Pomerol St. Emilion Tasting at wine Watch

If all be true that I do think,
There are five reasons we should drink:
Good wine - a friend - or being dry -
Or lest we should be by and by -
Or any other reason why.
Henry Aldrich 1647 - 1710

October is the month for drinking here at Wine Watch and not that every other month is not for drinking it’s just that we do an extraordinary amount of drinking in October.

This is part of our appellation series tasting for Bordeaux and this focuses on the merlot based wines of the Right Bank.  We have some of the top names and some incredible vintages on the table this evening and there is only room for 14 tasters at this event.  Wine Watch caterings Toni Lampasone is making a few small courses to accompany the tasting wines and the fee for this event is $395 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Pomerol Versus St. Emilion Tasting at wine Watch
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
7:00 PM

1975 Chateau Petrus Pomerol

98 points Robert Parker: "The 1975 Petrus reveals a youthful, rustic, brutally powerful style, with an opaque garnet/ruby/purple color, and an emerging nose of over-ripe black-cherries, mocha/chocolate, and truffles. Extremely full-bodied, ferociously tannic, but awesomely concentrated, the 1975 Petrus can be drunk, provided readers have a penchant for slightly uncivilized wines. This behemoth Petrus (the last made in this style) is at least a decade away from full maturity. It is potentially a 50 year wine, with exquisite concentration and intensity. (Feb 1996)"

1988 Chateau Lafleur Pomerol

93 Points Robert Parker:  Consistently one of the strongest candidates for the wine of the vintage, Lafleur’s 1988 has a dark plum/ruby color and a gorgeous nose of white flowers intermixed with kirsch liqueur and raspberries. The wine is full-bodied, sweet, round, and beautifully pure, with moderate tannin, medium to full body, and great elegance and complexity. This wine has come around faster than I would have thought. Anticipated maturity: Now-2025. Last tasted, 8/02.

1989 Chateau La Fleur Petrus Pomerol

91 Points Robert Parker:  In the ongoing competition between the 1989 and 1990 vintages, in the case of La Fleur-Petrus, the 1989 comes out a clear winner. The dense plum/garnet color offers up notes of underbrush, dried herbs, caramel, sweet cedar, and jammy black cherries intermixed with some balsam wood. In the mouth the wine is deep, very pure, ripe, with moderate tannins still to be shed. A very impressive, gorgeous La Fleur-Petrus that is the best wine made during a somewhat indifferent period for this property. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2015. Last tasted, 3/02.

1989 Chateau Le Gay Pomerol

92 Points Robert Parker: This wine seems to get better and better, and is certainly the only great Le Gay of recent years. This dark ruby/purple-colored wine has a nose of blueberries, minerals, and white flowers. The wine shows plenty of sweetness, real opulence, high tannins, but sweeter, more civilized tannins than most Le Gays tend to possess. It is a very muscular, full-bodied style of wine that should age effortlessly for another 15-20 years. Anticipated maturity: Now-2020. Last tasted, 11/02.

1998 Chateau Trotanoy Pomerol

96+ Points Robert Parker: The finest Trotanoy since the 1961, this structured, formidably-endowed, deep ruby/purple-colored, full-bodied, super-rich wine exhibits notes of toffee, truffles, and abundant blackberry, cherry, and currant fruit. It cuts a large swath across the palate, and possesses copious but sweet tannin as well as a chewy, muscular mid-palate and finish. This is a compelling effort from one of the great vineyards of Pomerol. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2035. Last tasted, 11/02.

1967 Chateau Cheval Blanc St. Emilion

77 Points Robert Parker: Now in decline, the 1967 Cheval Blanc drank well for the first decade of life, but has begun to take on a decaying, leafy component in an otherwise tobacco-scented, plummy bouquet. In the mouth, the wine is soft and round, but fades quickly. Anticipated maturity: Now-probably in serious decline. Last tasted, 4/90.

1985 Chateau Canon St. Emilion

89 Points Robert Parker: Just approaching full maturity, this St.-Emilion offers a delicious combination of aromatics and flavors, including kirsh, cherries, minerals, and smoky oak, as well as a soft, medium-bodied, lush, mellow, and nicely textured palate. This charming, rich, stylish wine is now at its plateau of maturity. Anticipated maturity: Now-2007. Last tasted 12/97

1998 Chateau Petit Cheval St. Emilion

This was the best of the Petite Cheval wines this evening with dense rich black cherry, currant berry fruit and a nice hand of the estates terroir, mint, tobacco spice and a truffle like woodsy note.  This wine is very rich and layered on the tongue with excellent structure and depth and will last another decade or more in the cellar, a taste of this KILLER vintage at a fraction of the cost.  Finish 40+  Excellent +

1998 Chateau Valandraud St. Emilion

93 Points Robert Parker: A classic St.-Emilion, the 1998 exhibits a dark plum/purple color as well as an elegant nose of mocha, coffee, cherries, blackberries, and chocolate. It has turned out to be more finesse-styled and less exotic than past vintages. This medium to full-bodied, beautifully concentrated wine reveals chocolate overtones in the aromas and flavors. With exceptional purity, balance, and length, it should turn out to be one of the most elegant Valandrauds yet produced. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2020.

Proprietor Jean-Luc Thunevin and his wife, Murielle, are the de facto leaders of the St.-Emilion vin de garage effort. If that is not unsettling enough to the Medoc aristocracy, they are now starting up garage operations in Margaux and St.-Estephe.

1998 Chateau Peby Faugeres St. Emilion

95 Points Robert Parker:  A terrific effort, and one of the stars of the vintage, the 1998 boasts an opaque, thick looking, black/purple color in addition to gorgeous aromatics consisting of blackberries, blueberries, smoke, minerals, and vanillin. Extremely full-bodied and rich, yet harmonious, with a seamless personality as well as beautifully-integrated acidity and tannin, this blockbuster effort is one of the great surprises of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2018+.

Menu

Chocolate BBQ Chicken with White Lasagna

Duck Confit over plum cous cous and Merlot natural Sauce

The fee for this tasting is $395 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.  There are only 14 spaces available for this event.

The Right Bank

The Bordeaux region is one of the most important wine-producing regions in the world, it produces a third of the good quality wine French production. Bordeaux is 57 appellations, more than 9,000 wine-producing châteaux, and 13,000 wine growers.  Bordeaux is near the Atlantic coast, in the south west of France.  Wine has been grown in Bordeaux for two thousand years. Most probably vines grew there before the arrival of the Roman in 56 before J.C.  The poet Ausonius wrote about it, a château still bare his name, the "Château Ausone". 

At the beginning of the second millennium the region was under English domination. Hundred of boats loaded with barrels of "Claret" left for England.  The "Claret" was a light red wine Englishmen loved, the word is still used to refer to Red Bordeaux.  The large diversity of Bordeaux suggests an equal diversity of soil. The climate is generally temperate with a short winter and a high degree of humidity generated by the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. 

The celebrated regions of the right bank, Pomerol and St Emilion, have very little to do with the rest of Bordeaux. They lie well to the east of Bordeaux itself. Where the Médoc and Graves are characterized by gravelly soils, on the right bank the soil has more clay and limestone. Cabernet Sauvignon does not usually perform well here, and Merlot and Cabernet Franc are much more widely planted. A warmer drier climate than the maritime Médoc also benefits the region.

The right bank was mostly excluded from the 1855 classification (the exceptions being the St Emilion first growths of Cheval Blanc and Ausone) and as a whole was not taken that seriously until the early 20th century.  Today, due to the garagist movement- the recent development on the Right Bank has been the production of wines from newly created but tiny estates.  A policy of very low yields, ageing in new oak barrels, and the rarity value of the wines, has created a somewhat absurd demand for such exceedingly expensive wines as Le Pin (Pomerol) and Valandraud (St Emilion).  Their quality is excellent, but they offer poor value, except for wine drinkers who must have 'cult' wines in their cellars at all costs.  This is a reflection of the quality of the best wines and of the sensuous properties of the Merlot grape, which gives rounder, more opulent wines than the austere Cabernet Sauvignon.  The St Emilion wines have been classified, but Pomerol still has no classification, although the best wines are internationally recognized.

Because the wine business has been so entrenched in their history and the entire economy of this region of France is based on what the English have coined the term “Claret”, they have a system of doing business like other wine producing region on the face of the earth.  The best of the Bordeaulaise get paid for their product up to two years before it gets to the market.  The top wines are sought out by collectors the world over years before they will come to rest in their cellars; and in some cases many years before they will actually be consumed.  It is like the stock market, for wine junkies.  Bordeaux Futures are a bet that the wine will be more valuable when it arrives than it was when it was actually purchased. 

Pomerol

The Pomerol vineyards are located on a plateau that rises and falls slightly as it slopes gently down through a series of terraces toward the valley of the Isle River, which flows into the Dordogne River.  The appellation is bordered on the north by the Barbanne, a tributary of the Isle, on the east by Saint Emilion (the Cheval Blanc and Figeac wine estates), and on the south and west by the city of Libourne.  Pomerol is an area only two and a half miles long and two miles wide with exceptionally favorable geology and unique wine-producing potential.  It is one of the smallest of the Bordeaux wine areas and produces a yearly average of about 350,000 cases of wine.  Most of the region's properties, with a few exceptions, are small; the 185 wine estates in Pomerol have an average of eight acres of grapes each.  The area is mainly characterized by a unique set of geological conditions.  The surface soil is gravel, more or less compact or sandy; and its subsoil contains ferrous oxide, locally known as "crasse de fer", which, together with its specific microclimate, gives Pomerol wines their distinctive personality.

It is speculated that wine grapes have been grown there ever since the Romans inhabited Gaul.  The development of the vineyards began in the 12th Century and continued throughout the Middle Ages.  Pomerol was an important stopping place along the road of the pilgrims journeying from all over Europe to the Spanish pilgrimage of Saint Jacques de Compostelle.  The Knights of Malta built a manor and a Roman church - since destroyed - as well as a hospital.  The ancient hospital is the present Château Gazin building; it may be one of the last vestiges of the middle ages in Pomerol.  Unfortunately, the troubles of the Hundred Years' War led to the abandonment of most of the vineyards.  Subsequently restored, they again suffered greatly during the Religious Wars.  Minutes in the archives of Libourne date the beginning of Pomerol's evolution toward its modern form to the middle of the 18th Century.  It began in 1753 when Louis Leonard Fontemoing, a grape-grower in a locality called "Trop Chaud" ("Too Hot"), transformed his vineyard by taking out the white grapes and putting in red grapes.  Besides the Pressac red, bouchet (or cabernet franc) and merlot made their first historically recorded appearance.  They are the dominant varieties in Pomerol today.

Some historians claim that the real ascendancy of Pomerol began in the second half of the 19th Century.  However, modern tasters have reported on many great Pomerol vintages (dating back to the 1920's) from the region's pre-eminent estate, Château Pétrus.  Nevertheless, pre-war vintages of Pomerol were not much in demand; and most winelovers of that era did not seek out Château Pétrus or any other of the notable Pomerol properties.  It was not until the legendary 1947 vintage that Pétrus gained notoriety in wine circles.  Although we have not tasted that particular vintage, those experienced tasters who have had the privilege of sampling the 1947 Pétrus at its zenith (it may still be at that level today) claim that the 1947 Pétrus is one of the greatest wines produced in the 20th Century.  Despite the fame of the 1947 vintage, another generation of winedrinkers generally ignored the wines of Pomerol.  We recall drinking exceptional Pomerols from vintages in the 1960's that commanded prices well below their counterparts in the Médoc (the area of Bordeaux where fabled estates such as Mouton, Lafite, Latour, and Margaux are located).  However, beginning in the 1980's - specifically the 1982 vintage - Pomerol began to command average prices that exceeded those of most other Bordeaux wines.  Today older vintages of Pétrus from the 1960's go for as much as $1000 to $10,000 a bottle! 

2005 Chateau Certan Marzelle Pomerol
Price: $90.00       Your Price: $79.20
Quantity in Stock: 3

(89 Points) Offers blackberry, milk chocolate and sweet tobacco. Medium- to full-bodied, with medium tannins and a berry, cedar and chocolate aftertaste. Should mature quickly. Best after 2011. 1,830 cases made. “JS Wines Spectator Issue: Web Only - 2008

1990 Chateau Clinet Pomerol
Price: $375.00    Your Price: $330.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

(97 Points) A sensational effort, and one of the two finest Clinets made before the 2008, this prodigious wine made by the late Jean-Michel Arcaute has always been a sprinter out of the gate. Even at age 19, it continues to strut its stuff. A dense blue/garnet/purple hue exhibits slight lightening at the edge, and the gorgeous nose offers up aromas of sweet blueberries, licorice, smoke, acacia flowers, and camphor. Full-bodied with silky tannins, low acidity, and terrific purity, this 1990 has hit its plateau of full maturity where it should remain for another decade.Release price: ($425.00/case)  Wine Advocate #183, Jun 2009

1999 Chateau Clos l'Eglise Pomerol
Price: $144.00    Your Price: $126.72
Quantity in Stock: 3

(93 points)  The 1999 Clos l'Eglise is a tremendous success for the vintage. It is showing even better from bottle. A stunningly complex nose of vanilla, espresso, plums, figs, charcoal, and black cherry liqueur jumps from the glass of this flamboyantly-scented wine. In the mouth, it is all sex appeal, with silky, voluptuous flavors, sweet tannin, low acidity, and ripe, concentrated flavors. Drink it over the next 10-14 years; it might last even longer given its brilliant balance.    Wine Advocate #140  Apr 2002

2003 Chateau Clos L'Eglise Pomerol
List Price: $120.00Your Price: $105.60
Quantity in Stock: 14

(93 Points) Lots of violet and floral character with plum and berry. Full, round and juicy, with plummy vanilla and chocolate character. Yummy wine. Best after 2008. 1,090 cases made. –JS  Wine Spectator Issue: Mar 31, 2006

1990 Chateau L'Evangile Pomerol (low neck)
Price: $245.00    Your Price: $215.60
Quantity in Stock: 1

2000 Chateau Gombaude Guillot Pomerol
Price: $77.50       Your Price: $68.20
Quantity in Stock: 42

In the heart of the Pomerol plateau, on the Right Bank of Bordeaux, the vineyards of Château Gombaude-Guillot have been a family property for so long that the current generation doesn’t even know when they were first acquired. The Bélevier family was already well established as vignerons in Pomerol and Néac when this property was passed down to Marie Bélevier as a dowry in 1868. The “château” itself, which was originally a café where the locals would gather for a drink after church services, was added to the property in 1922. Today, Claire Laval, Marie’s great-granddaughter, runs the estate. Claire started her career as an agronomist, specializing in soils best suited for cattle, and had no formal training in viticulture. It is through viticulture, though, that she has refined her expertise in soil management, learning from her own work in the vineyards. Though the estate is already certified organic, she is now pursuing the more stringent requirements of biodynamics. Her dedication to the environment even extends to using local oak for the wines’ élevage. Claire’s reputation among her peers also speaks volumes of her capabilities and work ethic: in 1991, she and only one other woman were inducted into the Confrerie des Hospitaliers de Pomerol, a first in this traditionally all-male wine fraternity.

As a recently discovered jewel in the crown of Bordeaux, Pomerol does not have an official classification system, yet the standards set for the vignerons here are high. The château’s vineyards are comprised of glacial gravel deposits and clay, and vineyard work is focused around soil health, low yields, and maximizing ripeness. Cover crops are planted between vineyard rows to encourage microbiological activity in the soil. No chemical or synthetic herbicides or fungicides are used, and Claire is also careful not to eliminate vineyard pests entirely, citing their importance to the vineyard’s ecosystem. The vines average forty years of age and give naturally low yields. The wines of Gombaude-Guillot are classic reflections of Pomerol: rich and supple, with a deep gravel mineral structure. This vin de garde has all of the grace and finesse for which the appellation is known, without any of the highbrow pretention or price.

1995 Chateau Lafleur Pomerol
Price: $815.00    Your Price: $717.20
Quantity in Stock: 1

(93 points) This is an awesome Lafleur, but it is also an amazingly backward, tannic monster that will need more cellaring than any Medoc in this vintage. The wine boasts an opaque black/purple color, as well as a closed but promising nose that represents the essence of blackberry, raspberry, and cherry fruit. Intertwined with those aromas is the tell-tale mineral terroir of Lafleur, full body, blistering dry, astringent tannin, and a layered, weighty feel on the palate. This is the kind of young claret that I couldn't wait to rush out and buy two decades ago, but now I have to be content to admire it and wish I were twenty years younger. It is formidable, prodigious, and oh, so promising, but I cannot see it being ready to drink before the end of the second decade of the next century! Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050. Wine Advocate #115, Feb 1998

2009 Chateau La Fleur Saint Georges, Lalande-de-Pomerol
Price: $35.00       Sale Price: $29.75
Quantity in Stock: 59

Chateau La Fleur de Bouard's second wine la fleur Saint Georges.  La Fleur de Bouard is owned by the de Bouard family. When Hubert de Bouard purchased the property in 1998, it was called La Fleur Saint Georges. Following the age old custom of renaming a wine after a change in ownership, they rechristened their new property, La Fleur de Bouard. The de Bouard family are well known for their Bordeaux wine vineyards in St. Emilion, which include Chateau Angelus and Chateau Bellevue as well as their estate in the Cotes de Francs appellation, Chateau de-Francs. Hubert de Bouard purchased the estate in 1998 from a French insurance company.

Wine Watch Review:  The vineyards are planted to mostly Merlot and this 2009 vintage is very ripe and jammy with lots of berry and plum fruit, very ripe and seductive with notes of sweet herbs and highlights of fresh earth.  A smooth and plush wine on the tongue with ripe round tannins, very juicy but also quite fresh at the end, evolved and ready to drink but has wonderful balance, even at 14% alcohol this wine is a dead ringer for right bank Bordeaux with a nice hint of earth and spice on the finish, just a bit of funk but lots of juicy fruit here.  Finish 40+    Excellent

2005 Chateau Lafleur Pomerol
Price: $2250.00  Your Price: $1980.00
Quantity in Stock: 6

2011 Chateau Marzy Pomerol
Price: $27.75       Your Price: $24.42
Quantity in Stock: 6

Owned by several generations of the Maison family, this vineyard covers 10 hectares and is planted among the ancient limits of the Domaine des Templiers. A historic spot in the 12th century, with its history still written in the terroir, and recreated on today's label, which is emblazened with a Saint Jacques logo (scallops in its shell) as a lasting remembrance of the pilgrims who seeked refuge with the Hospitallers of Pomerol.

Château Marzy is one of the rare properties that is described as a "Château" on the official maps of the National Geographic Institute. Château Marzy is located on the great plateau of Pomerol, and due in no small part both to its excellent location, and the quality of its cellar equipment, it produces a wine of great class that, like all of Pomerol, marries both power and finesse. It's a wine that will improve with age.

2003 Chateau Nenin Pomerol
Price: $100.50    Your Price: $88.44
Quantity in Stock: 2

(87 points)  Pomerol is a mixed bag in 2003 as its sandy/gravelly soils were adversely impacted by the heat and drought in June, July and August. I was surprised by how well Nenin’s 2003 performed. It exhibits a dark plum color as well as attractive notes of figs, jammy black cherries and mulberries, and an elegant, medium-bodied, pure, soft, fully mature style. Consume it over the next 4-5 years.  Wine Advocate #214, Aug 2014

1971 Chateau Petrus Pomerol (mid shoulder)
Price: $2500.00  Sale Price: $2000.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(94 Points) This wine is as comfortable as your favorite pair of slippers. Extremely caressing, with wonderfully enticing aromas and flavors of tobacco and violets and a rich, round palate.--Pétrus vertical. Drink now. –JS Wine Spectator Issue: Feb 15, 1991

1979 Chateau Petrus Pomerol
Price: $2000.00  Sale Price: $1400.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(90 Points) A rather hard wine, with a firm backbone of silky tannins and sweet black olive, vanilla and berry aromas and flavors.--Petrus vertical. Best from 1992 through 1995. “JS Wine Spectator Issue: Feb 15, 1991

1998 Chateau Petrus Pomerol
Price: $4500.00  Sale Price: $3500.00
Quantity in Stock: 8

(98 Points) The 1998 Petrus is unquestionably a fabulous effort boasting a dense plum/purple color as well as an extraordinary nose of black fruits intermixed with caramel, mocha, and vanilla. Exceptionally pure, super-concentrated, and extremely full-bodied, with admirable underlying acidity as well as sweet tannin, it reveals a superb mid-palate in addition to the luxurious richness for which this great property is known. The finish lasts for 40-45 seconds. Patience will definitely be required. Production was 2,400 cases, about 1,600 cases less than normal. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2040 Wine Advocate # 134 Apr 2001

1999 Chateau Petrus Pomerol
Price: $3900.00  Sale Price: $3200.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

(94 Points) This wine is turning out much in the style of such wonderful Petrus vintages as 1967 and 1971. Although not as outstanding as either the 1998 or 2000, it displays beautiful intensity and finesse in a more evolved style than one normally expects from this estate. The wine has a dense, nearly opaque ruby/purple color, sweet black cherry, mulberry, truffle-infused fruit, full body, low acidity, admirable purity, and sweet tannin. It should be ready to drink in 5-6 years, and will last for two decades. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030. Only 2,400 cases were produced.  Wine Advocate #140, Apr 2002

2003 Chateau Petrus Pomerol (in original wooden case)
Price: $3500.00  Sale Price: $2800.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

(95 + points)  Fleshy, fat, and already sexy, the dark plum/purple-tinged 2003 Petrus is exceptionally ripe and rich. While not as exotic as its rival, Lafleur, it is rich, heady, and loaded. A tour de force in winemaking for Pomerol, it vindicates Christian Moueix’s decision to harvest nearly all his Merlot on September 3 and 4, and the Cabernet Franc on September 17. However, production is tiny ... less than 1,700 cases. Full-bodied, powerful, and exceptionally pure without losing its nobility and elegance, this stunning Petrus can be drunk in 2-3 years or cellared for three decades.  Wine Advocate #164 Apr 2006

2010 Chateau Petrus Pomerol
Price: $4600.00  Sale Price: $3975.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

Robert Parker (RP): 100  The harvest at Petrus took place between September 27 and October 12, and the 2010 finished at 14.1% natural alcohol, which is slightly lower than the 2009's 14.5%. The 2010 reminds me somewhat of the pre-1975 vintages of Petrus, a monster-in-the-making, with loads of mulberry, coffee, licorice and black cherry notes with an overlay of enormous amounts of glycerin and depth. Stunningly rich, full-bodied and more tannic and classic than the 2009, this is an awesome Petrus, but probably needs to be forgotten for 8-10 years. It should last at least another 50 or more.

2006 Vieux Chateau Bourgneuf Pomerol
Price: $39.00       Your Price: $33.15
Quantity in Stock: 13

A good amount of fresh earth and tobacco spice, tobacco.  Smooth and silky texture on the tongue with a good hand of fresh earth, tobacco spice on the finish drinking very nicely right now, nicely balanced with good freshness on the finish.   Finish 40+ Very Good +   

St. Emilion

2005 Chateau Ausone St Emilion
Price: $3000.00  Sale Price: $2500.00
Quantity in Stock: 6

(100 Points)  A tiny production of just over 1,300 cases will make the 2005 Ausone impossible to find, but proprietor Alain Vauthier continues to exhibit the Midas touch with his perfectionist efforts at this estate. This brilliant, blue/black-hued offering reveals an extraordinarily youthful, but promising nose of incense, blueberries, blackberries, currants, licorice, and crushed rocks. This intense 2005 boasts powerful, super-layered, multidimensional flavors with tremendous extraction, yet they come across as incredibly sublime, even delicate for such a stunningly concentrated, full-bodied effort. A masterpiece of concentration and balance, it will no doubt be drinking well a century from now. Anticipated maturity: 2030-2080+. Wine Advocate #176, Apr 2008

2010 Chateau Barde Haut St. Emilion
Price: $60.00       Your Price: $52.80
Quantity in Stock: 2

(92 Points) Loads of blueberry, black cherry and dusty, loamy soil notes as well as hints of herbs, licorice and incense jump from the glass of this well-endowed, supple wine. Tannins are sweet and the acidity sufficient to give delineation to the wine. Full-bodied and impressively endowed, it should drink well over the next 10-15 years.  The 2010 Barde-Haut is a delicious, seductive style of St.-Emilion made from 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Proprietress Helene Garcin-Leveque purchased the estate in 2000 and has been pushing quality ever since.  Wine Advocate #205, Feb 2013

2006 Chateau Belair Saint Emilion
Price: $64.50       Your Price: $56.76
Quantity in Stock: 12

(88 Points) Light jam and coffee aromas follow through to a full body, with soft, fruit-covered tannins and a berry and chocolate aftertaste. Best after 2013. 2,080 cases made. –JS Wine Spectator Issue: Web Only - 2009

2001 Chateau Bellevue Mondote St Emilion
Price: $201.00    Your Price: $176.88
Quantity in Stock: 9

(92 points) This is very fruity, with beautiful underlying character of spices. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a silky, caressing texture. Long finish. Racy and refined. This is a hot new wine from Stéphane Derenoncourt, who makes such top wines as La Mondotte. Best after 2006. 1,500 cases made. –JS

2004 Chateau Clos De Sarpe Saint Emilion
Price: $56.00       Your Price: $49.28
Quantity in Stock: 4

Château Clos de Sarpe has always produced genuine Saint-Emilion wine, natural, straightforward, sincere, concentrated, tannic, complete and solid - an expression of the unerring truth of the land and the flexible truth of time. In the cellars, long and fiercely natural vinification results in pure authenticity. The chateau creates two wines: Chateau Clos de Sarpe and Charles de Sarpe, the estate’s second wine. The late harvest is done by hand. The estate's two grape varieties are collected on diffferent days depending on grape ripeness and the age of the vines.

1995 Chateau Cheval Blanc St. Emilion
Price: $560.00    Sale Price: $445.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(92 Points) A pretty, attractive Cheval Blanc, the 1995 contains a higher percentage of Merlot in the final blend than usual (50% Merlot/50% Cabernet Franc). This wine has not developed as much fat or weight as its younger sibling, the 1996, but it appears to be an outstanding Cheval Blanc with an enthralling smoky, black currant, coffee, and exotic bouquet. Complex, rich, medium to full-bodied flavors are well-endowed and pure, with surprisingly firm tannin in the finish. Unlike the sweeter, riper 1996, the 1995 may be more structured and potentially longer-lived. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2020. Wine Advocate # 115 Feb 1998

2000 Chateau Cheval Blanc St. Emilion Magnum
Price: $2500.00  Your Price: $2200.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(100 Points) This closed, backward blend of 53% Merlot and 47% Cabernet Franc boasts a saturated purple color along with a reticent but striking bouquet of blackberries, blueberries, truffles, and mocha. In spite of its tightness, aeration reveals scents of licorice, menthol, and saddle leather. Opulent and full-bodied, with low acidity, sweet tannin, and a 60-second finish, it is unquestionably as profound as the 1990 and 1982. I still believe the 2000 has the potential to be the most compelling Cheval Blanc since the mythical 1947 and 1949, but patience is required. It should merit a three digit score in 7-10 years, but it is closed at present. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030+. Note: The score for this wine was 98 in The Wine Advocate but it is changed to 100 per Mr. Parker as of August, 2006.

2006 Canon la Gaffeliere St. Emilion
Price: $120.00    Your Price: $105.60
Quantity in Stock: 7

(92 Points) Stephan von Neipperg’s splendid 50-acre vineyard on clay and limestone soils has once again produced a beautifully ripe, concentrated, textured, sensual wine of both power and elegance. The 2006, an unfined, unfiltered blend of 55% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, reveals sweet aromas of fruitcake, cassis, black cherries, roasted herbs, cedar, and spice box. This pure, textured, forward beauty should drink well for 12-15+ years.  Wine Advocate #181,, Feb 2009

2004 Chateau La Clotte St. Emilion
Price: $45.00       Your Price: $39.60
Quantity in Stock: 3

2003 Chateau La Couspaude St Emilion
Price: $67.50       Your Price: $59.40
Quantity in Stock: 2

(89 points) An attractive blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the dense ruby/purple-hued 2003 La Couspaude exhibits a big, smoky, oaky nose, loads of sweet black currant and cherry fruit, medium body, and abundant superficial charm. However, there is not much depth or persistence. Nevertheless, it will provide enjoyable drinking over the next 5-7 years.   Wine Advocate #164, Apr 2006

1995 Chateau Figeac St Emilion
Price: $168.00    Your Price: $147.84
Quantity in Stock: 3

1996 Chateau La Gaffeliere St. Emilion
Price: $142.50    Your Price: $125.40
Quantity in Stock: 21

Winemaker's Notes:  The Château believes in a very long fermentation and in replanting only when absolutely to maintain a good average of old vines. These two factors combined with the high proportion of new oak casks gives a firmness and body to the wine and a tendency to slower maturing in bottle than most Saint Emilions.

1995 Chateau La Mondotte St Emilion
Price: $250.00    Your Price: $220.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1998 Chateau La Mondotte St. Emilion
Price: $525.00    Your Price: $462.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(96 Points) An amazing tour de force in winemaking, this massive, opaque black/purple-colored offering boasts an extraordinarily pure nose of black fruits intermixed with cedar, vanillin, fudge, and espresso. It is unctuously-textured, with exhilarating levels of blackberry/cassis fruit and extract, as well as multiple dimensions that unfold on the palate. The 50-second finish reveals moderately high tannin. Despite its similarity to dry vintage port, it is not a wine to drink early. It is a colossal wine! Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035. The ultimate garage wine, La Mondotte is ultra-concentrated, frightfully expensive, yet worth every cent. Wine Advocate # 134, April 2001

2000 Chateau La Mondotte St. Emilion
Price: $525.00    Your Price: $462.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

(98 Points) From a 11.3-acre vineyard cropped at 25 hectoliters per hectare, this blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc is a candidate for perfection. The 2000 La Mondotte has a saturated, inky purple color to the rim and a tight but enormously promising nose of blackberry and cassis liqueur intermixed with cherry, vanilla, espresso, mocha, and a hint of acacia flower. This unfined and unfiltered wine is enormously rich, with great intensity, fabulous purity, a layered texture, and a viscous, full-bodied finish that goes on for nearly one minute. In spite of its size, the wine has remarkable finesse and delineation. This is another tour de force in winemaking from proprietor Stephan von Neipperg and winemaking consultant Stephane Derenoncourt. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030. P.S. Wine Advocate # 146, April 2003

2000 Chateau Pavie St. Emilion
Price: $674.00    Sale Price: $575.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

(100 Points) I tasted this wine twice during the 2000 horizontals, then I actually popped the cork and drank a half-bottle of it. This wine remains, for me, one of the compelling success stories for proprietor Gerard Perse. An extraordinary effort made from a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from the limestone soils that dominate this very distinctive terroir, the 2000 Pavie has moved out of the closed, dormant, broodingly backward stage into an adolescent period where one can see its extraordinary vibrancy, and great complexity as well as potential. It boasts an unctuous display of rich, cedar box-infused cassis fruit and liquid minerality. The tannins have sweetened, yet the wine has thirty years of longevity and potential evolution. A beautiful wine of great mass as well as elegance, it is good to see the extraordinary efforts that Gerard Perse and his team have made confirmed in this prodigious wine. A legend now ... a legend for the future. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2060. Wine Advocate #189, Jun 2010

2003 Chateau Pavie St Emilion
Price: $345.00    Sale Price: $275.00
Quantity in Stock: 12

(98 Points) This 92-acre vineyard, which enjoys an impeccable southern orientation, is composed of limestone on the upper slopes, clay and limestone in the middle, and sand and clay at the base. Proprietor Gerard Perse, who has done a brilliant job since acquiring the estate in 1998, continues to push the envelope of quality to higher and higher heights. Planted with 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the grapes receive kid glove treatment with hand-harvesting into small plastic lugs, two triage tables, and aging for 28 months in 100% new oak that is purchased in advance, then air-dried and coopered according to Perse’s specifications. In short, the man is a perfectionist, and the quality of all the estates he owns has soared dramatically.

The 2003 Pavie (7,080 cases; 13.5% alcohol) is closest in style to the 2000, but slightly more evolved and exotic. Its dense plum/purple color is accompanied by an extraordinary perfume of charcoal, creme de cassis, melted licorice, espresso roast, and blackberries. The wine, which hits the palate with a dramatic minerality, comes across like a hypothetical blend of limestone liqueur intermixed with black and red fruits. With massive depth, richness, and body, this tannic 2003 should be forgotten for 4-5 years, then enjoyed over the next four decades. The integration of acidity, tannin, and wood is flawless, and the wine is incredibly pure, rich, and intense.

Kudos to Gerard Perse, who is trying, in a more modern fashion, to recreate the glories of such ancient Bordeaux vintages as 1921, 1929, 1945, 1947, 1949, 1959, and 1961. From my perspective, he comes as close to that goal as anyone in Bordeaux. Wine Advocate # 164, Apr 2006

Chateau Pavie Decesse, St. Emilion 2005
Price: $309.50    Your Price: $272.36
Quantity in Stock: 17

As it did in 2000 and 2003, this tiny garagiste estate (just over 8 acres) owned by Chantal and Gerard Perse has produced a monumental wine in 2005. A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc fashioned from yields of 33 hectoliters per hectare, it receives a 4-5 week maceration, malolactic in barrel, and aging on its lees, a la top Burgundies. There are only 415 cases, and the wine achieved 14% alcohol. Forgetting its off-the-charts analytical numbers, it is a prodigious effort boasting an inky/blue/purple color, followed by rich aromas of camphor, crushed rocks, sweet blueberries, black raspberries, creme de cassis, and pain grille. Possessing superb intensity, skyscraper-like layers, and huge tannins, it should be forgotten for 5-7 years, and drunk over the following two decades. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030 . Wine Advocate #164 (Apr 2006)

2010 Chateau Pavie Macquin St. Emilion
Price: $262.50    Your Price: $231.00
Quantity in Stock: 12

(95 Points) This is always an extremely masculine, dense, burly wine, and the 2010, which tips the scales at 14.5% alcohol (just slightly under that of the 2009), has a final blend of 80% Merlot and the rest virtually all Cabernet Franc, with just 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Loads of crushed rock and chalkiness, along with licorice, black truffle, smoked game and black fruits dominate the aromatics and flavor. Backward, formidably endowed, full-bodied and almost atypically massive and huge, with gargantuan extraction, this is a wine for patient connoisseurs to forget about for close to a decade. Anticipated maturity: 2022-2040 . Wine Advocate #205, Feb 2013

1999 Le Petit Cheval St Emilion
Price: $163.00    Your Price: $143.44
Quantity in Stock: 12

2011 Chateau Puy Blanquet St.Emilion
Price: $22.50       Your Price: $19.80
Quantity in Stock: 11

(89 Points)  "Bright ruby. Aromatic nose features plum, dried flowers, licorice and sweet spices, lifted by a mocha nuance. Lush, broad and sweet, but with good inner-mouth energy to the soft, creamy red fruit, floral and spice flavors. Very easygoing, uncomplicated wine, finishing with fine-grained tannins, decent length and a light touch. I think I could drink a bottle of this on my own. International Wine Cellar

2009 Chateau Quinault L'Enclos St Emilion
Price: $58.50       Your Price: $51.48
Quantity in Stock: 8

(92 Points) This is very distinctive, with live-wire acidity running through the core of damson plum, linzer torte and blackberry fruit that's framed by a mouthwatering roasted apple wood note. The long and driven finish has a piercing iron edge and a smoldering tobacco note that adds to the dramatic profile. Best from 2015 through 2025. 4,205 cases made. –JM Wine Spectator Issue: Mar 31, 2012

2010 Chateau Tauzinat L'Hermitage St. Emilion Grand Cru
Price: $30.00       Your Price: $26.40
Quantity in Stock: 4

A good amount of herbs and fresh earth on the nose with red currant and plum fruit, eucalyptus and tobacco spice, nice complexity here.  Firm tannins on the tongue with balanced acidity and a good amount of red berry fruit, this wine is still a bit on the young side but has all the right stuff, just needs a bit of time in the decanter, nice tobacco spice and earthy notes through the finish.  Finish 40+ Very Good +

2009 Chateau Troplong Mondot St. Emilion
Price: $225.00    Your Price: $198.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(99 Points) It boasts an inky/purple color along with a gorgeous bouquet of mocha, chocolate, blackberry and cassis fruit, an unctuous texture, a full-bodied, viscous mouthfeel and a skyscraper-like, multilayered finish. This spectacular wine is nearly overwhelming in its richness, thickness and intensity. Once all its baby fat falls away, the terroir characteristics and additional nuances will emerge. This blockbuster, fabulous Troplong Mondot will benefit from 10-15 years of cellaring and keep for three decades or more. It is not shy either, bouncing over the palate with 15.5% natural alcohol.

The 2009 Troplong Mondot will provide plenty of competition for the 2010, 2005 and 2000. It comes closest in style to the prodigious 1990 that proprietress Christine Valette produced 22 years ago. A phenomenal effort, it unquestionably justifies its relatively new Premier Grand Cru St.-Emilion status. Readers should keep in mind that the 1990, which probably has lower acidity and not the level of concentration found in the 2009, is drinking incredibly well at age 22 and reveals no signs of falling apart.  Wine Advocate #199, Feb 2012

2005 Chateau Vignot St Emilion
Price: $72.00       Your Price: $63.36
Quantity in Stock: 2

Pretty cigar box spice and a distinct earthy nuance, clay like minerality with red currant and cherry berry fruit, showing a bit of evolution but still quite intact on the second day.  Quite smooth on the tongue but has nice structure and depth of flavors with that distinct earthy nuance lasting through the finish 45+ Excellent