France

The Château owners are rather boxing them selves into a corner by continuing to wait to release their wines. The reason today seems to be a holiday in China. A couple of second wines with good pedigrees have followed the Pomerol Château Beauregard (same price as last year) onto the market today. Les Hauts de Pontet Canet is up 33% on the 2009 release price, while Parde de Haut Bailly is up a more modest 7%.

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Château d’Armailhac, made by the Mouton team, is out this morning. It is up just over 17% on the 2009 release price. The wine is well-regarded, and reputedly selling fast in Bordeaux – offered subject to stock remaining.

We also offer today the excellent Pomerol from Jean-Philippe Janoueix, Château La Croix Saint Georges, which represents good value in an appellation that was highly successful on 2020, and where other top wines will be much more expensive.

Finally, for this mail at least, we have the modern but classical Saint Estephe Château le Boscq, which has a very good following as a relatively early drinker.

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As attentive readers of earlier blog posts like this one about the ‘tango of en primeur’ will know, we are avid fans of Denis Durantou, maker of Chateau l’Eglise Clinet. Denis also makes a line-up of considerably less expensive but great value wines from the surrounding appellations, and these are offered today. Montlandrie, Cruzelles, Saintayme, and La Chenade all come strongly recommended, although my own favourite in the 2010 line-up was the Montlandrie, which is really the epitome of the Castillons I keep saying are brilliant value this year. When I said this to Denis he quickly re-shuffled the order of the bottles in the tasting, and said "this is how I rate the terroirs of my properties". The new order had Montlandrie second only to l’Église Clinet itself, and above Cruzelles and even La Petite Eglise.

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The French (and Bordelais in particular, it seems) being not respecters of English bank holidays, we do have a few releases today, but seeing as I’m at Seaview and should be watching my son sail, I’m going to keep this short. Ferrière is the pick of the bunch here, even if I am sad they could not keep the price down, but this is a much more serious wine than du Tertre. Meyney seems to have divided opinion – read all the notes but I did not particularly get it. Both Larmande and Clos Puy Arnaud (the latter another of these top-performing Castillons I keep mentioning), could offer good value.

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Château Poujeaux has followed Chasse Spleen onto the market at the same price. Château Bernadotte, the ‘entry-level’ wine from the Pichon-Lalande stable is out this morning too. This offers good value in a tight, classical but glossy style. Château Rol Valentin comes recommended by me – and see Jancis’ note too as it is very similar – a real, racy wine despite its ripeness and elevated alcohol level. Michel Rolland has released his ‘home’ property, the excellent Fronsac Fontenil. Finally Cap de Faugères is another good value wine from the underrated Castillon area, this one under the same ownership as Chateau Faugères (Saint Emilion).

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Chasse Spleen is out this afternoon, up around 7% on last year.

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Bravo again to Francois Despagne for this year’s Château Grand Corbin Despagne which is a Saint Emilion which just tastes real, remarkably unforced, and unites the English palates: "Good juice and flow, it tastes like real wine" L&S, "Proper wine!" Jancis Robinson, "very pure and precise" Neal Martin, "Splendid wine with extra depth and purity of fruit" James Lawther (Decanter). It is offered at the same price as last year, and comes recommended.

Château du Tertre is possibly slightly pushing its luck – it is no better than the 2009 (but probably very close in quality), but offered around 11% more than last year. But it’s hard to find a Cru Classé Margaux for less, and it offers solid value in a big, round, slightly sweet and smudgy style.

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If your wine sold out in seconds last year, and you have even better notes than last year, the temptation must be to hike a little. Sarget de Gruaud Larose flew last year, when it seemed one of the bargains of the vintage, and I’d suggest that this year it will also fly, because the 2010 is still a bargain. Sociando Mallet clearly just pushed above the critical point last year, and is offer about 16% down this year. I liked it even more, making it a bit of a bargain too. Long-term, mini-Latour like wine.

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Regular customers will know that we have has a soft spot for L’Arrosée ever since the Cailles took it over in 2002.

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Under the same ownership as Calon Ségur, Château Capbern Gasqueton is a Saint Estephe which offers cru-classé level drinking at lower-end Cru Bourgeois pricing.

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