Bordeaux, Bottle Notes

2005 Chateau Quinault L’Enclos – Bottle Notes

Chateau Quinault L’Enclos, located in Saint Emilion, is situated in the city of Libourne. However, the estate was not always considered a part of the Saint Emilion appellation. Prior to 1973, Quinault L’Enclos was actually part of the satellite appellation of Sables St. Emilion. The winery was renovated and some of the vineyards were replanted by Alain Raynaud who acquired…

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Bordeaux, Bottle Notes

1995 Chateau Lagrange – Bottle Notes

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 . Over the years, the…

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Bordeaux, Bottle Notes

2003 Chateau Pontet-Canet – Bottle Notes

The 2003 Pontet-Canet was the winning bottle in the September Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. This bottle was decanted for one hour and served with steaks. Chateau Pontet-Canet is situated next to Mouton Rothschild in the Pauillac region of Bordeaux. Pontet Canet was granted Fifth Growth status in the 1855 classification. Herman Cruse purchased the estate in 1865. The Cruse family…

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Bordeaux, Bottle Notes

The Cru Bourgeois Wines of Bordeaux

The Cru Bourgeois classification lists some of the Chateau from the Médoc that were not included in the 1855 Classification of Classified Growths. The first Cru Bourgeois list was drawn up by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce in 1932, selecting 444 estates for the classification. A substantial revision of the classification in 2003 reduced the number of Chateau listed to 247.…

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Bordeaux, Bottle Notes

The Cru Bourgeois Wines of Bordeaux

The Cru Bourgeois classification lists some of the Chateau from the Médoc that were not included in the 1855 Classification of Classified Growths. The first Cru Bourgeois list was drawn up by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce in 1932, selecting 444 estates for the classification. A substantial revision of the classification in 2003 reduced the number of Chateau listed to 247.…

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Bordeaux, Bottle Notes

1996 Léoville-Poyferré – Bottle Notes

The 1996 Léoville-Poyferré was the winning bottle in the August installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for an hour and served with Beef Stew. 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.…

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Bordeaux, Bottle Notes

1995 Chateau Lynch Bages – Bottle Notes

The 1995 Lynch Bages was the leading vote getter in the January installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The winery is located in Pauillac, and is designated a 5th growth as determined by the classification of 1855. At release time, the wine received a rating of 91 points from the Wine Advocate. I purchased this bottle on release and the cork…

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Bordeaux, Bottle Notes

2001 Troplong Mondot – Bottle Notes

The 2001 Troplong Mondot was the winning bottle in the September installment of Pick My Next Bottle. In actuality the Troplong Mondot tied with Cos d’Estournel but yours truly was more excited to try the Troplong Mondot. I promise a Bottle Note on the Cos in the near future. The wine was decanted for an hour and served with steaks.…

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Bordeaux, Bottle Notes

2003 Sociando-Mallet – Bottle Notes

The 2003 Sociando-Mallet was the winning bottle in the May Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for two hours and served with steaks. Chateau Sociando-Mallet is a 225-acre estate in St.-Seurin-de-Cadourne, which is part of the Haut-Medoc appellation just north of the city of Bordeaux. It has been owned since 1969 by Jean Gautreau. After many…

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