Bordeaux

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate 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.” February 2009

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate 91-94 points.

“Stephan von Neipperg’s flagship estate (and, in my opinion, one that should have been upgraded to a premier grand cru classe in the new St.-Emilion hierarchy) has turned in another stunning performance. A blend of 55% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, from small yields of 35 hectoliters per hectare, the 2006 exhibits a dense ruby/purple color as well as scents of creme de cassis, pain grille, espresso roast, chocolate, and spicy roasted herbs. Dense, medium to full-bodied, and surprisingly opulent for a 2006, with oodles of fruit, and terrific structure as well as purity, it is a more noble expression of Neipperg’s other St.-Emilion, Clos de l’Oratoire. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2024.” April 2007

Soft and silky on the palate with an almost Right Bank feel, the 2009 Ch. Cantemerle is full if generous, mulberry fruit and supple tannins. The fruit is well balanced by the refreshing acidity, leading to a crisp, clean finish.

‘Gorgeous ripe fruit character, with loads of blueberries, blackberries and flowers. Full body, with velvety tannins and a fruity, fresh, grapefruit aftertaste. Really beautiful. Best ever from here. Best after 2018.’ – 95pts, James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2012.

The Estate
Cantemerle is a Cinquième Cru Classé (Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855) and has 94 hectares of vineyards, planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (30%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Petit Verdot (4%). The wines are made under the guidance of consultant oenologist, Eric Boissenot, undergoing 12 months’ ageing in French oak, of which 40% is new.

A beautiful effort from Chasse-Spleen, this dense purple wine exhibits plenty of black currant and black cherry fruit with some licorice, roasted herbs and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied and supple, the final blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot has produced a fleshy, succulent style of Chasse-Spleen to drink over the next 15+ years.

Château Chasse-Spleen

Château Chasse-Spleen is a leading estate in Moulis. Although classified as a Cru Bourgeois, it regularly outperforms many of the Médoc’s more renowned classed growths.

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. It is matured in oak barriques (40% new) for 18 months and is bottled unfiltered.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. 88 points. A superb wine from the Southern Medoc, this blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc is a real sleeper of the vintage. Floral notes intermixed with forest floor, black … Read More

One of the best-run estates in the underrated and undervalued appellation of Cotes de Castillon is Chateau d’Aiguilhe, which is owned by Stephan von Neipperg. As with all of von Neipperg’s wines, Stephane Derenoncourt is the consulting winemaker. The blend is usually 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, although I did not see the statistics on this particular vintage. The 2010 (10,000 cases produced) achieved 14% natural alcohol from modest yields of 34 hectoliters per hectare. It exhibits a deep ruby/purple hue, lots of cassis, crushed rock and floral characteristics, a round, generous, savory, broadly textured style and sweet tannins. Drink it over the next decade.

From 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, the wine was aged in 55% new oak. Still deep in color, the wine opens with floral, black cherry, forest floor, cassis, tobacco and spicy aromas. With supple, refined textures, concentration of fruit and a long, elegant, blackberry finish, this continues to develop perfectly.

– The Caroline cuvée is the flagship of the wines produced by Chateau de Chantegrive. This top of the range dry Graves Blancs gets its good reputation from its airy thickness, always enhanced by an accurate acidity. This wine’s freshness and volume on the palate are due to the cold soak that then ended by an ageing process on lees in French oak barrels (50% new barrels) with regular stirring of the lees. The 2014 Caroline offers an intense nose on citrusy (lemon and grapefruit) notes followed by white flower hints (lilac and acacia). Aromatic freshness and clearness are expressed on swirling. The attack is frank and releases a few surprising (for a dry wine) pineapple, mango and litchi notes. This wine offers good volume, and its balance is assured by minerality and accurate acidity.

Wine Spectator 90 points  “There’s lovely fruit in this wine, with berry, chocolate and plum aromas and flavors. Medium- to full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long finish. A very balanced Kirwan.” (03/09)

Wine Enthusiast 91 points  *Editors’ Choice* “This is a solid, finely perfumed wine, the tannins giving concentration and structure. There is some severity as well, a sign that it is still settling into the bottle. But with its bitter chocolate character … Read More

Deeply-coloured. Powerful nose of ripe red fruits (strawberry) with slightly burnt oak presence. Power takes centre-stage on the palate with lovely fat at point of entry. A robust style with a good framework still showing pronounced oak. Slightly dry tannins on the finish. Wonderful potential.

‘This dense purple wine displays notes of charcoal, subtle toast and white chocolate as well as blueberry and blackberry liqueur intermixed with hints of graphite and licorice. Dense, full-bodied, unctuously textured, and quite long and thick, this concentrated, impressively endowed wine is silky-textured and already accessible. However, I suspect its best days are at least 5-7 years ahead of it. It should keep for a minimum of two decades.’ – 92pts, Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (199), March 2012.

Château La Tour Carnet
Château La Tour Carnet is a 4emé Cru Classé property owned since by Bernard Magrez. ‘It is one of the most picturesque chateaux in Bordeaux, dating from the 12th century, with real towers and a Camelot-style moat surrounding it. A large estate, they have been making top-flight wines for well over a decade, yet the prices remain very realistic for a classified growth Bordeaux.’ – Robert Parker, Wine Critic.

A strong effort for this vintage, the 2008 exhibits a dark plum/purple color, plenty of firm, rugged, austere tannins, copious red and black fruits, admirable flavor intensity and medium body. Cellar it for 3-4 years and drink it over the following 15.

Château Lafon-Rochet

Château Lafon-Rochet is a 4ème Cru Classé St-Estèphe estate that has been owned by the Tesseron family since 1959. The property has one of the best terroirs in Bordeaux: its one block of 45 hectares is on a gravelly rise not far from Pauillac, and overlooks first growth Lafite Rothschild and second growth Cos d’Estournel.