Wine Review: Grain de Lune 2020 Sauvignon Gris, Bordeaux Blanc
Sauvignon Gris is a beautifully exotic grape: it is a pink mutation of the ubiquitous Sauvignon Blanc. You see a bit of it in South America but very little in its …
bordeaux
Cabernet Sauvignon, Explained
Please look at a list of the best-scored wines globally; browse the web for the most expensive reds in the market, or browse the top-shelf section of your local wine store; …
French Wine Regions
History of French WineFrance’s history with wine dates back to the 6th century BC, when the city-state of Massalia (modern-day Marseille) began trading wines with other Mediterranean cultures. Viticulturally speaking, it …
Chateau Boutillot 2015 “Revelations d’Hubert de Bouard” Bordeaux
Revelations d’Hubert de Bouard The Revelations d’Hubert de Bouard is a portfolio of wines from eight Bordeaux wineries. These are not their usual releases, mind you. They are each working with …
Chateau Lanbersac 2014 Puisseguin Saint Emilion (Bordeaux)
Françoise Lannoye Françoise Lannoye is one of my favorite unknown Bordeaux winemakers. She makes great wine in unconventional areas and does it without fanfare. Along with her husband Philippe, she purchased …
Château de Belcier 2011 Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
I discovered the wine company Gironde et Gascogne at a trade tasting a few years back. This is a boutique operation with two chateaux on their roster, both in Bordeaux: Château Ramage La …
Chateau Moulin de Clotte 2010 Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
Hmm. Seems like the chateau owner may be in a financial pickle. First, her bottlings from Chateau Ambe Tour Pourret showed up at stark discounts. That was some great Bordeaux for …
Chateau Ambe Tour Pourret 2010 Saint Emilion Grand Cru (Bordeaux, France)
A decadent bottle of right bank Bordeaux. This chateau is part of the budding Bordeaux empire of Françoise Lannoye and her husband, Philippe. They purchased their first property, Château Lanbersac, in …
Chateau Leon 2010 “Cuvee Prestige” Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux
Back in January 2013, I favorably reviewed the Chateau Carignan 2005 “Prima” Cotes de Bordeaux. At the time, I had also tasted their regular un-Prima 2009 bottling. Like most wines I try, …
Chateau Lanbersac 2010 “Vieilles Vignes” Puisseguin Saint Emilion
This is a winery whose bottles never end up on our shores: it’s a tiny outpost in one of the most obscure satellite wine regions of Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion on the right bank …
Chateau de Roquebrune “Cuvee Reine” 2009 Lalande de Pomerol
The Guinjard family have been Bordeaux wine growers for five generations. Before 1970, most of that fruit went to other wineries. Over the past few decades, they have started making more …
Chateau Carignan 2005 “Prima” Cotes de Bordeaux
When I took a group of my students to Bordeaux, we stayed just a few miles from this Chateau. I did not expect much of this wine when I first tasted …
Chateau Ramage La Batisse 2005 Haut Medoc (Bordeaux)
A finely honed bottle with eucalyptus and wet stone aromas that edge into black fruit and crème de cassis. Full-bodied and velvety, the palate offers fresh red fruit, black tea, and a bracing minerality …
Ch. Bastor Lamontagne 2007 Sauternes
Château Bastor-Lamontagne is not Château d’Yquem. It’s not one of the elite estates of the Sauternes region of Bordeaux. However, this producer offers up a consistently great quality-to-value, a rarity in the region. Considering that Château …
Chateau Pavillon Bel Air 2008 Lalande de Pomerol
As wine regions go, Lalande de Pomerol is typically a mixed bag. It’s not actually Pomerol, but one of the many satellite regions on the right bank of Bordeaux. This is …
Andrew Will Winery 2007 Two Blondes Vineyard
Figs and cassis meld with coffee and campfire notes, along with a strong impression of Herbes de Provence. The midpalate brings in fresher red fruits, and serious oak-influenced flavors of chocolate and allspice. The finish rolls on and on, bringing more pleasure than anyone could expect from a glass of wine.