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…
Clos St. Martin dates back to at least the early 1800’s. The vineyard was owned by the Rieffers family from 1850 to 2013. Clos St. Martin takes its name from the St. Martin, who is the Patron Saint for wine growers, soldiers and beggars. In March, 2013 the Cuvelier family, the owners of Chateau Clos Fourtet, headed by Matthieu Cuvelier,…
The 2000 Grand Puy-Lacoste was the winning bottle in the September Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for one hour and served with a takeout pizza. The history of Grand-Puy-Lacoste is fascinating and dates back to the 16th century. The name Grand-Puy comes from the ancient term “puy” which means “hillock, small height”. The vineyard sits…
The 2003 Lynch Bages was the winning bottle in the April Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for almost two hours and served with grilled pork chops. I chose this bottle to kick off a week of Birthday shenanigans. Lynch Bages has a special place in my cellar which I wrote previously about in Life Lessons, Landmarks…
The 2004 Chateau Leoville Poyferre was the winning bottle in the January Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for two hours. Château Léoville-Poyferré is in St.-Julien. The estate is a Second Growth Bordeaux. Along with Léoville-Las-Cases and Léoville-Barton, Léoville-Poyferré was part of a large estate in the Medoc owned by the Marquis de Léoville. After the…