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Easter Holidays 2016 Pre-sale Tasting


(from Telegraphe)

  1. Chateau les trois croix fronsac 1995. Rich extracted fruit, chocolate, raspberry, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions. Recalls lots of old Fronsacs about right to drink after 20 to 30 old years.

  1. Chateau Arnauld 1995, Haut Medoc(OWC). Amazing value. Dry plummy fruit; forest floor. Mineral. Claretic. A wonderful quaffer at the price.

  2. Chateau Larose Trintaudon 1997, Medoc. Quite a respectable wine within tasters’ circles. With the classic aromas of black currants(dry and ripe) and cedar and some ripe tannins on the finish with lifted acidity(at least not boring!), the Larose would make a great match for a grilled London broil steak with roast potatoes. Excellent value.

  3. Malartic La Graviere Reserve de le Sillage Pessac Leognan 1998. Claretic. Second label of Chateau Malartic Lagraviere. Before vintage 2007, La Reserve de Malartic was simply called 'Le Sillage'. Sold out.

  4. Chateau Langlais Organic 2000, Puissequin St. Emilion. Fully matured: garnet color, good intensity. Dry berry and cherry fruit, Kirch and spice. Well balanced with melted tannins. Ageing using 2 wine barrels for 12 months; so it is woody. The soil mostly clay and limestone is planted three varieties of Bordeaux: Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Old vines, so it may be too intense and deep for some tasters. Organic from the label sounds almost heavenly. Safer than some cheap and reckless wines from Napa!!

  1. Chateau Fleur Gueyrosse 2000. Second wine of Chateau Gueyrosse which we have been working with since its 1986 vintage. Basically this second wine nose the same as the First wine, but tastes is Relatively short and simple, and is fine and delicate . With amber rim, the wine nosed plummy with notes of leather and musk key behind the fruit and light woods. Tannins is very integrated. Interesting for those who do not like too heavy wines . The vineyard is planted to 85% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. The average age of the vines is 40 years. Through severe pruning in the spring, yields are kept exceptionally low, between 35 and 42hl/h, and no green harvesting is necessary. Harvesting is done manually by parcel to allow for full maturation. Fermentations are carried out with only indigenous yeasts and macerations last between 3 and 5 weeks. After vinification, the wine is aged in tank for 1 to 3 months for clarification and then in barrel (2 and 3 year old barrels) for up to 18 months. The wine is racked every 2 or 3 weeks, fined with egg whites but not filtered. The average production is less than 2,000 cases.

  1. Chateau Crabitey 2000, Graves Bouquet of plums, rancios and prunes. Ripe. Melted tannins. The homogeneity of the terroir serious (24 hectares out of 26) associated with the low density of vines feet of planting allows to develop the Château Crabitey a red wine of great finesse and a beautiful intensity.

  2. The assembly is made ​​with the following proportions: 60% of Merlot , 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc . Lots of taste, structure and elegance. The barrel aging allows the wine to gain in complexity after 15 years of aging. . Medium, textured finish.

  3. Chateau Gazin Rocquecourt, 2000 Pessac leognan Light ruby colour. On the nose light raisin, sweet spice. On the palate slight wooden taste with hints of apricots. Claretic. Difficult to come by.

  4. Chateau Fontesteau Medoc 2002. Opaque with brick red edges nice bouquet on the nose. Softer and juicy palate. Short. Nice for general occasions. Claretic.

  5. Vieux Champs Montage St Emilion, 2007. Taste is dry blackcurrant and blueberries. Elegant, with good acidities, long finish. Smoky. The vineyards are in the jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion, landscape World Heritage Site by Unesco. The berries are then more concentrated nutrient dyes, tannic and aromatic. Hand picking in cases, careful sorting of grapes and berries, de-stemming. Maceration, cold fermentation under temperature control, and long maceration-you almost can feel it. And we also feel that the mild extraction yet great finesse and great concentration made possible through earnest expression of terroir made in the maximum elegance the wine maker can. This wine is best serving at 16°C to18°C. Grapes are Merlot 60%, Cabernet Franc 30%, Cabernet Sauvignon 15%.

  1. Chateau Vieux Champs St Emilion Grand Cru, 2007. Taste is ripe dark cherries blackcurrant and blueberries. Elegant, with good acidities, long finish. More bodied and ABV with a decent 7-second length of fruit before mineral and spice kick in. A higher Cuvee in performance to the Montagne.

  2. L’Envol, Percharmant 2009, from Chateau Les Merles. Although it is fermented in barrels and raised twelve months with regular stirring as if it is a white wine, it perfectly supports pécharmant tannic presence of oak. The nose is on the ripe red fruit and oak stands while remaining discreet. The palate surprises with its power and, especially, by the roundness and softness of its tannins. The fruit and wood blend it in harmony. 100% confident to recommend this wine for the customer who wants taste generosity and structure (tannins, fruit, alcohol and acidities).

  3. Les Hivers Grillet 2009 Blayes Cotes de Bordeaux 1500ml. Clean with great structure. James Suckling said of the vintage, “2011 is a very good vintage – and in some cases, with outstanding wines. It’s going to be a year that we Bordeaux lovers are going to enjoy drinking in the future.” 2009 is even better in our view. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. This “classically structured and lovely” says our tasting team Fatloong G is just the one to make room in the cellar for--with 85% Merlot along with 8% Cabernet Franc and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, it is drinking beautifully now and has a long, graceful evolution ahead of it. Great wine for the price. Very enjoyable.

  1. Domaine Des Mimosas Lalande de Pomerol 2010. Le Domaine des Mimosas exploitation 4 hectares located on the Lalande de Pomerol appellation produces a characteristic red wine from Lalande de POmerol, reflection classic mixed ripe dark fruit, mahogany tan nose, mature and sophisticated attack with a cedar character, tannins are well present with volume and good persistence in the mouth. As generous as any good Pomerols, Domaine des Mimoses 2010 just give you even bigger bang for the buck. A good quaffing in this range.

  2. Chateau Langlais 2011, Puisseguin St. Emilion. We have been tasting this wine Château Langlais since vintage 2000. Throughout these years, we find it both simple and complex enough. Vintage 2011gives fresh berry and cherry fruit, Kirch and spice. Well balanced with strong tannins. Ageing using 2 wine barrels for 12 months; so it is woody. The soil mostly clay and limestone is planted three varieties of Bordeaux: Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Old vines, so it may be too intense and deep for some tasters. It’s good to read Organic from the label. Safer than some cheap and reckless wines. This chateau occupies 20 hectares, is located on the appellation of Saint Emilion, the town of Puisseguin and produces only red wines. The soil is mainly clay and limestone planted three varieties of Bordeaux: Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Majority Limestone, this constitution may be as all people know particularly favorable to quality wines, full-bodied, tannic and warm, long aging, and so surely so with this warm vintage 2000. The chemical treatment refusal in 1947 when the maker Alain DUPUY started its activity and developed an operation based on respect for nature. The floors are virgins herbicide and insecticide. Phytosanitary treatments used to fight against mildew are copper-based solutions as hydroxide or sulphate. We say these because that marked a no-return for the organic (certified later on) approach of this little vineyard. Average age of vines 35 to 40 years old. Uses indigenous yeast. 12 to 14 months ageing before release. Normally the wine is good for 15 years and opens well from 5 years onwards. Exposure: South West Trays. Planting density is 5500 vines / hectare. Tillage: Grassing every other row. Fertilizers used are cow manure and cattle, Guano, shredding branches and folières fertilizer. No headach.

  1. From a classic vintage Chateau St. Valentine 2011 shows charming deep purple robe and give fine nose with simple, mixed, berry fruits with slightly smoky tones. Aeration in glass for some minutes brings even more fruit intensity. Reflecting the nose, palate is supple. Situated in the North West of Saint Emilion at the border of Pomerol, it does have lushness. Soil type is mostly clayey, chalk and harvest is by hand, hence softer. Grape composition is 63 % Merlot noir 34% Cabernet Franc, 4% cabernet sauvignon, hence some complexities on development. It is intense by nature as the vines are over 30 years old. Production is only 1200 cases, hence rarity. Vinification is traditional, vatting time 20/25 days, maturity in tank and aging in barrels 18 to 20 months, hence always wood tones on nose as on palate. Chateau St Valentin 2011, Grand Cru St Emilion. In the spirit of St. Valentine who died for a simple yet important cause, Chateau St Valentine 2011 scorns scores, big styles, sheer power and strength(and probably defies Emperor Claudius), it is, as if it is made in love, not quite complicated enough as it is. Indeed it doesn’t have to, as long as it is made tasty and to style. On these spirited Valentine days, Team, almost laying its life upon the line for what they believe in, in Chateau St. Valentine 2011, would vote for buying this particular wine bearing the St. Valentine name. No more candies, chocolates, flowers and hearts.

  1. Domaine Sant Marti Tuile Hors d'Age Muscat de Riversaltes. Domaine Sant Marti Rivesaltes Tuile is made from 50% Grenache Noir across vintges, which is then aged for two years, during which this wine’s original deep ruby color takes on elements of gold and tawny and their red-berry aromas develop into those of coffee, chocolate and confected fruits. Tasting Team finds it complex and perfect as dessert drinks. Tuile wines aged (in glass, not oak) for at least five years before release onto the market. Hors d'Age for signifying the ageing for the classification Tuile. This is a VDNs are fortified with a neutral grape spirit to stop the yeast before fermentation is complete and all sugars have been converted into alcohol. The wines retain some naturally occurring sugar, perceived as sweetness on the palate. ABV is 15+%.

There are 7 more wines not Tasted.

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