A rich effort from this well-known property in St Christoly. Lovely rich mouthfeel, ripe and tannic with a luscious long finish. Low acidity suggests drinking this wine young, say 2014-2021.
Jancis Robinson wrote of the 2012 vintage "Very rich and glorius and opulent but not fat. Lovely stuff. Great balance even though very opulent. A little Haut-Brion Blanc?" 2011 in the same mould.
Ch Potensac is always one of the best of the lower-tier wines from Bordeaux and one with incredible aging potential for an unheralded non-classified growth, is a blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. It is a soft, round, easygoing wine offering pleasant notes of loamy soil, cherries and red currants
Fresh, damson jam on toast. Cool minty Cab nose. Great structure, cool acid and good tannic backbone. Cherry fruit. Chalky tannin. Intense. Big extraction, but not too much.
First Class rating from CWM "Sweet blackcurrant nose, creaminess on palate, jam packed, but structured fruit, tannin, and acidity" Also loved by Wine Advocate's Neal Martin who awarded it 91-93 points who calls it 'gorgeous, seductive and a temptress of St Estephe'.
Listrac is a commune close to Margaux that fans of Bordeaux should really check out. Fonreaud is one of its chief exponents and currently producing terrific wines that, were they to have Margaux on the label, should cost much more. The 2016 is one its best ever wines, It has very good structure underlying delicious dark fruits. Fresh acidity too helps make the wine sing from the first sip.
A marvellous wine from the great team at Dourthe, who own Ch Belgrave and other up and coming properties in Bordeaux. Voluptuous, decadent and hugely drinkable.Jancis Robinson likes it too "Rather luscious and sweet – even chocolatey...overall a lot of pleasure in the short term. Does persist quite impressively!
A marvellous wine from the great team at Dourthe, who own Ch Belgrave and other up and coming properties in Bordeaux. Voluptuous, decadent and hugely drinkable.Jancis Robinson likes it too "Rather luscious and sweet – even chocolatey...overall a lot of pleasure in the short term. Does persist quite impressively!
A Starred First from our buying team "Deep colour. Peppery spice on the nose. Charming blackcurrant fruit on the palate, with a creamy texture, and fresh acidity. Very good tannic hold. Slightly toasty, smoky note, but pure fruit that wears it well. Slightly blue. Medium plus acidity, but glamorous, and good length"
The 2014 Caronne Ste Gemme has a pretty bouquet with blackberry, raspberry coulis and cedar aromas, slightly Pauillac in style with moderate intensity. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite crisp in the mouth if just missing a little depth. It is probably a wine for early drinking although I appreciate how this has gained a little sophistication during its élevage.87 Neal Martin
Les Barraillots is a rare Cru Artisan to have its vineyard in the village of Margaux itself. It was obtained from Palmer and Durfort in 1928 and 1933. The vineyard, made up of permeable gravel is among the highest elevations in the commune. The varietal mix is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc/Petit Verdot and the planting is very dense. The average vine age is 40 years with a few rows of 90 year old Petit Verdot. Harvesting is done manually and the wine is aged in barrels (a third new) for eighteen months.
Gold Medal at the 2016 Bourg International Wine Challenge
A bouquet with notes of blueberry and vanilla. A well-structured, full-bodied palate, well-coated tannins and still full of freshness. Nuanced and persistent, its finish confirms its great potential.
Spicy, warm, supple, creamy. Accessible now. Very plush. Some florality, and a fresh finish. Sweet coffee, red syrup, boozy prunes, and cream. Spicy alcohol. New world. Seamless.
V dark, black cherry, super extracted, thick and sexy, miro bullage evident, strict selection. It's an enjoyable style if a manufactured one.High 2:1, 90-91 James Suckling
Drink like a local! Cotes de Blaye offers all the Bordeaux experience at a sensible everyman price. Beautiful dark and limpid colour with raspberry pink highlights. The bouquet reveals intense aromas of ripe red fruits, Morello cherry and black cherry.
Ch Coutet is a wonderful dessert wine producer, where the sweetness and acidity are in perfect balance, allowing the wine to age as well as offer instnat pleasure. A very classy wine to complete the perfect dinner.
The Guimberteau family has owned the Château Franc-Baudron estate since 1923. This is a vineyard on a human scale where each generation has left its footprint on the family heritage.
Since 2010, the new generation of Château Franc-Baudron has embarked on an environmental approach by converting the entire vineyard to organic farming. The area hosts bee-hives, uses plants for treatments (horsetail, nettle and ferns) and seeds flowers to encourage biodiversity of wildlife in the vines.
They have begun implementing new winemaking techniques by using minimal inputs to express at its best the nature of the grapes and the type of soil. Most of the family’s plots of Montagne Saint-Emilion are located on a clay-limestone plateau.
Bright and intense in colour with aroams of blackcurrant, blackberry and oak notes.Well balanced, powerful and velvety.
Silky, and voluptous. High cocoa, dark fruit, but not overworked or overextracted. Ripe, full. Fine well built tannin, good acidity persists on the finish.
Made by Séverine Grimal in a small 5.5ha property north of Libourne. Black berry and black currant, very concentrated aroma. Mineral and smooth tannin.Great value
This is the sort of wine you'd go for when only the best will do. Classic red Bordeaux, blending three grape varieties to perfection. Drinking well now
Perfumed nose. Cream, cassis, blueberry cheesecake - really inviting, if primary and oak derived. Juicy, plenty of tannin but fun blueberry fruit. Well structured. Fruit remains though. As does acidity. Totally charming.
This winery can be considered as producer of the entry level wine of the Vauthie family of Chateau Ausone. Beautifully balanced with ripe tannin and fine acidity it is the inviting nose and heady, succulent palate that are so enticing in this wine. Full of personality and enjoyable now and for another 10years+
Floral and red. Fragrant. Elegant backbone, focused tannin, fresh acidity, and medicinal finish. Fruit remains throughout. Dark ruby, glossy. Attractive chocolate blueberry aromas, Juicy, sweet palate with excellent balance, lift and ripe tannins, Long and very good
Château Le Lion d’Or is a charming, juicy, well structured claret that over delivers on flavour and yet is agreeably modest in price. It is made from 100% Merlot from older vines in the commune of Marcillac.
More classic Sauternes style. Rich stone fruits, a smoky backbone, and a syrupy finish. Declared a 1er Cur Classé at the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac Classification, Château Coutet has been producing wine since 1643. Boasting both the largest vineyard in Barsac (thirty-eight-and-a-half hectares) as well as the largest cellar (110 meters), Château Coutet has been owned by the Baly family since 1977 and managed by Aline Baly since 2009.
