By Charles Lea on 01/07/2011
We can now offer very limited stocks of Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Haut Brion, both at £7800 per case. Available in six, and three-bottle cases as well as full dozens. Other sizes to order. We can also offer very limited volumes of Alain Vauthier's rarissimo Chateau Ausone, at £13,200, which, well if you can afford it, it is one of the truly great wines.
By Charles Lea on 30/06/2011
This morning sees the release of Chateau Léoville Las Cases, down a bit on last year and neatly under the price of Cos. This is a fabulous Las Cases, another candidate for my wine of the vintage, modern in some ways but really just so classical in others. Very strongly recommended.
By Charles Lea on 29/06/2011
Lots of wines hitting the market today, we need to know who wants what so get you orders in please. Lafite and Carruades first tranche is out, but the Bordeaux trade is having a bit of a think about thent one - many will sit on it a bit longer, probably, and offer funny deals linked to Rieussec.
By Charles Lea on 28/06/2011
This afternoon has seen the release of Vieux Château Certan 2010, in such limited volumes that we will struggle to fulfil existing orders. L'Evangile is also now sold out. However its release was swiftly followed by that of another wine which all the critics rated incredibly highly, namely La Conseillante.
By Charles Lea on 28/06/2011
Château Troplong Mondot's 2010 is definitely a wine which reflects the extreme ripeness of the vintage, but also befits from the rigour and balance of the year too. Robert Parker has described it as 'An amazing wine' and 'Just prodigious! ', while Tim Atkin descibes 'a big wine with surprising elegance and finesse'.
By Charles Lea on 28/06/2011
This morning has seen the release of another of the two big names, one from each side of the river. Stephan von Neipperg's super-cuvée Saint Emilion La Mondotte, which I was unsure about, while recognising its impressiveness. As predicted this was much loved by the American critics but also by Brits Neal Martin ('Mellifluous on the finish.
By Charles Lea on 27/06/2011
Bruno Borie has decided to wait until virtually all the Bordeaux offices are shut before releasing Château Ducru Beaucaillou (£1750) and its 'definitely not the second wine but another good Saint Julien of cru classé quality'. Like Clos du Marquis (offered last week) Croix de Beaucaillou (£395) is a wine from a distinct vineyard rather than a 'second wine'.
By Charles Lea on 27/06/2011
With Vinexpo over, this look like it will be the week of the big guns. This morning we have had the first tranche of Château Margaux, and at the end of Friday (by which time I, and most of the négociants in Bordeaux, had left the office), we had the release of l'Évangile.
By Charles Lea on 26/06/2011
To 'mark the exceptional vintage of 2009', Château Rauzan Ségla's owners the Wertheimers, who also own Chanel, have commissioned Karl Lagerfeld to design the label. He has come up with a sketch of the Château, which is 350 years old this year.
By Charles Lea on 16/06/2011
Rauzan Ségla has released its 2010 at a price which is comfortably 20% higher than any other vintage of this wine is trading at on the market. I really like Rauzan, so this just makes me sad as I’d like my customers to be able to enjoy drinking it. It is said that it has been forced into doing this following some kind of hierarchy between the properties and the high release prices of some other wines, but it really might have been better for a group as powerful as Chanel to have shown a bit of leadership. Ah well, if you are that powerful perhaps you don’t need customers, don’t need to sell your wine. It’s there if you want it – no sale refused!
Nénin, the Pomerol owned by the Delons of Las Cases, has put its excellent 2010 out at a price which while high is not dotty. And although it is always a challenge to taste this in the same line-up as Clos du Marquis and Las Cases, (and on a day when one tastes nothing but Cabernet-based wines), I really liked it.
We still have small volumes of Haut Bailly at £1035 and Pavie Macquin at £920 but these will not last long
This probably puts a wrap on the campaign until after Vinexpo, which goes on over the weekend and half-way through next week, so now is a time for quiet reflection and a bit of hoovering up of some of the better value wines!
By Charles Lea on 16/06/2011
Pichon Lalande has responded to Pichon Baron with a fractionally higher price. Parker may score the latter marginally lower, but to most buyers I spoke to, it is Pichon Lalande which is the more exciting wine, seemingly right back on the very top form of the eighties in all its glorious finesse. As I said in my introduction to the Pauillac page, "Another fantastic year for Pauillac Cabernet. Best news is that Pichon Lalande is really back to the best ever form."
Haut Bailly, under the elegant Véronique Sanders, has produced another wine in a fabulous run from this property. I love the unforced, ‘real’ style of this wine.
We have been championing Saint Pierre for some years now, along with its stablemate Gloria, and the 2009 is the best ever from this property. As Robert Parker puts it "This cuvee reminded me somewhat of a St.-Julien version of another of the superstars of the vintage, the 2010 Pichon Longueville Baron. The 2010 Saint-Pierre should drink well for 30-40 years. 2011-2051 95 – 97+"
We also have the great and again very highly-rated Pavie Macquin available in tiny quantities. Robert Parker 96 – 98+. Quick answers needed here please
By Charles Lea on 15/06/2011
This afternoon has seen a continued flow of releases. The big name, and a pair for Montrose, in that it also has a 97-99+ score from Robert Parker, is Pichon Baron. Under the leadership of Christian Seely Pichon Baron has been limited back to the old historic property, which has significantly cut the volume produced, but also moved it up a big notch in quality. This looks to be the finest Pichon Baron in a run of good vintages.
One I really, really like and recommend is Clos du Marquis. As you can read in Robert Parker’s note, Clos du Marquis is now treated as a separate property to Léoville las Cases, which is under the same ownership. The second wine of Las Cases is now ‘Le Petit Lion’. This is a wine of good Cru Classé standard, ranking alongside the likes of Lagrange and Branaire and co, at a price which makes it affordable for the drinker. One of the few recent releases to make it into my ‘recommended Médocs’ list.
I also really like Brane Cantenac. I do wish it were not the price it is, but in terms of some of the pricing we have seen in Margaux this year, this is almost a bargain. Especially considering it carries a 93-96 Parker rating. Staying in Margaux, we now have Alter Ego de Chateau Palmer – does this mean the release of Palmer itself is in the offing? Not so much a second wine really, "This tastes like a very smart wine off its own bat." says Jancis Robinson.
Late this afternoon we had the release of Bernard Magrez’s Chateau Pape Clément, which Steven Spurrier rates 18.5. The white is fractionally more and could be available if anyone wants.
Finally a wine which actually came out yesterday but got lost in the rush, La Pointe. This represents a bit of a rarity – good value in Pomerol. Recommended.