Louis Latour Aloxe-Corton “Les Chaillots” 1er Cru 2009 & Volnay “En Chevret” 1er Cru 2010 I recently went to a private wine tasting where Louis Latour’s Northeast Regional Manager, Andy Fruzzetti, opened TEN wines, 5 red and 5 white, as well as providing some awesome in depth commentary on the wines and winery. I will review these wines over the next several posts with some history and observations, stay tuned! Check out the March 31, 2017 & April 4, 2017 posts for additional pictures. Aloxe-Corton is the home village of the Latour Family who have been closely involved in the affairs of the commune for over three centuries. Of…
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Louis Latour Montagny “La Grande Roche” 1er Cru 2015 & Chassagne-Montrachet “Morgeots” 1er Cru 2012 I recently went to a private wine tasting where Louis Latour’s Northeast Regional Manager, Andy Fruzzetti, opened TEN wines, 5 red and 5 white, as well as providing some awesome in depth commentary on the wines and winery. I will review these wines over the next several posts with some history and observations, stay tuned! Check out the March 31, 2017 post for additional pictures. The appellation of Montagny lies approximately 30 kilometres to the south of Beaune in the rolling folds and hills of the southern part of the Côte Chalonnaise. Montagny is…
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Louis Latour – Puligny-Montrachet AC 2014 & Puligny-Montrachet Sous Le Puits 2014 I recently went to a private wine tasting where Louis Latour’s Northeast Regional Manager, Andy Fruzzetti, opened TEN wines, 5 red and 5 white, as well as providing some awesome in depth commentary on the wines and winery. I will review these wines over the next several posts with some history and observations, stay tuned! Pictured below is yours truly with Andy after the tasting. The Louis Latour family first bought vines in the Cote de Beaune in 1731, with land in some of the top Burgundy vineyards. Cooperage was already at that period a family occupation.…
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Chateau Latour Pauillac de Latour 2010 Chateau Latour is among the First Growth properties classified in the Bordeaux 1855 Classification. The estate is situated in the southern portion of Pauillac, bordering St. Julien and the Gironde estuary. Latour is considered one of the longest-lasting First Growths, reflecting its high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon. The blend is typically Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The fruit is grown in vineyards with notably high levels of gravel and an ideal southeastern exposure. Latour is typified by its concentrated fruit and complexity. Chateau Latour also produces a second wine called Les Forts de Latour and a third wine labeled simply Pauillac,…
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Chateau Palmer 2012 Alter Ego In 1938, four Bordeaux families – Sichel, Mähler-Besse, Ginestet, and Miailhe – all active in the Bordeaux fine wine trade – joined together to buy Palmer and restore it to the rank it deserved. Two of these families have since left the estate, leaving the Sichel and the Mähler-Besse families at the helm. Since their acquisition of Château Palmer, the families of shareholders have applied single-mindedly the key principles that contributed to the prosperity of this great wine: authenticity, quality and constancy. Originally from the Netherlands, the Mälher family were successful in the textile and the wine business. Having settled in Bordeaux with his wife…
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La Dame de Montrose 2010 Château Montrose overlooks the Gironde Estuary. In fact, the proximity of this vast body of water (called locally “The River”) is a major advantage. The estuary is responsible for maintaining a mild microclimate and toning down extremes of temperature. Helped by the presence of nearby marshes, it provides remarkable air conditioning in the summer while also compensating for the severities of winter. The large gravel found throughout the estate’s topsoil originated in mountains in the Massif Central and the Pyrenees. These pebbles absorb the sun’s heat during the daytime and release it at night. This is an important way of improving the maturity of the…
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Calon Ségur Saint-Estèphe 2010 Perhaps because it is one of the oldest estates in the Médoc, or perhaps because its most emblematic owner, the Marquis de Ségur, built an absolute legend around Calon. Historians date the origins of Calon back to the Gallo-Roman era. Its name is derived from the term “calones”, which were small transport boats that travelled up and down the Gironde estuary. Wine growing at the estate can be traced back to the 12th century, but it was in the 18th century, at the time of Nicolas-Alexandre the Marquis de Ségur, who also owned Latour, Lafite and Mouton, that the finest chapter of the property’s history was…
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Louis Jadot Celebration Beaune 1er Cru 2012 Jadot’s 153rd Anniversary bottling celebrates Jadot’s home in Beaune, the village of Beaune. The wine includes fruit from the very first vineyard the Jadot family purchased in 1829 – Clos Des Ursules. It also includes parcels of fruit from the other 18 Premier Cru sites that Jadot works with in this commune. What Jadot has done with this release is flip the whole paradigm on its head, instead of celebrating their 153rd year by selecting one vineyard to shine above all others, they chose to celebrate the diversity of terroirs within their home. They selected barrels from different sites that could be blended…
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Chateau Lynch Bages 1995 & 2013 Although there are records of the Bages territory as far back as the 16th century, the history of wine production in the area really began in the 18th Century. From 1749 to 1824, the vineyard was owned by Thomas Lynch, the son of an Irishman from Galway who worked as a merchant in Bordeaux. Thomas Lynch managed the land wisely and produced high quality wines under the name of ”Cru de Lynch”. As part of the prestigious 1855 Classification, for the Exposition Universelle de Paris, his wine would soon be classified as one of the fifth growths. I recently went to a Private…
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Taittinger Brut Champagne NV When Pierre Taittinger first discovered the Champagne region, he was a young liaison officer during the first World War. It was thanks to his passion for wine and gastronomy that he returned several years later and, with his brother-in-law, invested all his energy into the development of a burgeoning champagne business. Since 1932 Champagne Taittinger has grown and taken its place among the great Champagne houses, commanding a bold innovative style particularly influenced by Chardonnay. Having bought back the family business in 2006, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger has surrounded himself with a team that is both young and bound together by a spirit of attainment and permanence. His…