The 2003 Calon Segur was the winning bottle in the September installment of Pick My Next Bottle. 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…
Chateau Haut-Brisson is located in Saint Emilion, not far from Chateau Monbousquet. The estate was bought in 1997 by Peter Kwok. The 18 hectare vineyard of Haut-Brisson are planted to 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines are close to 30 years of age. The winery recently sent me samples of two of their more acclaimed vintages. 2005 Chateau Haut-Brisson –…
Seven years ago I wrote Too Old for Young Wine. At the time I had decided that despite being just 46 years old, I probably did not need to buy much more Bordeaux. My cellar was well stocked with bottles going back to the mid eighties and frankly the idea of buying wines that would need twenty five years in…
Gruaud Larose has a long history in the Saint Julien appellation that dates back to the days when the property was first owned by the Knight Joseph Stanislas Gruaud. In 1997 Gruaud Larose was purchased by Jacques Merlaut. Jacques Merlaut owns a number other Estates under the name of the Taillan Group including Chateau Haut Bages Liberal, Chateau Citran, Chateau Ferriere…
The 2000 Grand Puy-Lacoste was the winning bottle in the November Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for 3 hours and served with a homemade meatloaf. 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…
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…
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…
The 1998 Pavie Macquin was the winning bottle in the November Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for 30 minutes and served with a Tri-Tip roast. Chateau Pavie-Macquin gets its name from Albert Macquin, its 19th century owner. His descendants, the Corre-Macquin family, still own the 37-acre estate, which is in the Right Bank appellation of…