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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Some last stops on the Left Bank included St.-Estèphe's Montrose and Cos-d'Estournel, but first a visit to St.-Julien's Branaire-Ducru
Posted: April 3, 2012 By James Molesworth
Today I finished my Médoc visits to taste the 2011 Bordeaux barrel samples. Some last stops on the Left Bank included St.-Estèphe's Montrose and Cos-d'Estournel, but first a visit to St.-Julien's Branaire-Ducru. Here are my tasting notes for all three visits, with scores for Cos-d'Estournel.
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Delaying the 2011 harvest to compensate for drought in Bordeaux paid off with a potentially classic Pauillac; d'Armailhac and Clerc Milon previews
Posted: April 2, 2012 By James Molesworth
The cellar renovation continues at Château Mouton-Rothschild, though under the Baroness Philippine de Rothschild's order, no one is allowed to see it until it is finished. The plan is to have it complete in time for VinExpo 2013.
In the meantime, director Philippe Dhalluin continues to put Mouton and its sister properties on a path to a distinctly pure profile. The 2009 here was distilled Cabernet essence, the 2010 a step ahead of that, and the 2011 an unqualified success for the vintage.
Here are my scores and tasting notes for the 2011 barrel samples at Mouton, plus a preview of Clerc Milon and d'Armailhac.
March 31, 2012 Issue
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Features
Second wines offer a taste of a top château, at a fraction of the price
Posted: March 31, 2012 By James Molesworth
March 31, 2012 Issue
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Features
A baker’s dozen of estates show there’s much more to Bordeaux than the famous names
Posted: March 31, 2012 By James Molesworth
March 31, 2012 Issue
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Features
The 2009 Sauternes deliver quantity and quality, while dry whites also succeed
Posted: March 31, 2012 By James Molesworth
March 31, 2012 Issue
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Alphabetical Listing
Posted: March 31, 2012
March 31, 2012 Issue
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Features
Following the lean 2008 vintage, 2009 provides lush fruit and classic quality
Posted: March 31, 2012 By James Molesworth
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Frédéric Engerer keeps standards high at Château Latour amid serious upgrades to the vineyards and cellar
Posted: March 30, 2012 By James Molesworth
Nothing stands still at Château Latour. There's a large pneumatic drill breaking up the ground in the courtyard, as the cellar needs expansion. With more than 60 acres added to the estate in the past seven years, the current cellar has reached its capacity. The always intense Frédéric Engerer said he finished his blends at the end of February. "So what you're tasting has been living together for four weeks, which is really the minimum to see how it will be," he said.
Here are my scores and tasting notes for the Château Latour Pauillac 2011 and Les Forts de Latour 2011.
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
The quick 2011 vinification at Bordeaux first-growth Château Lafite Rothschild went off without a hitch
Posted: March 29, 2012 By James Molesworth
Director Charles Chevalier was in a very good mood, catching the sun as he stood in the doorway of the tasting room at Lafite Rothschild. "It's like summer," he said with a wide grin. "But one problem. Very, very dry in the vineyards right now. We got no moisture in February or March." The hail that arrived on Sept. 1, 2011, cutting across southern St.-Estèphe, just skirted the edge of Duhart and Lafite's vineyards in Pauillac and had minimal effect on the production.
Here are my scores and tasting notes for the 2011 Château Lafite Rothschild barrel samples.
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Bordeaux Châteaus Margaux and Palmer met success despite a difficult 2011 growing season in the Médoc's southernmost appellation
Posted: March 28, 2012 By James Molesworth
Today I swung through Bordeaux's Margaux appellation to taste the 2011 reds and whites from barrel. He are my scores and tasting notes for the 2011s at first-growth Château Margaux and the esteemed Château Palmer. I also visited and tasted at Cantenac-Brown.
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Scores and tasting notes for the 2011 barrel samples of Haut-Brion and La Mission, plus a visit to Château La Garde
Posted: March 27, 2012 By James Molesworth
It seems fitting that my first full day in Bordeaux for the '11 en primeur, and I would start with the first first-growth, Haut-Brion, which is the oldest of the five famed Left Bank properties atop the 1855 Classification.
Tasting the 2011s here also provides the first opportunity to see the efforts at the former Terte-Daugay, the St.-Emilion property purchased in 2011 by Haut-Brion's owner and renamed Quintus. For general director Jean-Philippe Delmas, there will be a learning curve as he works on the right bank, where the limestone terroir is markedly different from the gravelly soils of Pessac.
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Back in Bordeaux to taste the 2011 barrel samples, my first stop was in Barsac at Château Climens
Posted: March 26, 2012 By James Molesworth
Well, I'm off to Bordeaux again, so you can expect the blog to heat up. I'll be tasting the 2011 vintage from barrel as the Bordelais gear up to offer their red, white and sweet wines to the trade later this spring and into the summer. I'll start with a week's worth of visits to nearly two dozen châteaus, including the first-growths, to get a feel for the vintage, before settling down the following week to work through a few hundred barrel samples from a broad swath of appellations and producers.
I figured I'd start in Sauternes, which makes my favorite wines in Bordeaux. After arriving in time for a restorative lunch (white asparagus now in season) I dropped off my bags and headed down to see Bérénice Lurton at Château Climens in Barsac.
News & Features
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Barrel Tasting
How is the new vintage shaping up? James Molesworth is tasting in Bordeaux for two weeks to find out. Check out his tasting notes and daily blogs
Posted: March 26, 2012 By James Molesworth
Learn Wine
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Ask Dr. Vinny
Posted: March 26, 2012
News & Features
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Tasting Highlights
New reviews of early-release red barrel samples preview the forthcoming 2011 futures campaign
Posted: March 23, 2012 By James Molesworth
News & Features
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News
eProvenance tries to improve wine shipping by tracking temperature and helping producers know their customers
Posted: March 1, 2012 By Suzanne Mustacich
News & Features
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What We're Drinking Now
Château Graville-Lacoste Graves White 2010
Posted: February 13, 2012 By Thomas Matthews
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
There may be lots of glamour at this annual event, but there's a more important reason it's so successful
Posted: January 30, 2012 By James Molesworth
The annual Naples Winter Wine Festival has all the trappings of an A-list event. Based at the Ritz-Carlton Tiburón Golf Resort in Naples, Florida, the list of participating vintners includes the likes of Ann Colgin of California's Colgin Cellars, Prince Robert of Luxembourg of Bordeaux châteaus Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion and Peter Sisseck of Spain's Dominio de Pingus. The event's well-heeled attendees enjoy generous pours while eating food prepared by a list of chefs that includes Wolfgang Puck, Dean Fearing, Kelly Liken, Bill Telepan and more. The festival ends with a day-long live auction attended by approximately 600 people.
News & Features
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News
Prices for top wines are slipping as Chinese customers have second thoughts
Posted: January 18, 2012 By Suzanne Mustacich
Blogs
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Stirring the Lees with James Molesworth
Some great spots to grab a bite between touring châteaus in Bordeaux
Posted: January 6, 2012 By James Molesworth
Following my recent two-week stay in Bordeaux last December to taste the region's 2009 releases in bottle, here are some notes on restaurants I visited. You can also refer to my notes on restaurants from previous visits to Bordeaux in Dec. 2010 and March 2011.
While my survey is far from complete, my favorite spot—by a mile—remains La Table de Montesquieu in La Brède, 30 minutes' drive south of Bordeaux proper (without traffic). If you're in Bordeaux, make the effort to eat here. These other four are worth a stop as well.
