More Bordeaux We Like:

CHÂTEAU PALMER

Palmer is an old property with a long history.  It was classified in 1855 as a "third growth," but today it's wines are routinely as costly as most of the top second growths.  
Located in Margaux (the hamlet of Issan, technically), the estate comprises something like 45 hectares.  Some 55% is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot.  

I have found their wines to be far more interesting with a bit of bottle aging.  Young wines tend to show nicely, but often lack the excitement of others as the wines tend to be made with an eye towards aging.   However, given a decade or so in the bottle, Palmer really blossoms nicely, showing the almost floral (roses and violets) notes typical of the wines of Margaux.

Their wines don't have the oak you'll find in those of Chateau Margaux, for example.  Palmer seems to be a tad tighter in its youth and lacking the sweet oak back-drop, the wine simply needs time to be enjoyable.

  
We had enjoyed the 2004 Palmer quite a bit...(some years ago now)...the vintage is now one that's highly-praised by the various wine critics but the wine was excellent and over-performed given the reputation for the vintage.

 

We have not had the 1996 in a while, but a few years ago it was showing itself quite handsomely and it had a fair bit of tannin to keep it going for many years...the wine displayed some floral notes which we associate with good wines from Margaux and Palmer in particular.  Maybe it's showing a touch of a violet-like scent with a tobacco tone.  

 

Palmer also makes a wine which some have described as its "second label."  It's called "Alter Ego" and it seems the idea here is to create a wine which hits its peak a bit earlier than the main wine.  We read one account of this wine as coming from a property which had been acquired by Palmer and that new vineyard source was the base for Alter Ego.  We buy a bottle from the various importers from time to time and the wine is usually nicely drinkable but a tad more costly, riding on the coattails of the grand vin.    It may feature a higher percentage of Merlot than Cabernet Sauvignon and there's usually a splash of Petit Verdot.  

Palmer makes a most curious wine that's their "19th Century" bottling.  The idea, as we understand it, is to create a wine in the style of those made well more than 100 years ago.  Bordeaux wines were often light in color and body and were described as "Claret" by the British, a term for lighter-colored red wines.  But it was said that some wineries cheated by adding wine of darker color from places outside of Bordeaux.  Of course, Algeria used to export lots of wine in bulk to France where it's said to have been used to "fortify" the more prestigious and famous wines from well-known regions.  

The label of this wine resembles that of its stable-mates with a couple of differences:  one is they've made the image of the chateau invisible, since the wine is technically not entirely from Château Palmer.  The second difference is the appellation, as the wine is not allowed to be labeled as being from Margaux.  Nor is it able to be called "Bordeaux."  Instead it's simple "Vin de France," a relatively lowly designation.  Except the wine has far more nobility than you might expect.  Plus it's damned expensive.

Winemaker Thomas Duroux (he used to work in Tuscany at the prestigious Ornellaia estate) blends Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in equal proportions and then adds a Syrah from an unspecified estate in the Northern Rhône.  This may account for ten or 15 percent of the blend.  

Palmer does not typically produce such a wine every year, picking vintages when the believe this esoteric blend is sensible.  The 2004 vintage was the first for this unusual wine, but we understand they've made it in warmer years such as 2007 and 2010, too.  They skipped 2011 and 2012, though.  

We've tasted this on a couple of occasions.  One time we splurged and brought a bottle of Palmer and the Historical bottling to a staff dinner event.  Both were really good and each was complex and impressive.  We can only image what wines from the late 1800s must have tasted like when blended with something bigger and darker.  

 

Currently in stock: PALMER XIX Historical "Vin de France"  $319.99
2006 Chateau Palmer  Sale  $289.99

 

 

 

CHÂTEAU MACQUIN

The Macquin name is well-connected to the Saint Georges Saint Emilion appellation as Albert Macquin is said to have been the first to replant vineyards in the region in the late 1800s after the phylloxera (a root louse) scourge.  Today the property is run by Denis Corre-Macquin (and his wife Christine) and the tend some 31 hectares of vines.  Albert was a sharp fellow and learned the art of grafting the phylloxera-resistant roots of American vines onto the various French varieties which were easily eaten by the root louse.  

He owned Pavie-Macquin back in the late 1800s and was described by one historian as a "one man viticultural industry."  As neighboring wine estates tried to repair their damaged vines, Macquin was grafting his vines and had a thriving vineyard while others withered and died.

The Macquin estate is situated less than three miles north of the now more-famous Pavie-Macquin winery.  Despite the proximity in terms of distance, there's a big distance in terms of pricing, as Macquin goes for maybe 15%-20% the cost of their famous "cousin."

The wine, though, is solid and it's a terrific $22 bottle of Bordeaux.


Merlot is the main grape, of course, but they also grow a bit of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.  There's a mildly cedary tone here from aging in oak barrels.  The tannin level is modest, making this quite drinkable now, in its youth.  We have the 2018 presently...very nice!

Currently in stock:  CHÂTEAU MACQUIN 2018  Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion  $21.99

 

 

 

CHÂTEAU LÉOVILLE LAS CASES

There are three Léoville estates and this is, hands down, the best of the three.  Not that the other two are slackers, it's simply that this property makes a wine that rivals the first growths for "best of vintage" honors.  
The vineyard is located at the northern end of the appellation of Saint-Julien and it neighbors the famed Château Latour.


The vineyard is "guarded" by a number of stone lions (there's one keeping a watchful eye on the grapes atop the stone arch depicted on the label).  You'll read stats which say the vineyards of Léoville-Las-Cases is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot.  

The standards are extremely high and the wine is labeled "Grand Vin de Léoville" for a reason.  The best wine goes into the primary label, while those lots that don't make the "cut" had been sold as "Clos du Marquis."  Even this wine can be exceptional.  I recall a candle-lit dinner party where we turned on the lights to better examine the color of the 1961 we were drinking.  The wine, at well more than 20 years of age, was still incredibly dark and youthful!  We've been Clos du Marquis fans ever since and buy a bottle of each new vintage for "research" purposes.  

In fact, the 2009 vintage of Clos du Marquis is rather good.  These days they claim their "Petit Lion" wine is their "second" wine and the Clos du Marquis, we're told, comes from vineyards west of the chateau and bordering vineyards of some famous neighbors, including Léoville Poyferré, Léoville Barton and Pichon Lalande.  

The Clos du Marquis 2009 is a rather 'serious' bottle of Bordeaux.  It's fairly big and displays the ripe qualities of the warm vintage.  It's said to be 70% Cabernet Sauvignon this vintage, with 20% Merlot and the remaining 10% split between Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The wine seems to show a nice, cedary undertone from some wood, but it's balanced and certainly quite drinkable now.  Some experts suggest it can be cellared for another 20+ years, but we view it as nice now and probably at its best over the next decade.   And while a hundred bucks isn't "cheap," the wine is of a quality many of the hundred and two-hundred dollar + bottles from Napa would be delighted to have.

Léoville's Grand Vin is matured in a high percentage of new oak, but they try to balance it by not going the 100% new wood regime employed by some of the neighbors.  In richer vintages they'll increase the percentage of new wood.  In more modest vintages, less new wood is used.  

The wine routinely shows the "black fruit" character of Cabernet.  We usually find a lovely bit of cedary oak, too.  
Prices for current vintages are extremely high and so I often look for older favorites, finding them reasonably priced by comparison.  

Currently in stock:  1978 CHÂTEAU LÉOVILLE LAS CASES  Sold Out
2009 CLOS DU MARQUIS  Sold Out

 

CHÂTEAU DE PEZ

Château de Pez used to be a fairly simple, standard quality red Bordeaux.

Some years ago, 1995, the estate came into the hands of the Roederer Champagne company and, my-oh-my, how things changed!

They began instituting changes and upgrades in  the vineyard and in the cellar. 

We are delighted to report the quality of the wine has elevated nicely and despite having been designated or classified as a Cru Bourgeois (back in 1932, well before the increased dedication to quality), these days their wine rivals many 3rd, 4th and 5th "growth" estates.  

(The classification took place in 1855 and some people claim it's a good indication of the quality of the vineyards and wineries, but things change over the course of 160 years.)

The property consists of 30 hectares, with 26 of them planted.  They have primarily Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with a smattering of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.

The wines are fermented in wooden vats and then transferred to small oak cooperage.  Some 40% of the barrels are brand new, 40% once-used and 20% twice used.

We've really enjoyed the wines over the past decade.  The prices are generally reasonable given the quality of the wines, though we by-passed the more highly-rated vintages (2009 and 2010) as we felt the wines did not warrant the elevated prices.  We find, it seems, the critics prefer hotter vintages and riper fruit which diminishes (we believe) the elements of terroir in the wines.  We like cooler vintages or less ripe wines, otherwise Bordeaux tastes like Napa Valley which tastes like Chile or Australia.  

The Current vintage is the 2016 is currently in stock.

Currently in stock:  2016 CHÂTEAU DE PEZ Saint-Estèphe  SALE $49.99

 

 

CLOS BADON THUNEVIN

The Thunevin name is not popular amongst "old guard" Bordeaux vintners.  Here's a fellow who was an "outsider," a wine lover who worked in a totally non-related field who started the entire "garagiste" movement.

Jean-Luc Thunevin made his famous (or infamous, if you prefer) Château de Valandraud wine for the first time in 1991.  The early vintages received great critical acclaim from America's wine "god," Robert Parker.  Thunevin had made wine of greater concentration and intensity than his neighbors, thanks to his hands-on approach and his insistence upon striving for perfection.  So this "new kid on the block" was making wine superior to those who'd been in the business for decades, causing him to be the object of much scorn in the St. Emilion and Pomerol regions (and on the left bank, I imagine, too).  

Thunevin's ideas are simple:  He believe in low yields, organic farming, extensive work in the vineyard work and wild yeast fermentations of absolutely ripe, mature fruit.    Some have questioned his wines as being "too international" in style, claiming the "terroir" is lost.  In fact, Valandraud in vintages at the end of the 1990s comes from vineyards which are not the same as those in the very first years!  

But Thunevin has been quoted as saying "You can't make a race horse out of a donkey."  There has to be good quality to the terroir and vines from which a wine originates.  

 

 

 

 

 

We drove out to look at some of his vineyards and to have a peek into the winemaking facility for the purposes of industrial espionage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thunevin is a proponent of fermenting in wood.


These vats also, as you can see, have temperature controlling pipes inside.


Thunevin believes in using lots of new oak.  "Great wine is not afraid of new oak." says Thunevin.


We tasted his young wine out of barrel---most impressive.  Good luck in coming up with the cash to buy a bottle!  Valandraud runs upwards of $200-$300 a bottle.

Thunevin's "Clos Badon" St. Emilion is a much more affordable wine and it's styled along the same lines as the wine for millionaires.

 

Clos Badon is a mature vineyard in St. Emilion comprised of about 6.5 hectares.  It's located near Pavie and Larcis-Ducasse being planted with 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc.  Like Valandraud, it is matured entirely in new barrels.  

The 1999 vintage we have in the shop is only the second vintage Thunevin has made this wine.  While I found the Valandraud wine to be very nice, I must confess I have had trouble in finding it to be worthy of such a high price.  Apparently there are those souls with wallets and palates which find some value in Valandraud.

I find the Clos Badon to have the polish and Thunevin styling that I enjoy and, it's priced within the realm of a place I call "reason." 

The label, at a distance,  reminds me of that of Napa's Harlan Estate.  It turns out Harlan is much admired by Thunevin.  I guess we shouldn't be surprised that Jean-Luc would admire another new winery which can charge stratospheric prices for the privilege of owning a bottle.

The wine named after Thunevin's daughter, Virginie, fared very well in a blind-tasting of 2001s at the shop.  The wine displays a lovely plummy Merlot fruit and sweet, cedary oak. It's delicious right now and may age nicely for a few years.  We don't view it as a long-term wine, however.

Currently in stock:  1999 CLOS BADON THUNEVIN (List $35) Sold Out
CHÂTEAU VALANDRAUD 1999 (list $300)  SALE $259.99
VIRGINIE DE VALANDRAUD 2001 Sold Out

 

 

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