Château Clerc-Milon Pauillac
In the past, Château Clerc-Milon has been a rather neglected property, but has seen recent rejuvenation due to the famous Baron Phillippe de Rothschild taking charge of the estate. Named after the original owner, Clerc, and the small village in which the Château lies, Milon, the wine itself is predominated by Cabernet Sauvignon which sets it apart from another Rothschild Château, d'Armailhac. 2008 saw a Clerc-Milon of power and strength with bold, ripe fruit that will develop wonderfully in a well cared for cellar.
Château Duhart-Milon Pauillac
Left in a sorry state by the previous owners, in 1962 the Rothschilds of Lafite took over the property and begun to reconstruct the vineyard which was planted mostly to Petit Verdot. 4 decades later and the wines of Château Duhart-Milon are now showing the flavour and concentration you expect from such a site in Pauillac.
M Chapoutier Les Greffieux Ermitage
The Chapoutier Estate has been present in the Rhone Valley since 1808, always on a quest to find different tastes and expressions of terroir, or sense of place. Hermitage is regarded by some as the greatest expression of Shiraz from anywhere in the world. If you're a Shiraz lover and haven't yet explored the wines of the Northern Rhone, you're simply missing out.
Clos des Papes (Paul Avril) Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Almaviva Almaviva
Rotem & Mounir Saouma Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Magis
Lucien Le Moine is a small House of Grands Crus in Beaune, run by Mounir and Rotem. They established the cellar in 1999, driven by their fascination with the "old way" of growing, vinificating and aging wines. The cellar produces only Grands and Premiers Crus from Côte d'Or, selecting the most beautiful crus in each village and renewing their selection every year. The cellar produces a maximum of 100 barrels (30,000 bottles) to allow them to do everything "by hand" and "by ourselves," which allows them to apply their technical perception and respond to each vintage and wine. Rotem and Mounir Saouma are the owners of the renowned micro-négociant Lucien Le Moine in Beaune, and they have been highly sought-after producers of 1er and Grand Cru Burgundy for several years. Driven by their passion to own their vineyards, they decided to purchase exceptional terroir in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and start Clos Saouma. Magis, which means "more, much more" in Latin, is the name chosen by Saouma because they expect more, much more, from their white Châteauneuf-du-Pape, especially after two years in barrels. The wine is made from 75% Grenache Blanc, 10% Clairette, 10% Roussane, and 5% Bourboulenc. The fermentation takes place in barrels from the Jupilles forest (Pays de Loire), followed by two years of aging in the same barrels on the lees, with just occasional stirring. While only 3% of Chateauneuf is white, and virtually all of it is bottled after six months, Rotem & Mounir Saouma Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Magis 2020 has already been compared to some of the great white Burgundy crus for its depth and minerality. The wine has a mouthfeel that is both creamy and dried, with prominent flavours of yellow apple, yellow plum, and white peach, backed by notes of shortbread, macadamia nut, and verbena. It is showy but has a razor-sharp focus on the finish, with a lingering echo of hazelnut husk.
Château Malescot St-Exupéry Margaux
Investment has served Chateau Malescot St-Exupery well, with better winemaking practices resulting and fruit sources fine-tuned with more detailed viticulture. The estate was purchased by the Zuger family in 1955, with recent generations leading this evolution of the wines. It''s a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and a dash of Petit Verdot as found in the vineyards, though this will vary according to ''house style''. The wines are glossy, pure, finessed in youth and tend to mellow quietly with time in cellar. Expect around 30 years potential for this wine.
Château Montrose
France's Bordeaux, is the spiritual home of the Cabernet family of grapes, which extends beyond Sauvignon and Franc to Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. If you love Margaret River Cabernet blends, or indeed the Merlot dominant reds of Hawkes Bay, NZ, then you must look at the wines upon which many of them have been modelled. This wine is Cabernet and Merlot, deep and rich, cassis and earthy cedar, structure and uncommon length - all hallmarks of Grand Cru Bordeaux.