News & Features
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Barrel Tasting
Tasting notes and scores for 44 wines that showed best as barrel samples
Posted: April 3, 2013 By James Molesworth
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
How did this pair of Pauillac's flagship first-growths perform in the difficult 2012 vintage?
Posted: April 3, 2013 By James Molesworth
The performance of Pauillac and its Cabernet-based first-growth reds remains the most important indicator of vintage quality for most Bordeaux fans, and today I continued my tour through the upper Médoc's Cabernet country to check out the 2012 vintage at Châteaus Latour and Mouton-Rothschild.
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou avoided the pitfalls of a tricky vintage; selection was key in Pauillac for Lafite
Posted: April 2, 2013 By James Molesworth
For most people Bordeaux is red wine (despite some superb whites). And within that rubric, for most people, Bordeaux means Cabernet Sauvignon (despite plenty of superb Merlot and Cabernet Franc). So for many people, the real test of a vintage in Bordeaux is how did the Cabernet of the upper Médoc do? Today, to start to answer that question, I began my visits in St.-Julien and Pauillac, Châteaus Ducru-Beaucaillou and Lafite Rothschild.
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Terroir was key for first-growth Margaux and Château Palmer in the tough 2012 vintage
Posted: April 1, 2013 By James Molesworth
After two days in Bordeaux's Pessac-Léognan, where I visited some châteaus with bright futures in addition to the venerable Châteaus Haut-Brion and La Mission, I headed into the Médoc's Margaux appellation, home to first-growth Château Margaux, the highly regarded third-growth Palmer and the exciting Monbrison, Siran, Giscours and du Tertre.
March 31, 2013 Issue
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Features
With the 2010 vintage, Bordeaux now has back-to-back classics in dramatically different styles
Posted: March 31, 2013 By James Molesworth
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Visits to Château Olivier, Les Carmes Haut-Brion and then Château Haut-Brion to taste the 2012 lineup from Domaine Clarence Dillon
Posted: March 29, 2013 By James Molesworth
Continuing my visits through Pessac-Léognan on Bordeaux's Left Bank, I tasted the 2012 barrel samples at Château Olivier and Les Carmes Haut-Brion and then at the oldest of the first-growths, Haut-Brion, where I tasted La Mission Haut-Brion as well.
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Châteaus Larrivet Haut-Brion and Haut-Bailly have come on strong in recent years
Posted: March 28, 2013 By James Molesworth
I arrived in Bordeaux in time for lunch (I love when that happens), dropped my bags at Les Sources de Caudalie and then decided to check on two neighbors in the Pessac-Léognan AOC, Châteaus Larrivet Haut-Brion and Haut-Bailly.
News & Features
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Barrel Tasting
What did the latest vintage bring France's famed region? James Molesworth is tasting in Bordeaux for two weeks to find out. Follow along with his tasting notes and daily blogs
Posted: March 27, 2013 By James Molesworth
News & Features
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Tasting Highlights
New reviews of Cabernet Francs and more, each for $25 or less
Posted: March 22, 2013 By James Molesworth
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Sticking my nose into perfume production with an architect-turned-perfumer whose scents carry a tale of time and place
Posted: March 18, 2013 By James Molesworth
Perfume has always intrigued me. And not just for the lilting effect it has when a deftly scented woman draws close. More than that, I've always wondered how difficult it is to create a perfume, and what kind of nose skills one would need. And surely there are parallels to making perfume and tasting wine, since I often find the greatest wines to be defined more by their aromas than their flavors.
So when I was put in touch with Carlos Huber, I smelled a good opportunity to learn a little something,
