Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere

Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere was originally called Domaine de Lagraviere. It was purchased by Pierre de Malartic in 1803, subsequently adding the prefix Malartic to the name in honor of Pierre’s uncle, Comte Anne-Joseph-Hippolyte Maures de Malartic. Maures was an admiral of the French fleet, and later took up a position as governor of today’s Mauritius. He fought against the British and was honored in France, with the town of Malartic named after him.

The estate was passed to Madame Verve Arnaud Ricard in 1850, a successful family of barrel manufacturer and also the proprietor of Domaine de Chevalier. It was Madame Ricard who amended the name of the chateau to honor Maures de Malartic. The estate later came to her granddaughter Angele Ricard in 1901, whose granddaughter Simone Ridoret married the estate manager Jacques Marly.

Jacques Marly earned his fortune through the mirror industry, and he had the label reverse-printed in the vintage of 1962 and 1964 so it could be viewed only through a mirror. Marly also was responsible for the design of the current label, featuring a three-mast sailing ship, which was built in 1846 and sailed by Laurent Ridoret, Simone’s great-grandfather.

The estate was sold to Laurent-Perrier in 1990, with the Champagne house passing on to Michele and Alfred-Alexandre Bonnie in 1996. Alfred is a business of Belgian origin, who spent multi-million investment to revitalize the estate, with new developments in the chateau, and expand the vineyard and chai. The new cellars are now fully equipped with gravity-fed temperature-controlled stainless steel and new oak vats.

The vineyard is expanded with a purchase of 11 ha from neighboring estate Chateau Neuf, and a 7 ha from Marquet, now covering 53 ha in total. Today it is managed by Alfred’s son Jean-Jacques and his wife Severine. They have also made a recent acquisition of Chateau Gazin Rocquencourt.

The soil is typical of the region, with gravel on top of a layer of limestone, peppered with ancient shells and fossils, and a few streaks of clay. The vines are averaging 25 years of age and planted at 10000 vines per ha. Once it was all Sauvignon Blanc but now the white varieties have 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon, with the red varieties having an equal proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot at 45% each, with 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

Trained in double Guyot system, with minimal use of treatments, the vines are manually harvested, with yield typically of 45 hl/ha. Double sorting is done on the vibrating table, with destemming, followed by transfer to the vat room by gravity. Fermentation is carried out in the newly-equipped chai, on a plot-by-plot basis, using temperature-controlled stainless steel and oak vats.

The white wine is fermented using wood of 30-40% new, without skin contact, remaining in the barrels for up to 12 months. For the red wine, once finished fermentation, it undergoes blending and is decanted into oak barrels, of 60-80% new for up to 22 months, before fining with egg white. The estate produces both red and white wine and both are included in the 1959 Graves Classification.

The grand vin is dominated by Sauvignon Blanc, with a smaller production of only 2000 cases. For the red there are typically 16000 cases, usually having more Cabernet Sauvignon. In general the white is regarded as superior in quality and reputation. There is second wine introduced for both red and white in 1990, of 6500 and 500 cases respectively, now named as La Reserve de Malartic from 2007. Selection is strict with only 60% going to the grand vin, and a rose called Le Rose de Malartic is made from saignee method, mainly with Merlot, of about 3600 cases.

 

I have recently tasted the 2007 red and white, below are my tasting notes for both respectively:

 

Very good quality Pessac-Leognan with deep ruby color, a fairly intense nose of good complexity showing aromas of blackcurrant and blackberry, earth, tobacco and savory, liquorice, cedar and smoke, plus some cream. Medium in acidity, the tannin is ripe and velvety, the wine is fairly full-bodied with reasonably intense flavors of blackcurrant and blackberry, earth, cocoa, liquorice and eucalyptus. Possessing a fairly long finish, the wine shows good development despite its relatively young age, with a firm structure and good balance. Ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 5-8 years.

 

Very good quality Pessac-Leognan white with light lemon color, a fairly intense nose of good complexity, showing aromas of pear and custard apple, lemon, peach and hints of apcicot, cream, melon, straw and vanilla. Fairly high in acidity, it has a high alcohol level and quite warming, with a fairly full-bodied and good intense palate, showing flavors of lime, peach, toasted almond, mango, butterscotch and honey. Having a fairly long finish, the wine is in good balance and impressive on the complexity in both nose and palate. Ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 4-6 years.

Zinfandel

Many Californian winemakers claim Zinfandel as their local grape, but this grape is in fact the same as Primitivo, from the south of Italy, as well as Crljenak Kastelanski from Croatia. However, more accurately it should be Tribidrag from Croatia, which has showed to be the oldest name of the variety.

Bob Trinchero of Sutter Home Winery is credited as the inventor of White Zinfandel, which is very popular in the US during 1980s and early 1990s, saving the vine from the trend of uprooting then, to make room for replanting of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. However, Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards is the one making the world aware of the potential and quality of Zinfandel.

In US there are 14 states that grow the vine, with great diversity in which the wine can be pink or deepest black, sweet or dry. Earliest mention of the grape is in the 1820s, with its name probably came from the confusion with the Austrian vine Zierfandler, which also came to Vienna from Croatia. Central and South America also has some, as well as Australia and South Africa.

Zinfandel produces large crops on poor soils in dry conditions, but ripens unevenly, so one can find green, ripe and raisined grapes on the same cluster easily. There are insect and disease problems because of its tightly packed bunches, such as bunch rot if caught by autumn rains. It likes warmth and a long growing season, with ripeness important to bring the true fruit. It can go as high as 17% abv for that ripeness. In Italy the wine made from Primitivo can still hit 16%.

The grape performs best in Mediterranean climate with plenty of sun. But if too hot the wine becomes jammy and baked. Dry Creek Valley in California, because of its hot days and relatively cool nights, produces good ripeness but preserving the acidity. Central Valley is mainly for the sweetish blush Zinfandel, which is even hotter but without the cool nights.

With early picking the wine is of the strawberry, cranberry and raspberry range. Later picking gives black cherry, blackberry and plum, to even prune, dates and raisin flavors. Up to 23 Brix the strawberry flavors dominate, with cherry coming at 23-24 Brix, at 25 Brix it turns blackberry, ending with raisined grapes at 27 Brix. For White Zinfandel it is normally picked at 20 Brix, having a recognizable apple flesh and tobacco flavor, dappled with raisin.

Poor, well-drained but mineral-rich soils produce good results for Zinfandel, but the choice of soil is secondary to climate. Many vines in California are of 50 years or older, being bush-trained and head-pruned. The variety can produce up to 8 ton per acre even at a low density. The clusters need to be thinned, and second-crop clusters need to be removed also to control yield. More recent plantings are trained on wires, mechanically cultivated and harvested. But quality producers will achieve consistent ripeness through picking from successive tries.

University of California at Davis is launching a study on the diversity of Zinfandel and the relationship of site and circumstances on variables like cluster weight, berry size and cluster tightness. Petite Sirah is sometimes blended with Zinfandel, with Ridge Vineyards doing that to good effect. White Zinfandel is produced similar to a white wine, leaving a fair amount of sugar in it.

Whole cluster fermentation will give fruitier, strawberry flavors. Long maceration with skins will give more color and tannin, good for oak ageing, which now is mainly via small new barrels. American oak marries well with Zinfandel. Late harvest Zinfandels can make wines to over 17% alcohol, and sweet wine with botrytised grapes is also made, which can keep the dark color.

Zinfandel can be found all over California, with plantings still rising. Now it is California’s third most widely planted red grape, behind Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) is a group formed in 1991 to promote the grape, now has more than 300 members. BATF forbids the Italian produced Primitivo to label as Zinfandel if sold in US.

Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma is associated above all with the grape, with Alexander Valley also doing well, despite being hotter. Russian River Valley will require warmer years to ripen the grape however. Flavors of the wine from Dry Creek are juicy blackberry and pepper, with good acidity. Santa Cruz has more complexity and depth but that may be the attributes from the skill of Paul Draper at Ridge Vineyards.

Paso Robles often has soft, round flavors without the acidity, with Napa Valley giving plummy and intense flavors. Contra Costa is dusty and dense, and Lodi gives fleshy, approachable wines, with many focusing on producing blush. There are distinct flavors when the vines are old, with denser, more compact intensity. Blush is nearly always a commodity wine, producing with high-yielding, wire-trained, mechanically harvested vines. Best producers are: Bedrock, Biale, Carlisle, Easton, Martinelli, A Rafanelli, Ravenswood, Ridge, Seghesio and Turley.

Other states in US also cultivate the grape, but they rarely achieve the ripeness of California. In Italy, the variety was a victim to EU vine pull scheme in 1990s, only stopping after the variety is better known as a varietal and being identified as the same as Zinfandel. It used to be popular with the producers in Piedmont and Tuscany to blend with the other varieties to provide the alcohol, flavors especially in poor years, including producers of Amarone.

With the discovery that Primitivo is the same as Zinfandel the popularity increases. Varietal DOC includes Primitivo di Manduria and Primitivo di Gioia, both in Puglia, with rustic and solid. Primitivo di Manduria DOC allows for sweet and fortified versions as well. There is also a boom since late 1990s for the IGT Salento. Best producers include Cannito, Morella, Paololeo and Petrera Fatalone.

South Africa is beginning to look at the variety, but planting still less than 1% of total vineyard, often blended with Carignan or Cinsault to bring down alcohol, with beefy and brawny style. Chile has a small quantity but rising, with Mexico, Brazil and Argentina having some.

Australia has a successful planting in Margaret River, with Adelaide Hills also good, but Yarra Vally is too cold for the grape. Best producer is Cape Mentelle. New Zealand is also too cold for the variety. In France, only Domaine de l’Arjolle is producing this variety as a varietal, known as Cuvee Z.

Ripe Zinfandel even when young can already have flavors like prune, dates and raisins, with pepper and blackberry also. Many Zinfandels are made to be drunk young, because of low tannin and burly fruit, and do not undergo big changes in flavor upon ageing, becoming tarry in time. If not too oaky it is good for barbecued meats, venison and roast chicken. Blush goes well with tomato-based dishes, like pizza and pasta, and hamburgers.

Clos de L'Oratoire

Clos de L’Oratoire is owned by Stephan von Neipperg since 1991, who also owned two other high-flying estates including Canon-La-Gaffeliere and La Mondotte. Totaling 10 ha, located on St-Emilion’s northeast hills.

Its history began in 1969 when a few plots were separated from Chateau Peyreau to be classified in their own right at the first revision of the St-Emilion Classification. But it was only until Stephan took over did the estate elevate to an entirely new height.

The soils are sand on a layer of clay, mainly clay limestone. Planted with 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, average vine age is 35 years. Harvested by hand, the berries are sorted before and after destemming

The must is fermented in temperature-controlled wooden vats for 22-30 days, with punching down. Malolactic fermentation takes place in new oak barrel, around 80-100% new, on the lees, for 15-20 months, with no fining and filtering unless absolutely necessary.

I have recently tasted the 2007 vintage, below is my tasting note:

Good quality St-Emilion with deep ruby color, the wine has a fairly intense nose of reasonable complexity, showing aromas of blackberry, bilberry and blueberry, cedar, chocolate, savory. Medium in acidity, the tannin is ripe but a bit grippy, the wine has a medium body and a reasonably intense palate, of blackberry and bilberry, blackcurrant leaf, vanilla and cedar, coffee, savory. Having a reasonable finish, it is a bit young but still drinkable, but definitely will benefit from further ageing of another 5-8 years.

Chateau Villemaurine

In the 17^th century the Moors set up a fortified camp in a place that was called Ville Maure, and a chateau was built later, with the name of Chateau Villemaurine, an uncommon name, on the northeast of St-Emilion.

Justin Onclin, a negociant wanting to develop his own wine, bought the estate in 2007, a total of 7 ha with clay soils on the limestone plateau. All vineyard and cellar operations are tailor-made, with modern equipment installed. There is a big underground cellar which the estate has now renovated to host visitors using latest visual and sound technology.

The vineyard is planted with 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. With bud pruning, removing side shoots and green harvesting, the grapes are manually harvested, with small stainless steel vats being used to ferment each plot separately.

A first year cellar which is relatively dry, is used to enhance the integration of wine, oak and oxygen. The second year cellar has a more regular temperature and high humidity of the former quarry, to age the wines for 12-16 months.

I have tasted the 2004 Chateau Villemaurine just now, my tasting notes:

Good quality St-Emilion with deep ruby color, a fairly concentrated and complex nose showing blackberry and black cherry, prune, vanilla and cedar, cloves, tea leaves and game, the wine has a medium acidity, balancing well with the ripe but a bit powdery tannin. Fairly full-bodied, the palate is however relatively less intense and simple, with blackberry and dark plum, cedar and cinnamon flavors. With only a fairly short finish, it is ready to drink now though has potential for further ageing of another 2-3 years.

 

Chateau La Gaffeliere

Both La Gaffeliere and Canon-la-Gaffeliere have a common origin, with evidence showing that there were people living there since Roman times. Parts of the estate can be dated from the 11^th century, and by the 17^th century it was well known as a leper colony.

It was during that time the estate came to the ownership of Comte de Malet-Roquefort. And by the mid-18^th century there was significant volume of wine produced on the estate. However, it was later divided, with the part farmed by the Boitard family later became the modern-day Canon-la-Gaffeliere.

The land retained by the descendants of Comte de Malet-Roquefort was combined with other plots of land, and renamed La Gaffeliere-Naudes in 1890s. The name was retained on label until 1960s, and the Malet-Roquefort family remained in charge, for now more than four centuries.

It now covers 25 ha, of which 22 ha are planted with vines. Located just south of the town of St-Emilion, the soils are clay and mica towards the top of the slope, and more chalk towards the foot. The vines have an average age of 40 years, with Merlot accounting for 66%, with the remaining a balance between Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The vines are trained in double Guyot and planted at a density of 5800 vines/ha. Manually harvested, the berries are sorted and destemmed before fermentation, taking place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. After three weeks of maceration it is racked into barrels for 18-20 months, with racking every 3 months. The wine is fined with egg white before bottling.

The grand vin is Chateau La Gaffeliere, with about 10000 cases produced per year, and the second wine Clos La Gaffeliere are made using vines less than 15 years of age and deselected vats.

 

I have tasted the 2003 Chateau La Gaffeliere and below is my tasting note:

 

Very good quality St-Emilion with deep ruby color, showing a fairly intense and complex nose with aromas of blackberry, blueberry and black cherry, nutmeg, forest floor and savory, cedar and vanilla. Medium in acidity, the wine has a good, ripe and silk tannin, fairly full-bodied, and exhibiting good concentration of blackberry and blueberry, toast and cedar, cinnamon and cocoa flavors. However, the finish is only at an acceptable length. Ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 5-8 years.

 

 

Chateau La Tour Blanche

Records showed that Chateau La Tour Blanche had been in existence since at least the 18^th century, named after Jean Saint-Marc du Latourblanche, treasurer-general of Louis XIV. After the French Revolution the estate came into the ownership of Pierre Pecherie, and then under Frederic Focke during the 1855 classification.

Focke was of German origin, and credited by some with the introduction of sweet wine production to the region but this was erroneous, as evidenced by the example that by 18^th century d’Yquem was already well-established as a sweet wine.

It was placed at the top of all premiers crus in the 1855 classification, only behind d’Yquem. The estate then changed hands a few times to Daniel Iffla, known commonly as Osiris, in 1876. He later bequeathed the estate to the Ministry of Agriculture, and his name still appears on the label nowadays.

From 1911 onwards the estate served as both a wine-producing estate as well as for viticultural and agricultural learning. The Ministry later appointed Jean-Pierre Jausserand as director in 1983, and revitalized the estate, assisted by Jean-Pierre Faure, a graduate himself at the school of La Tour Blanche.

The estate has been managed by Corinne Reulet and then Alex Barrau afterwards, and the school now offered a partnership with a college in Beijing for Chinese students to study viticulture.

It covers 72 ha, with about 37 ha dedicated to vineyard. The soil is of gravel over clay at the upper end of the vineyard, and more sand and loess near the river. Planted with 83% Semillon, 11.9% Sauvignon Blanc and 5.1% Muscadelle, plus a very small area planted with red vines.

The vines are planted at 6200 vines per ha, with average age of 24 years. They are pruned in gobelet method, but the Sauvignon Blanc is mainly pruned using single Guyot, and each row is swapped every two years and left to grass.

Most processes are carried out manually, with pre-harvest clean up taking place before the onset of botrytis. Once the berries are succumbed to noble rot, picking is carried out in several tries, typically between 4-6 passes, taking 4-8 weeks to complete.

Ultimate yield is about 11 hl/ha, the wine is now increasingly fermented in oak, with the 1989 vintage onwards the whole harvest was put in new oak. The fruit is sorted and then pressed, and only those pickings with sufficient must weight is selected for the grand vin.

After the cold debourbage where the solids are settled overnight, the must is transferred into oak for fermentation using cultured yeast, but stainless steel is still used for the second wine. Cryo-extraction was practiced during the 1980s, with the fruit chilled to below -5 degC prior to pressing, to increase the must weight.

Once the desirable alcohol and residual sugar is reached, fermentation is arrested using sulphur dioxide and then refrigeration. The wine then undergoes elevage, with the time in barrel depending on the cuvee, up to 18 months for the grand vin. The wine is fined using isinglass, cold-stabilised and bottled.

About 4000 cases of grand vin is produced, with a second wine Les Charmilles de Tour Blanche also, with about 1250 cases, offering good value for money in good vintage. In some years there was no grand vin, with all the fruit going to the second wine.

I have recently tasted the 1998 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Very good quality Sauternes with light golden color and a pronounced nose of good complexity, showing lemon peel and orange marmalade, ripe apricot, honeysuckle, honey and cedar, resinous and caramel. The wine has a good balance, with the acidity supporting well the sweetness, making it highly refreshing and not cloying. Full-bodied, it has also a fairly intense palate showing apricot and pineapple, lemon peel and orange marmalade, honey, butterscotch and smoke, and walnut flavors. The only critic I have is the lack of a good long finish but still it is definitely a good sweet wine and value for money. Ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 5-8 years.

Chateau Duhart-Milon

Chateau Duhart-Milon is the only fourth growth from Pauillac, but interestingly it did not have a real chateau, and the wine is made in a large warehouse off a side street in Pauillac. The quality has been improving following the acquisition by Eric Rothschild of the nearby Chateau Lafite-Rothschild.

The origin of the name Milon is a mystery, but in the early 18^th century the Seigneur de Lafite, Marquis de Segur, already sold the wine as an additional income. Duhart seems to be the name of a pirate who settled on the banks of the Gironde upon retirement, with his house still featuring on the label nowadays.

In the early 19^th century both the volume and quality was already high. It was under the ownership of Mandavy until 1830. Then the estate was inherited by Pierre Casteja, who also was bequeathed 14 ha of vines following the death of an elderly widow of the Duhart.

Bringing the two vineyards together, Casteja founded the now 40 ha estate and renamed it Duhart-Milon. After Casteja’s death the estate was passed to his descendants, employing Andre Delon as manager. But similar to other estates, phylloxera, oidium, war and depression inhibited investment and development, and the Casteja family had to sell off some vineyards later on.

After WWII the vineyard covers barely 17 ha and the quality plummeted. In the subsequent period the estate had gone through five different owners in just a quarter of a century. To make things worse, the frost in 1956 further added to the devastation.

However, it was rescued by the Rothschild family in 1962, and today the estate is managed by the same team at Lafite. The vineyard was completely cleared, with drainage installed and new vines planted, similar in proportion to Chateau Lafite-Rothschild.

Now it covers 73 ha on an estate spanning 152 ha, with vines being harvested by hand. There are 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot planted, with the soil typical of fine gravel, mixed with sands on a limestone bedrock. The vines are now averaging 30 years of age.

The revitalization of the chai followed, with new enamel lined equipment installed, along with stainless steel vats and temperature-controlled fermentation equipment. The wine is aged in oak barrels (50-55% new), which are produced in the cooperage at Lafite, for 14-16 months, and is racked every three months, then fined with egg white before bottling. The blend of the grand vin is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, typically 70-80%, with 22000-25000 cases produced per annum.

A second wine called Moulin de Duhart is produced since 1986, typically 5000-7000 cases, from young vines with a more balanced blend. A third wine Baron de Milon is also produced, around 3000-5000 cases. The problem now with the estate is the high price, as they are being taken up by the wave of Lafite-love across the Far East, along with other Rothschild wines.

Recently I have tasted the grand vin as well as the second wine. The grand vin was really nice. My tasting notes are as below:

Very good quality Pauillac with medium ruby color, showing a fairly intense and complex nose of blackcurrant, blackberry and bilberry, cocoa and chocolate, liqourice, tobacco and savory, meaty, cedar and caramel, and earth. Very well-balanced, with the acidity supporting the ripe, velvety tannin. The wine is fairly full-bodied, with fairly intense palate showing flavors of blackcurrant, blackberry and bilberry, cedar, liquorice, cigar box and pencil lead. A fairly long finish, it is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 5-8 years.

The second wine is nice, though obviously less complex:

Good quality Pauillac with medium ruby color, the nose is reasonably intense and complex, showing blackcurrant and blackberry, liquorice, cigar box, meaty, cedar and earth. Medium in acidity, the tannin is ripe and velvety, providing a good structure on the robust body with reasonably intense palate showing blackcurrant and blackberry, cedar, liquorice and cigar box. The wine has a reasonable finish, and is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.

Chateau Magdelaine

The Chatonnet family owned part of this property for around two centuries, which by the late 19^th century it was recorded to have four separate proprietors, but the Chatonnet family had owned the majority, and that portion also became Chateau Magdelaine of today.

The quality was very good, in the ranks of Ausone, Belair, Clos Fourtet, often regarded as the third best. But after the devastation of phylloxera, oidium and war the estate dropped in standards, until in 1952 when it was acquired by Jean-Pierre Moueix, not long after the purchase of La Fleur-Petrus in Pomerol, did the estate see some changes.

The vineyards now cover 11 ha and are close to the town of St-Emilion, with 6 ha on the classic limestone terroir of the St Martin plateau. The balances are on slopes running down towards the Dordogne, with more clay. Until 2012 it has been a Premier Grand Cru Classe, neighbors to Belair and Canon.

Majority of the vines are planted in 1976, but some dates back to 1921, with average ages of 40 years. 90% is Merlot and 10% is Cabernet Franc, with a standard planting density of 6000 vines per ha. Harvested by hand, with yield of 40 hl/ha, the wine is fermented in stainless steel vats with maceration up to four weeks.

After malolactic fermentation it goes into oak for up to 20 months, using 50% new oak on each vintage. No fining or filtration is carried out. The grand vin production is approximately 3000 cases, with a second wine Les Sanges de Magdelaine of 2000 cases, produced from vines closer to Dordogne and younger.

In lighter years it has a juicy fruit and easy to drink at 4-5 years old but in exceptional years it may take 15 years. It is often regarded as the most feminine in St-Emilion.

I have recently tasted the 1998 vintage and can understand why people said it is feminine. My tasting notes:

Good quality St-Emilion of medium garnet color, the aromas are reasonably intense and complex, showing blackberry and dark plum, liquorice, savory, farmyard, toast and earth. Good acidity, the tannin is ripe and silky in texture. The wine has a medium body and has a feminine and faily intense palate showing blackberry and dark plum, toast, cinnamon and wet leaves. With a fairly long finish, it is ready to drink now and not intend for further ageing.

Tertre Roteboeuf

An estate rising out of nowhere, it has achieved its fame very rapidly. Now owned by Francois Mitjavile, the mastermind behind the success, it was originally in the possession of his wife Miloute and her family, not of great repute, and only named as Chateau Tertre.

Located in Saint Laurent des Combes, south and east of the town of St-Emilion, the estate was passed to Miloute’s cousins with the death of her father. They also owned the nearby Bellefont-Belcier. The cousins decided to make the wines for the estate in Bellefont-Belcier, leaving the cellar and vats unused in Tertre.

Francois and Miloute were working in Paris then and their job got nothing to do with wine. In 1970s, however, Francois became bored of life in Paris, and moved to St-Emilion, the family residence, to work on the little vineyard, but they got no experience in wine.

Francois then signed up for a two-year stage at Figeac in 1975, and after that he returned to Tertre, first renaming it Tertre-Roteboeuf, referring to the lower slopes of the vineyard. The name suggested roast beef (rote boeuf) and causing some amusement, but really it refers to the burping of the oxen to pull the plough up and down the challenging, sun-baked slope.

Francois focused on the vineyard management initially, with pruning, reducing yields, waiting longer before harvest to get more ripeness. His first vintage was 1978, but without a significant improvement from the sales. However, he continued to work hard and the breakthrough came in 1985, when a French magazine organized a blind tasting of the 1982 vintage and the winner was Tertre-Roteboeuf.

With that more buyers were aware of the estate and the income helped Francois to invest in new barrels and other equipment, further fueling his success. The estate virtually came from a nobody to a superstar in 14 years.

Francois is a man who believed in classical way of managing the vineyard and cellar, and doesn’t like the more manually and technically manipulated counterparts. Focusing on the harvest, Francois looked for a balance between freshness and vibrancy, but also the beginning of the weakened skin to bring complexity. His philosophy is that the grape will start to age even before fermentation begins, and the grapes should be picked at that precise point. As a result normally the color is a bit more degraded than others, right from the outset.

Total vineyard size is 5.5 ha, occupying a slope that stretches up to the chateau, as well around the half-amphitheatre. The soil is generally drier than the others because of the slope draining the water, the south and east exposure is also comparable with Burgundy.

The vines are 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc with the ground between rows being grassed over, to compete with the vines for nutrients and water and to reduce erosion as well. The vines are trained in cordon with the fruit hanging very low over the soil, to pick up retained heat during the night.

Manually harvested, fermented in cement vats, the wine is fermented at a higher temperature than others, with remontage to improve extraction. Maceration of the fruit is longer than peers also to increase the color, richness, depth and tannic structure. Today 100% new oak is used, with the ageing lasting for around 22 months. Ultimately the wines go back to the cement vats where they are blended and fined, before bottling.

Around 2000 cases are produced annually, without any second wine. Francois also acquired an estate in Cotes de Bourg, Roc de Cambes, in 1988, of 12 ha planted with 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, with similar soils but more Atlantic climate influence.

I have tasted the 1999 vintage just now. Very good quality with a highly complex nose and good intensity, showing different layers of aromas which simply keep bursting out of the glass. Very balanced, with a robust ripeness, the wine has also a smooth and silky tannin, with an acidity level just right to provide the structure but not excessive. Having a fairly long finish, it is however, not as intense on palate as some other 'modern-style' St-Emilion, but I rather like this classic style more.

The bottle number is 7740 and the current price is HK$2300, more than double when I originally purchased a couple of years ago (at HK$1040).