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,
News & Features
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Tasting Highlights
New reviews of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage and other affordable bottlings from South Africa
Posted: March 8, 2013 By James Molesworth
Jan. 31 - Feb. 28, 2013 Issue
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Features
Senior editor James Molesworth has been with Wine Spectator since 1997. He is lead taster for Bordeaux, the Loire and Rhône valleys, New York’s Finger Lakes and South Africa.
Posted: February 28, 2013 By James Molesworth
Jan. 31 - Feb. 28, 2013 Issue
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News
Posted: February 28, 2013 By Suzanne Mustacich, James Molesworth
Jan. 31 - Feb. 28, 2013 Issue
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Tasting Reports
Riesling makes its mark in this New York wine region
Posted: February 28, 2013 By James Molesworth
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Christophe Durand brings a French attitude to the Cape
Posted: February 25, 2013 By James Molesworth
It's summer in South Africa. I've got a tan and I'm in my element—kicking the dirt amidst the vines and talking to winemakers.
So how fitting is it that after nearly two weeks of of checking out bush vine Chenin Blanc and comparing granite and schist soils, my very last visit her would be to the most Francophile one of the lot, Vins d'Orrance. As I walked down into the dimly lit cellar at the Steenberg winery, a few bottles were standing up on the head of an upturned barrel. It was an SRO tasting, and one right out of any Rhône cellar that I've ever been in.
Opening the bottles was Christophe Durand, 45. Broad-shouldered, Normandy-born and English speaking with a distinct French accent, Durand arrived in South Africa in 1995 while selling Gillet and Darnajou barrels to the local market (his first client was the rugby player-turned-cult Pinot Noir producer Jan Boland Coetzee of Vriesenhof). It was here he met his wife, Sabrina, who is from Durban. Now married 10 years, they work together on Vins d'Orrance, which he started in 2000.
