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Memories Elide: Vieux Château Certan 1923-2020
France: Bordeaux, featured, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Jul 2024
An unrepeatable 57-vintage vertical of Vieux Château Certan marking the Thienponts’ century of ownership deserved an article of equal ambition. Bringing to life those from the past and present who made this remarkable event possible, this is a story as much about people as it is about a remarkable wine.
The Minnow: Sigalas Rabaud 1975-2019
France: Bordeaux, featured, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Jul 2024
Continuing my coverage of Sauternes, big and small, this look at Sigalas Rabaud falls into the latter category as one of the appellation’s smallest First Growths. This vertical, held at the property, covers vintages from 1975 to 2019.
Cellar Favorite: 1971 Latour & 1971 Les Forts de Latour
France: Bordeaux, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Jul 2024
Wine is often a moving target. The greatest tend to be shape-shifters in the glass. Just when you think you’ve got a wine pinned down, it mutates into something different, and you end up crossing out words in your carefully written note. It’s like a child toying with you, playing peek-a-boo. Now you see me…now you don’t.
Rockeries in Living Rooms: 1988 vs. 1989 Bordeaux
France: Bordeaux, featured, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Jul 2024
Bordeaux vintages are so fascinating that people have been known to write entire books about them! Here, I focus on two particularly intriguing but stylistically different vintages, 1988 and 1989. The former has never quite had the same reputation as the latter. Did that play out during these themed dinners?
Cellar Favorite: 1949 Pontet-Canet
France: Bordeaux, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Jun 2024
I recently attended a delightful private dinner in Washington, DC, in aid of the American Heart Association. The vinous theme was Pontet-Canet. Proprietor Alfred Tesseron has been a long-term supporter of this charity, and he had flown over specially for the event, guiding us through several recent vintages. The oldest was a bottle of the 1949 Pontet-Canet.
Desert Island Dinner: 1961 Pomerol in Excelsis
France: Bordeaux, featured
, Jun 2024
All wine lovers have their fantasy tasting. I’m lucky that several of mine came true. But I never thought that one day I’d taste the trinity of 1961 Pomerols side-by-side: Petrus, Lafleur and Latour à Pomerol. This is the story of an extraordinary evening where a dream came true…almost.
A Century of…Fours
France: Burgundy, South Africa, France: Bordeaux, featured
, Jun 2024
Century of Fours examines vintages ending in four and adds historical context via a parallel timeline of the FA Cup Finals from 1904 to 2014. It is two journeys through time for the price of one.
The Bordeaux Soundtrack: Icons at Legacy Records
France: Bordeaux, featured
, May 2024
Music and wine are perfect partners, so what better venue to host the first Icons of Bordeaux dinner than Legacy Records in New York with four of the region’s leading winemakers?
The Dalmatian Vintage: Bordeaux 2023
France: Bordeaux, featured
, Apr 2024
The 2023 Bordeaux vintage is born in tumultuous times, at a pivotal moment for the region. When that is all stripped away, what do the wines offer in a growing season that swerved one way then another? The answer depends on which château you’re looking at.
Bordeaux at the Crossroads: 2023 En Primeur
France: Bordeaux, featured
, April 2024
Tasting Bordeaux en primeur is largely the art of shutting out extraneous noise and concentrating just on the wines. This year, the noise is especially loud as estate owners, winemakers, consultants, négociants and other professionals debate the merits of 2023 within the context of today’s global market. Many of these views are fueled by agendas, which is certainly understandable. For this taster, it’s only about what is in the glass. When all is said and done, 2023 has a lot to offer. It is not a great vintage across the board, yet plenty of wines merit serious attention.