyferré. A new chapter opened when his cousin, Sara Lecompte Cuvelier, took over the helm a few years ago. Following a vertical of recent vintages, this article examines one of Saint-Julien’s most respected estates.