Traditionally Château Larcis Ducasse, a St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, was regarded as a property with exceptional terroir but a constant under-performer. This has changed, mainly thanks to the talents of a new winemaking team headed up by Nicolas Thienpont (of Château Pavie Macquin repute) and Stephane Derenoncourt(the mercurial ‘flying wine consultant’) who have managed to unlock the potential of this sleeping giant.
The estate is located on one of Bordeaux’s finest strips of terroir – the Cote Pavie in St Emilion. The vines are planted on an eclectic range of soils – alluvial sand deposits, clay, chalk and limestone. The vines are predominately Merlot (some 75%), Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
For more info, visit Château Larcis Ducassewebsite.
Called at various times Château de Canolle, La Rivette, and Château Brion-Larrivet, the estate was given its current name, château Larrivet Haut-Brion, in 1949 by Jacques Guillemaud (owner since 1941). Devoted and hard-working, he conscientiously managed the estate until 1982. Château Larrivet Haut-Brion was acquired by the Gervoson family in 1987. They restored the estate’s unity, once again combining the château, outbuildings, 13 hectares of grounds, and 42 hectares of vines under one owner, as well as replanting 18 hectares of land that had laid fallow.
Today a team of enthusiastic professionals has done a wonderful job of giving Château Larrivet Haut-Brion back its superb reputation, and the estate is once again universally recognised as one of the finest wines in the Pessac-Léognan appellation.
For more info, visit Château Larrivet Haut-Brionwebsite.
VARIETALS
62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc
From the 17th century to the present day, ten generations of owners have followed one another and have left their mark on the history of Château Lascombes. A destiny marked by colorful characters who all worked for the excellence of Château Lascombes wines.
Combining power and elegance, smoothness and tannins, Château Lascombes is a wine of great complexity. In its youth, its depth of colour never fails to impress. Finesse and softness on the palate are complemented by stylish, fine-grained tannins. Château Lascombes should be enjoyed as it ages over the years to enable full appreciation of its aromatic complexity and the development of its ever-more suave structure in bottle.
Wines have been made at Château Macquin since 1885, when the first cellar was developed by François-Albert Macquin. François was the first to re-plant vines in the Saint-Émilion region following the phylloxera outbreak in the 19th century.
Château Macquin is located just three kilometres north of Saint- Émilion, in the small village of Saint-Georges, the smallest of all Bordeaux appellations. However, at its peak of 89 metres above sea level, Saint-Georges enjoys one of the best elevations on the right bank, giving the wines freshness and concentration.
The south facing vines are planted on clay and limestone soils and range from 15 to 60 years old. The vines are sustainably farmed, without the use of herbicides, fertilizers, or other harmful chemicals.
Castel Estates and Vineyards offer a range of unique estate wines, finding some true gems by following the advice of the people who know and love the place best. In Bordeaux, at the gateway to Entre-Deux-Mers, they selected Château Malbec which also houses an education center dedicated to wine and the art of wine tasting. Contrary to appearances, Château Malbec is not named after the famous grape variety, but for one of its former owners, Louis Malbec.
Located in the town of Bédarrides, Château Mont Thabor belongs to the Stehelin family since 1880. 4 hectares in Châteauneuf du Pape located on the plateau with a strong dominance of rolled pebbles and sandy red clay 6 hectares of Côtes du Rhône around Castle on light ground with presence of pebbles. The vines are worked in the philosophy of organic, without certification. The wines are vinified and raised quite traditionally, concrete vats without destemming, aging in barrels, no filtration. The wines are rich, robust, spicy and very complex. Paradoxically, they possess great finesse.
A well regarded 28ha property on the borders of St Georges-St Emilion owned by the Amart family since 1949, which it is looking out over her neighbours like Cheval Blanc, Vieux Chateau Certan and Chateau Petrus who are just over the Barbanne stream. Tasted against far greater names this is a exceptional value, very elegant, with a lovely weight of fruit. It will not disappoint.
For more info, visit Château Montaiguillonwebsite.
Located in the village of Pez, whose name comes from the ancient French word meaning “peace”, the Château Ormes de Pez covers 40 hectares of vineyards. The château has been linked to the Cazes family for more than a century. Although Lynch-Bages is without a doubt the flagship of the Domaines Jean-Michel Cazes, Ormes de Pez belongs to the Medoc landscape since the 18th century. Purchased by Jean-Charles Cazes in the wake of the Second World War, the history of these two estates is closely linked.
The wines from Ormes de Pez are powerful yet characterized by their harmonious structure. They are indulgent, pleasurable and combine a smooth, fleshy texture with the distinctive elegance of a Saint-Estèphe.
This 2016 vintage is characterized by richness, finesse and elegance: it has everything it takes to become a great vintage.
Château Pailhas is certainly one of the prettiest discoveries in Saint-Emilion-Grand-Cru. The Merlot-dominated vineyard boasts a typical style of the right bank with a certain modernity bringing refined tannins to its wines.
Running along the edge of the Saint-Emilion appellation, this vineyard is owned by the Fauchey family, who have been making wine in the Bordeaux area since the 17th century. The estate, until the second world war, made mostly white wine for the army. Today though, the vineyard is mostly planted with merlot, the grape best suited to the climate and soil of the domain.
VARIETALS
85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
The vines of Pédesclaux sit upon a geological masterpiece whose origins date back 40 million years. It is this unique terroir, the Médoc par excellence, which was recognized by the 1855 classification.
Like the very best wines of its appellation, Château Pédesclaux reflects its complex terroir, emboding the density of Pauillac tempered by a unique sensuality.
Complexity, depth, sensuality, freshness and tension.
Pibran is an old Médoc name. Its highly reputed vineyard covers one of the finest outcrops of Pauillac. The estate, which originally had only just 10 hectares, was expanded in 2001 following the purchase of neighbouring property to reach the current size of 17 hectares of superb Garonne gravel soil. For a long time it belonged to the Billa family, who sold it to AXA Millésimes in 1987. The vineyards were restructured shortly after the purchase, and drainage was improved in order to get the best possible effect of the soil on the wine. Today Château Pibran is carefully produced by the same technical team that makes Château Pichon Baron and then moved in barrel, for aging in the cellars of Pibran.
Founded in the 12th century by monks from Vertheuil Abbey, the prieuré (or priory) of Cantenac produced well-reputed wines from the very beginning. The vineyard belonged to the Church until the French revolution. In 1951, Alexis Lichine, called “the pope of wine”, took over the estate and added his name two years later.
Now owned by the Ballande group, the château has entered a dynamic new phase of its history and is resolutely turned towards the future, bringing in the team Stephane Derenoncourt as their consulting oenologist. This is the first vintage Stéphane Derenoncourt and his team made in the new cellar. Don’t miss it.
For more info, visit Château Prieuré-Lichinewebsite.
VARIETALS
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot
Château Ségur de Cabanac takes its name from the illustrious and powerful family of the same name whose history was entwined with that of the Médoc going back to the 16th century. This aristocratic Bordeaux family owned great vineyards such as Lafite and Latour in Pauillac.
Consisting of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, Château Ségur de Cabanac is a Saint-Estèphe combining a powerful structure that enables it to age and a complex bouquet of red fruit and forest floor.
For more info, visit Château Ségur de Cabanacwebsite.
The Château Julien in Haut-Médoc neighbours the great terroirs of Saint Julien, the vines nestling on gravelly marls producing fruity, generous wines boasting harmonious tannins, in a style that has long made the reputation of Haut-Médoc.
This wine is their second label.
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