The 2003 Canon-La Gaffelière was the winning bottle in the April Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was not decanted and paired well with grilled burgers on a warm Spring night in Seattle. Château Canon-la-Gaffelière is situated in Saint-Émilion and ranked Premier Grand Cru Classé B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. In 1969, Count Joseph Hubert von Neipperg purchased Canon La…
The 1995 Lynch Bages was the winning bottle in the February Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for almost six hours and served with a roasted trip tip and brussel sprouts cooked in butter and bacon fat. Lynch Bages has a special place in my cellar which I wrote previously about in Life Lessons, Landmarks and Lynch…
The 2000 Branaire-Ducru was the winning bottle in the January Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for two hours and paired with a homemade meatloaf and roasted Yukon potatoes. Chateau Branaire Ducru is a Fourth Growth Bordeaux according to the official classification of 1855. The 123-acre estate is in St.-Julien on the left bank of the…
Clos des Jacobins is situated St. Emilion and dates back to the 1700’s. The estate was purchased by the Decoster family in 2004. The vineyard is predominantly Merlot followed by Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Purple in color. 14.5% ABV. Brooding nose of black fruits, leather, graphite and anise. Full bodied with strong acidity. Exceedingly rich and plush. Black currants,…
The 1996 Cos d’Estournel was the winning bottle in the September Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. Louis Gaspard d’Estournel founded Chateau Cos d’Estournel in 1811. Cos d’Estournel was one of the first wineries in Bordeaux to bottle, label and sell their own wine. The Chateau has exchanged hands many times over the years but today is owned and managed by Michel…
The 2005 Fleur Cardinale was the winning bottle in the August installment of Pick My Next Bottle. I decanted the wine briefly and served with a tri tip roast on a cool Summer night in Seattle. Chateau Fleur Cardinale was purchased by Dominique and Florence Decoster in 2001. The 24.5 hectare St. Emilion vineyard of Fleur Cardinale is planted to…
Chateau Lagrange is a third-growth St-Julien owned by the Suntory group since 1983. The 270 acre estate is situated next to Gruaud Larose. The winery went through major improvements and huge investments in the decades that followed the purchase by Suntory. The vineyard is planted to 67% Cabernet Sauvignon , 27% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot . Today, the average age…
Chateau Calon Segur is one of the oldest estates in Saint Estephe dating back to 1147. In 1894 its vineyards were purchased by Georges Gasqueton and Charles Hanappier. The Gasqueton family managed the estate until 2012. In July of 2012 Chateau Calon Segur was sold for 170 million Euros to the French Insurance Company, Suravenir Insurance. Jean-Pierre Moueix , the…
Clos des Jacobins is situated St. Emilion and dates back to the 1700’s. The estate was purchased by the Decoster family in 2004. The vineyard is predominantly Merlot followed by Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Crimson in color. 14.5% ABV. Super nose of black fruits, graphite, leather and tobacco. Rich, plush and concentrated. Tremendous structure. Black cherry, licorice, currants and…
The 1990 Chateau Léoville Barton was the winning bottle in the January Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was opened in memory of Anthony Barton who passed away not long ago. I decanted the wine for 90 minutes and served with a pork roast and roasted smashed yukon gold potatoes. I bought this wine on release and have…