Bordeaux

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April 4, 2012

Bottomless Pours at Chateau Margaux

Posted by JJ Buckley Fine Wines under 2011 Bordeaux, Bordeaux, JJ Buckley Meets, On Location | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Bottomless Pours at Chateau Margaux

Post by Alex Shaw | April 2nd, 2012

Here in Bordeaux, two words inspire more reverence than any others: First Growth. Thanks to the 1855 classification system, there are only five First Growths (Lafite, Latour, Haut Brion, and Margaux, with Mouton added to the group in 1973), and they are widely considered to produce the finest wines from the Left Bank. We were lucky to taste all five on Monday, an excellent exercise that shed some light on the possibilities of the top end of the 2011 vintage. For many, including myself, the First Growth that inspires the most passion, even  reverence, is Chateau Margaux, so it was with great anticipation that I looked forward to dining there that evening.

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April 4, 2012

No One-Trick Pony: Recapturing Rusticity at Pontet-Canet

Posted by JJ Buckley Fine Wines under 2011 Bordeaux, About, Bordeaux, JJ Buckley Meets, On Location | Tags: , , , |
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No One-Trick Pony: Recapturing Rusticity at Pontet-Canet

Post by Roland Hankerson | April 2nd, 2012

The cool breeze of a spring day in Bordeaux carries with it wisps of dust, which settle between the forty-year-old vines that line the gravelly vineyard of Pontet-Canet. The hoofs of horses drawing plows kicked up the dust, as they are charged with turning the earth on this stately property. The “old ways” of producing classic Bordeaux are new again in a vineyard accustomed to producing world class wine of power and elegance in a manner that preserves its piece of earth with great care.

Brittany horses cultivate the vines of Pontet-Canet

Alfred Tesseron, proprietor of Pontet-Canet, is on a quest to provide a world class wine that adheres to his environmental ethics. He turns to his long-time winemaker, Jean-Michel Comme, (a 22-year veteran of the estate) to not only make the wine, but also head a program of certified organic and biodynamic viticulture on the property. No expense has been spared on this project, and Jean-Michel was handed complete autonomy with which to transform the vineyard over the course of several patient years. By now, he has transformed vineyard operations in a manner that allows the grapes to express in his words, “…the true identity of themselves in terroir while caring for the future of the earth the grapes come from.” (more…)

 

April 3, 2012

Homage á Bages: Dinner with Jean-Charles Cazes

Posted by JJ Buckley Fine Wines under 2011 Bordeaux, Bordeaux | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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Homage á Bages: Dinner with Jean-Charles Cazes

Post by Alex Shaw | April 1st, 2012

Not surprisingly our trip to Bordeaux is not ALL about the wine: this is France after all. During the day, our entire focus is on tasting wine (upwards of 100

Restaurant Cordeillan-Bages

today alone). But once the sun sets, we get treated to some of the greatest food in the world. Typically our dinners are in chateaux: with their grand rooms, high ceilings, and Renaissance art, they certainly inspire awe. But this evening, a few of us were fortunate to dine with Jean-Charles Cazes from Chateau Lynch-Bages.

After our tasting of Lynch-Bages’ four 2011 releases (Les Ormes de Pez, in St. Estephe, Lynch Bages, Echo de Lynch Bages, the house’s second wine, and Blanc de Lynch Bages) at the chateau, we drove around the corner to Cordeillan-Bages, the property’s Michelin-starred restaurant. It’s not a stretch to say that this was the single greatest meal I’ve had out of my three trips to Bordeaux for en primeur. (more…)

 

April 2, 2012

A Different Kettle of Fish: Dinner at Ducru-Beaucaillou

Posted by JJ Buckley Fine Wines under 2011 Bordeaux, On Location | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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A Different Kettle of Fish: Dinner at Ducru-Beaucaillou

Post by Devon Magee | March 31st, 2012

Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou

When I think of popping open a bottle of Left Bank Bordeaux with dinner, I typically think of medium

rare steak. But tonight, Bruno Borie, owner of Second Growth Ducru-Beaucaillou, dared us to think outside the box, pairing his lineup of Cab-based reds with seafood.It makes sense, really, with the bounties of the Atlantic – and especially the Bassin de Arcachon – only a stone’s throw away, eating local here is seafood. Except that drinking local here means structured, tannic Cabs.

And for a producer whose latest release – the ’09 – was just awarded 100 Points by Robert Parker,  the prize of the night was not necessarily the wine, but the fish! We caught a glimpse of the enormous, flat fish through the side door just as we arrived. We watched as the two women manning the kitchen, together hoisted the turbot off the ice and into the oven. I looked at my colleagues in wonderment. Could it be? Fish with Ducru?

Yes! We never saw the Bordeaux staples – duck breast, confit, or even foie gras. Instead, Bruno poured us a Magnum of 2000 Dom Perignon with a side-by-side comparison of Spanish “Pata Nega Bellota” jamón – 5-year aged, acorn-fed ham – and French “Pate Noire” jambon. As we chewed on the juicy question, Bruno hopped into the open kitchen in front of us to sauté clams and mussels.

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April 2, 2012

A ‘Cos’ for Celebration

Posted by JJ Buckley Fine Wines under 2011 Bordeaux, Bordeaux, JJ Buckley Eats, JJ Buckley Meets, On Location | Tags: , , |
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A ‘Cos’ for Celebration

Post by Cory Gowan | March 30th, 2012

It’s no secret that Cos d’Estournel has been on a qualitative roll, but when Robert Parker awarded 100 points to the 2009 vintage, Cos squarely placed itself among the Left Bank elite. Delivering what its winemakers deem as First Growth quality wines from St. Estephe, Cos has worked hard to place its name on every Bordeaux lover’s wishlist.

One of several Asian elephant statues at Cos d'Estournel

With that in mind, you can imagine the anticipation was high for my third visit to Cos d’Estournel to taste the 2011s. With a private, first-look tasting of the new vintage and a special dinner invitation from director Jean Guillaume-Prats, we motored our rental Puegeot up the D-2 highway eager to spend our first night in Bordeaux delving into the 2011s.

Visiting Cos d’Estournel is always a grand affair. After parking in the gravel driveway under our honorary American flag, we found ourselves in a brand new tasting salon (finished in 2008), more reminiscent of a hip Manhattan nightspot than an historic winery (the name Cos d’Estournel dates back to 1810). After a quick trip around the nippy barrel room where we viewed the 2011s in barrel (the 2010 vintage had already been moved for blending), we popped back upstairs to taste. (more…)

 

March 30, 2012

Under the Bordelais Sun? A Weather Analysis for the 2011 Vintage

Posted by JJ Buckley Fine Wines under 2011 Bordeaux, Bordeaux, On Location | Tags: , , |
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Under the Bordelais Sun? A Weather Analysis for the 2011 Vintage

Post by Chuck Hayward | March 30th, 2012

If it’s March, it must be time for Bordeaux en primeur!!

And indeed it is with half of the JJ Buckley sales staff already on the ground and the rest due to arrive tomorrow. Awaiting us is a very full schedule of tastings, appointments and dinners. It promises to be an eventful trip… Indeed, we started out with a (near) bang as Shaun Bishop, our Bordeaux buyer, had a close call in the rental car lot with a major American wine critic (who was clearly in a hurry to get to work tasting the vintage)!

Vines at Bordeaux Airport

As in years past, look for pics, blog posts, and Facebook updates from us as we taste through the latest vintage. In addition to our initial thoughts on the quality of the 2011s, we want to show you what life is like during en primeur week. That’s why we brought along our friend Hardy Wallace again to put together some videos that will give you a unique perspective on what it’s like to be in Bordeaux during this exciting and intense time of year. Stay tuned for those as JJ Buckley embarks on a trip we like to call “A Hard Day’s ‘Flight’”.  And don’t forget that JJ Buckley’s annual Bordeaux report will bring you vintage analysis, hundreds of tasting notes, and articles of interest. (more…)

 

December 1, 2011

Trial by Jury: Aged ‘Value’ Bordeaux

Posted by JJ Buckley Fine Wines under Bordeaux, Out and About | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
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Trial by Jury: Aged ‘Value’ Bordeaux

Post by Chuck Hayward | December 1st, 2011

To drink, one must pull corks

Over the course of the past few months, evidence has been put forth that Bordeaux, as Rodney Dangerfield might say, “ain’t got no respect”. It’s an observation that Matt Kramer made in a recent Wine Spectator piece as well as by Eric Asimov in the The New York Times. These articles attempt to discern the “whys” of it all. For instance, why is it that Bordeaux doesn’t get much love these days? But we aren’t asking that question at JJ Buckley, as our third annual tribute to Bordeaux sold out in record time, once again.

Each year, our tasting highlights one of Bordeaux’s frequently forgotten attributes—they are wines of incredible value. And this year, we decided to investigate another important quality of Bordeaux—the capacity of Bordeaux’s flavors and aromas to be transformed with time in the cellar. Spanning vintages from 1998-2003, with prices ranging from $25-$45 per bottle, this tasting was a great opportunity to examine the evidence firsthand.

The verdict? (more…)

 

April 25, 2011

It Is Easy Being Green For Helene Garcin-Leveque

Posted by JJ Buckley Fine Wines under 2010 Bordeaux, On Location | Tags: , , , , , |
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It Is Easy Being Green For Helene Garcin-Leveque

Post by Andy Frieden | April 7th, 2011

It was our third day of ‘official’ en primeur activities, and I couldn’t have been more excited about our visit with the ever-lovely and always gracious Helene Garcin-Leveque, who, along with her mother Sylviane Garcin-Cathiard, are the proprietors of Chateau Barde-Haut. Built as an addition to the family home on a 17-acre natural amphitheatre, the Chateau is just a few minutes drive from center of St. Emilion village, and counts Tertre-Roteboeuf and Troplong-Mondot among its prestigious neighbors.

Andy's last run at Alpine Meadows, March 2011

Winemaking seems to be in the blood for Helene’s family. Mother Sylviane, the grande dame of Vignobles Garcin, is sister to Daniel Cathiard who owns Smith-Haut-Lafitte with wife Florence. Sylviane and Daniel’s grandfather was an Alpine wine merchant who is also noted for creating the modern day ski lift! As an avid skier myself, I was particularly interested to find out in their previous lives, Daniel and Florence Cathiard were members of the French National Ski Team with gold medalist Jean-Claude Killy. It was perhaps his influence that led the Cathiards to Bordeaux, as this celebrated skier often concluded a day of racing with a bottle of the region’s finest. (more…)

 

April 21, 2011

All For One, and Pomerol For All

Posted by JJ Buckley Fine Wines under 2010 Bordeaux, On Location | Tags: , , |
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All For One, and Pomerol For All

Post by Alex Lallos | April 7th, 2011

A simple sign, amazing wine

While in Bordeaux, a few of my colleagues and I were fortunate enough to visit one of my favorite Pomerol estates, Chateau Clinet. Quintessential Pomerol, the grapes show a high proportion of merlot (85% in 2010 from super low yielding old vines) and are hand harvested and hand sorted. This stuff should cost about as much as a small yacht by today’s standards in Pomerol, but in reality, the wines are extremely well priced.

In fact, you can purchase the 2009 Clinet (which earned 97-100, Robert Parker) for a hair over $175, whereas 2009 Petrus will cost you a few thousand for about the same size production and almost the same score (RP96-100).  The 2010 is a brilliant wine much like the 2009, super dark, super lush, and just plain sexy. It’s hard to say yet what will happen to prices for the 2010s, but one can only hope there will be enough Clinet to go around. (more…)

 

April 16, 2011

Closing It Down At Lascombes (Again!)

Posted by JJ Buckley Fine Wines under 2010 Bordeaux, On Location | Tags: , , , , |
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Closing It Down At Lascombes (Again!)

Post by John Perry | April 5th, 2011

Every year that I’ve been to Bordeaux, the weather has been completely unpredictable and variable.  Not this year though—seems we brought

Lascombes vintages 1881 & 1892

California with us!  With warm, clear days, and cool,comfortable evenings, I couldn’t have asked for a better scene for our visit to Chateau Lascombes. We started out with a tour of the property, and as dry as technical details can be, it’s essential to understand how the rebirth of Lascombes has taken place over recent vintages.

Under its previous ownership by brewing company Bass Charrington, this 2nd Growth was considered by most to be an unqualified underachiever. Although some improvements were made, particularly towards the end of this era, the wines were pretty forgettable and certainly unheralded. Revitalization came in 2001 when Lascombes was purchased by Capital Colony and Yves Vatelot, who hired the super-talented team of Dr. Alain Reynaud and Michel Rolland to oversee the turnaround. Various improvements were made, including the construction of a gravity-fed winery, use of optical scanners on the sorting table, a new, innovative racking system for wines resting in barrel, and the replanting of (more…)

 

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