Chateau Clerc Milon

Chateau Clerc Milon is part of the Rothschild properties in Pauillac, which also include the famous Mouton-Rothschild. It was ranked a fifth growth in the 1855 classification but many regarded it as an over-achiever nowadays.

The history started in the small village of Milon in the north-western corner of Pauillac. In the 19^th century it belonged to Jean-Baptiste Clerc, who was still in charge during the 1855 classification. Jean-Baptiste later sold part of the vineyards to Lamena, who in turn sold to a colleague called Jacques Mondon.

When Jean-Baptiste died, his remaining vineyards were inherited by two ladies, Germain and Clerc, his sister and widow respectively. Jacques then mounted a legal challenge for the right to use the name Clerc-Milon, which he succeeded and allowing him to name his part of the original vineyard Clerc-Milon, and grew into the current estate.

The estate went through a succession of owners and fell into disrepair. By 1960 it was in the hands of a local lawyer Jean-Jacques Vialard, but the vineyards had already reduced to only 15 hectares. His inheritors soon decided to sell to Baron Philippe de Rothschild, at a bargain price of one million francs.

After Baron Philippe, there was extensive investment and radical change, with the winemaking facilities renovated in 1970s, installation of stainless steel vats and increase in the proportion of new oak in the cellar. Quality improved and with no chateau to grace the label, Baron Philippe decided to adopt the image of a Jungfraubecher, a silver-gilt marriage cup.

Only in 1982 was the label replaced by the pair of dancing clowns fashioned from precious stones, another piece of art from a German goldsmith. The piece of art is now in the private museum of the family. There is also a new investment recently, a modern winery constructed near Mouton, which was unveiled in the 2011 Vinexpo.

The new facility allows the wines to be made closer to the vines, with new equipment in a more spacious building, and modern technology such as optical sorting Also, it is now under a dedicated technical team instead of sharing with that from Mouton.

There are over 100 separate vineyard plots, scattered around Milon and the new cellars. The soils are a mixture of sandy gravel with a deeper seam of clay-limestone. In 2011 there was 40 hectares in full production, with another 5 hectares added afterwards. Planted with 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere, a rarity in Medoc despite used to be popular in the old times. The vine averages 53 years of age.

With manual harvesting, the berries are picked in several tries into small baskets. Manually sorting was done twice, before the grapes are moved into the winery, prior to getting an optical scanning. The must is fermented in stainless steel vats, with temperature control, before aged in new oak barrels (30%) for 14-18 months. About 14000 cases of grand vin is made but there is no second wine.

I have recently tasted the 1998 and 2004 vintage. Below is my tasting note for the 2004 one:

Good quality Pauillac of deep ruby color, the wine has a fairly intense nose showing good complexity and developing aromas of black cherry and blackcurrant, iris, liquorice, cedar, cocoa and chocolate, meaty. Fairly high in acidity, the tannin is fairly strong but also a bit gripping, which probably requires more time to soften. Fairly full-bodied, the palate is reasonably intense with black cherry, vanilla and cedar, liquorice, cocoa, and having a reasonably long finish. It is ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.

Frascati

Frascati is the most famous and quantitatively most important of the Castelli Romani wines. However, the production has declined rapidly in recent years. There are currently about 180,000 hl produced in favourable vintages, from 2,600 ha of vineyards.

Frascati is famous to the countless foreign visitors to Rome, who often visit to appreciate the charms of the town of Frascati, with the beautiful villas, gardens, fountains and boulevards. It is very close to Rome, only about 24km away, with many weekend and summer visitors from Rome contributing to the local economy.

The wine is a blend of Malvasia and Trebbiano, a simple but sound commercial product. There is a lightly sweet version as well as a sweet one, which is made from botrytised grapes. The declining demand puts pressure on the growers to focus more on quality but the general mentality is still on quantity.

I have recently tasted a 2009 Fontella Frascati Superiore and below is my tasting notes:

Acceptable quality Frascati of light lemon color, the nose is fairly intense but quite simple, showing youthful aromas of cream and butter, ripe apple and lime, honeysuckle and ginger. Fairly high in acidity, the wine is of medium body with reasonable concentration of fairly simple flavors of cream and butter, ripe apple and lemon, acacia. Finishing with a fairly short length, the wine is in balance and ready to drink, but not intend for ageing.

Chateau Bellevue

Chateau Bellevue has a long history, dating back to the 17^th century, with the Fief de Bellevue associated with the property in 1642. The family continued to own the estate until 1938, when it was sold to the Conink and Pradel de Lavaux families.

The renaissance came in 2000 when Stephane Derenoncourt and Nicolas Thienpont were contracted to take control of the vineyards and cellars. Half of the stake was sold to Hubert de Bouard de Laforest later and now it was under the same ownership as Chateau Angelus.

Located in the heart of St-Emilion, it lies on the slopes of the limestone plateau, to the west of town. Just over 6.2 hectares, it is planted with 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The soil is dominated by clay towards the top of the slope, with some limestone in the middle, to the sand at the foot.

The vines are about 40 years old, with biodynamic practiced in the vineyards, fertilized with organic compost, ploughed and co-planted with cereals to reduce soil compaction. Yield is tightly controlled through pruning, canopy management and green harvesting, with leaf-thinning to encourage ripening.

Manually harvested, the grapes are sorted and then destemmed before being fermented in temperature-controlled concrete vats. With pumping over, indigenous yeast is used, and the wine will be macerated in 70% new oak, with malolactic fermentation and two rackings before bottled after 16-20 months.

This estate was however part of the casualties of the 2006 classification, being demoted based on the tastings of the 1993-2002 vintages, with the recent improvements in quality not reflected and considered.

 

I have recently tasted the 2004 vintage and below is my tasting note:

 

Good quality St-Emilion of medium ruby color, the nose is reasonably intense, showing developing and fairly complex aromas of blackberry and cassis, plum, chocolate, cloves, savory and acrid oak. Medium in acidity, the tannin is a bit too grippy, and the wine is quite full-bodied with reasonable concentration of blackberry and black cherry, plum, cloves, coffee in flavors. With a reasonable finish, the palate is a bit simple in my opinion. It is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 2-3 years

Chateau Saint-Georges Cote Pavie

There are many archaeological remains found in the ground around the property of Chateau Saint-Georges Cote Pavie, signifying that an ancient Roman mansion once stood in the location of the chateau.

Since 1873 this vineyard of 5.5 hectares has been under a family of wine traders. Located on the clay-limestone hill of Pavie, it has Pavie and La Gaffeliere as immediate neighbours. It also got a plot next to Ausone.

I have recently tasted the 2004 vintage and below is my tasting note:

 

Good quality St-Emilion of medium ruby color, the wine has reasonable concentration on the nose, showing developing and complex aromas of blackberry and black cherry, cedar, meaty, chocolate and game. Medium in acidity, it has silky tannin and medium body, with reasonably intense flavors of b...lackberry and black cherry, plum, toast, cocoa. Having a reasonable finish, the wine is ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 2-3 years.

Chateau Larmande

There were records showing wine was produced at Chateau Larmande as early as 1585, and there was a foundation stone showing the estate was built at 1640, readily proving that this is an estate of long history.

A number of owners throughout the years, the chateau was passed to the Pion de Case and St Genis families, before to a partnership of the Meneret and Capdemourlin families. When Fernand Meneret and Alice Capdemourlin got married, they inherited the estate, around the time of WWII. Their descendants continued to control it for another four decades.

The vineyard was expanded to 22.5 hectares throughout the years, and in 1990 it was sold to La Mondiale, an insurance group, which invested to repair and restore the cellars, as well as building a new tasting room. More land was also purchased to increase the size to 25 hectares.

The vineyards is located on the north of St-Emilion, with mostly sandy soils and some clay with flint and limestone. The vines are pruned in double Guyot and averaging 30 years of age. About 60% is Merlot, with 30% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Manually harvested, the grapes are sorted by hand and destemmed before going to another sorting table, with fermentation performed in staineless steel vats of temperature control, with different plots vinified separately. The wine is macerated on the skins for two to four weeks, and malolactic fermentation in vat and barrel for another 18 months before release, of which 60% is new oak.

The grand vin is Chateau Larmande with 9000 cases, and a second wine Le Cadet de Larmande is also made, but from a specific plot which deemed of lower quality. The wines are of good quality, regarded by many as one of the best in St-Emilion.

I have recently tasted the 2005 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Good quality St-Emilion of deep ruby color, the wine has a reasonable intensity, showing fair complexity and developing characters of blackcurrant and black cherries, plum, chocolate, cedar, forest floor. Medium in acidity, the tannin is smooth and silky. Medium in body, the palate is reasona...bly concentrated, showing blackberry and black cherry, plum, cedar, fennel. With a reasonable finish, it is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.

Chateau Quinault L'Enclos

Chateau Quinault L’Enclos is located behind the Libourne football stadium and very close to housings on all sides. 12 hectares in size, it was acquired by Alain Raynaud in 1997, who also has estates in Pomerol (La Croix-de-Gay) and Montagne-St-Emilion (Faizeau).

With sandy-gravel soils, many of the vines are of 50 years old. The estate was later sold to Bernard Arnault and Albert Frere, owners of Cheval Blanc, in 2008. The wine style is modern and can be drunk young.

I have recently tasted the 2002 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Good quality St-Emilion of medium ruby color, with a fairly intense nose showing good complexity and developing aromas of blackberry and bilberry, forest floor, meaty, earth, smoke and cocoa. Medium in acidity, the tannin is a bit drying. Fairly full-bodied, the palate is of reasonable concen...tration, showing blackberry and black cherry, plum, cedar and toast, cinnamon. The wine has a reasonable finish, and is ready to drink now, but can benefit from further ageing of another 2-3 years.

Chateau L'Eglise-Clinet

The name Eglise refers to an ancient chapel, dated perhaps to the 12^th century, which are still associated with the vineyards of Clos L’Eglise and L’Eglise-Clinet. The vineyards were located around the church which is no longer in existence. The two estates were once a common 18-ha property under the Rouchut family, and was then divided to the two modern-day estates around 1882, under Mauleon Rouchut.

Chateau L’Eglise-Clinet was passed to Mauleon’s daughter, who wedded Paul Rabier and then the estate was passed to his daughter Rene. Rene solicited the assistance of Pierre Lasserre, responsible for managing the vineyard and making the wines, in return for half of the proceeds.

Rene’s son Jacques Durantou inherited the estate but was not interested in taking up the rein, and subsequently his son Denis inherited the business. Pierre Lasserre had worked in very old-fashioned manner, with the fruit fermented without temperature control, liberal addition of stalks to the mix, and little or no use of new oak. However, the wines still received a good press.

Denis Durantou went on to study oenology in Bordeaux and took over from Lasserre later, reducing yields through green harvesting, which was novel at the time in Pomerol. Denis also favored the destemming and introduced new equipment in the chai, replacing the old wood with new barrels. He also used stainless steel vats for fermentation, with temperature control.

There are a total of 6 hectares of vines, with 4.5 ha adjacent to the nearby church, with typical soil of gravel over clay. The remaining 1.5 ha is further away with sandy-gravelly soil, which mainly is used for the second wine La Petite Eglise, which was introduced in 1986. Annual production of the grand vin is 15000 bottles and the second wine 20000 bottles.

85% Merlot, with the remaining under Cabernet Franc, many of the vines dated back to 1935. The vines were not replanted after the 1956 killing freeze and thus the age is old, with a few exceeding 100 years. On the vinification, about 80% new oak is used now in recent vintages, and will be rested for 18 months with regular racking before fining with egg-white and bottled.

Today Denis managed a portfolio of vineyards on the right bank, many offering good values.

I have recently tasted the 2003 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Very good quality Pomerol with deep ruby color, a fairly intense nose showing fair complexity, developing characters of black cherry and blackberry, plum, toast, cedar and tobacco, juniper and liquorice. Good acidity but having a slightly gripping tannin, if given more time for the tannin to soften it would be even better. Fairly full-bodied, the flavors are reasonably intense and complex, with black cherry and blueberry, toast, liquorice, plum and cream. The wine has a reasonable finish, and is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 5-7 years.

Cinsaut

Cinsaut has the ability to produce in high quantity, but is often regarded as poor to middle in quality by most people. It can be of high yields, but at low yields the grape can give characterful wines like Lebanon’s Chateau Musar. In Languedoc it can also produce wines with finesse, if at low yield and long maceration.

Aromatic in youth, with soft supple fruit, Cinsaut is often blended with Carignan to soften it. It can make attractive rose on its own, and in France it is often spelt as Cinsault, which is widely planted in southern France. It buds relatively late and is susceptible to mildew and oidium, but it got good drought resistance.

The grape is popular in North Africa and is Corsica’s main variety. It is also the parent of Pinotage, which is a crossing of Cinsaut and Pinot Noir, with the name representing the widely known but inaccurate name of Hermitage for Cinsaut in the Cape.

It is used for both fortified and table wines, with the best producers including l’Amarine, Mas de Daumas Gassac, Mas Jullien. It is known in centuries in Languedoc with much commonality as Grenache.

Lighter, softer, and in youth more aromatic and charmingly fruity than most other red grapes, it is used mostly to add suppleness, perfume and immediate fruit to blends. It is an approved ingredient in Chateauneuf-du-Pape but hardly contributes more than 5% in the blend.

In France its total plantings dropped in the 1980s but are still higher than Cabernet Sauvignon. It is still the most cultivated variety in Morocco, and an important part in the wine industry in Lebanon, responsible for up to 40% of wine grapes there in 2005.

Only overtaken by Cabernet Sauvignon as the most important variety starting 1993, it was South Africa’s fifth most planted red wine grape in 2004. It was also sold as table grapes in France and Australia as O’Eillade. There is strong DNA evidence that the grape originates from Languedoc-Roussillon. In Italy it was cultivated already in the 17^th century. In the 1950s and 60s, a lot of the Cinsaut wines were imported from Algeria to beef up the weedy burgundies.

I have recently tasted a bottle of VDP d'Oc Cinsault rose and below is my tasting note:

Les Jamelles Cinsault 2010
Acceptable quality Pays d'Oc rose with light pink color, the nose is aromatic but simple, showing fair concentration of raspberry, strawberry and candy, rose and lavender, with hints of tomato. A good acidity to provide freshness, the wine is fairly light bodied. Fairly light in palate with f...lavors of raspberry and strawberry, rose, the wine has a short finish. It is ready to drink now and not suitable for ageing.

Wineshark Recipe - 72. Spaghetti with Tomato Mint Sauce

Ingredients:

• Pinenuts toasted - 3 tbsp
• Butter - 2 oz
• Anchovy fillet - 3 oz
• Onion finely - 10 oz
• Tomato diced - 8 pcs
• Tomato paste - 2 tbsp
• Water - 4 oz
• Spaghetti - 1 lb
• Mint finely - 3 tbsp

First toast the pintnuts in oven, paying attention not to burn them or will result in bitter taste.

Sauteed the anchovy with butter, then add the onion finely. Afterwards put the tomato diced and tomato paste to cook for a short while before adding the water and cook for about 10 min.

When the spaghetti is done, put on the plate and pour the sauce on top, then sparkle with mint finely and the pinenuts.

Wineshark Recipe - 71. Grilled Pork Chop Stuffed Pineapple

Ingredients:

• Pork chop - 4 pcs
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Black pepper finely - 1 tsp
• Slices of pineapple - 4 pcs
• Slices of ham - 4 pcs
• Cocktail sticks - 4 pcs
• Cooking oil
• Meat gravy

First cut the pork chop in halves, and season with salt and black pepper.

Put a slice of ham and pineapple (using tissue paper to make it dry) in between the pork chop, then use a cocktail stick to skewer.

Then pan fry the pork chop and pour the meat gravy upon serving.

Chateau Rabaud-Promis

The earliest documents showing a Chateau Rabaud started in 1660 when Antonine de Cazeau married Madame Peyronne de Rabeau, and the estate was part of her dowry. It continued to be under the new owners for several generations until 1819, when it was sold to Gabriel Deyne. Under Gabriel’s tenure the estate was ranked as premier cru in the 1855 classification of Sauternes.

In 1863 it was sold to Henri Drouilhet de Sigalas, with the wine labeled as Chateau Rabaud de Sigalas. The vineyards were expanded, and with the acquisition of Chateau Pexiotto, reached 10-hectare. The creation of Rabaud-Promis came in 1903, when Henri’s only son sold the majority of the vineyards to Adrien Promis. Henri held onto the core of the Sigalas vineyards, just 14 hectares, but of higher quality.

Adrien then built an attractive chateau on the more than 40 hectares of vines, close to the top of the hill. His daughters then inherited the estate, and in 1930 the two estates were joined functionally, with both under the control of Ferdinand Ginestet. In 1950 the Ginestet family sold their interests in Rabaud-Promis in order to fund the purchase of Chateau Margaux, to Raymond-Louis Lanneluc.

Under Raymond the estate was in a period of negligence, with the quality of the wine deteriorated. The recovery arrived when Philippe Dejean, coming from a winemaking family in Loupiac, married one of Raymond’s granddaughters. Philippe, believing in the potential of the vineyards, bought the full control of it in 1981, gradually replacing the underground vats with stainless steel tanks, and the proportion of new oak became more consistent.

Quality improved, and the wine went back to its proper status as a premier cru. Now the vineyards cover 35 hectares, located on the same hill as Sigalas-Rabaud. The soil is mainly gravel over clay. The chateau faces north, with the vines in front sloping gently down towards the west, at the foot it is only a few hundred metres from the Ciron, the cool water responsible for generating the morning mists for the development of botrytis.

Planted with 80% Semillon, 18% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle, the vines are grown under organic methods. The fruit is harvested in tries manually, to select the botrytised fruit, with a small yield. The must is fermented in steel then wood, with the use of new oak restrained, much lower than other estates in the same year. The grand vin is Chateau Rabaud-Promis, with a second wine called Chateau Bequet and Domaine de l’Estremade, both in fact being the same wine.

 

I have recently tasted the 1999 vintage and below is my tasting note:

 

Good quality Sauternes with light gold color, the nose is reasonably intense, showing good complexity of sultana, orange peel, apricot, honey, cedar and honeysuckle. Medium sweet, it has a nice acidity supporting a good refreshing palate of reasonable concentration of apricot, toast, honey an...d caramel, orange marmalade and honeysuckle. It is an easy-drinking dessert wine which can be drunk without accompanying food. With a reasonable finish, it is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 2-3 years.

Chateau d'Armailhac

Chateau d’Armailhac was founded by Dominique d’Armailhacq, purchasing the vineyards from Nicolas-Alexandre de Segur, the Prince des Vignes, between 1718 and 1740. Dominique further expanded the estate and acquired the buildings at Chateau Brane-Mouton, renaming it to Mouton-d’Armailhacq. He also acquired the Carruades vineyard, one of the better sites in Pauillac.

Dominique later passed the property to his two brothers, one was Odet d’Armailhacq, but they had to sell in 1843 due to financial difficulties. Interestingly, Odet’s wife purchased the estate but decided to sell the Carraudes vineyard to Lafite-Rothschild, and later passed the estate to her son Armand. Armand was instrumental in improving the quality of the estate and across Bordeaux, by strongly advocating the use of Cabernet Sauvignon, better vineyard and chai management.

The estate was awarded a fifth growth status in the 1855 classification but with the advent of the 20^th century, it had difficult times. After Armand’s death the estate was run by his brother-in-law Comte Adrien de Ferrand. Adrien’s descendent Roger then sold the estate, together with the newly created negociant business, to Baron Philippe de Rothschild in 1933.

Baron Philippe changed the name of the estate to Mouton-Baron-Philippe, and the negociant business to Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA, which later developed into the most widely recognized Bordeaux brands Mouton Cadet. The estate was renovated, with the vineyards replanted, but the size actually was reduced from 75 to 32 hectares by 1960. The chai was fully renewed in 1968 also.

In 1976 the name was changed again to Mouton-Baronne-Philippe to honor his wife, but only resulting in confusing consumers. So Philippe’s daughter Philippine later decided to change the name back to d’Armailhac, to provide a more clear association to the origins.

Today the vineyards cover 50 hectares, with three main plots: 26 ha from the extension of Carraudes, with gravel soils; 19 ha of sand and chalk over limestone, and 5 ha of light gravel up to three metres deep. Vine density is 8500 vines per hectare, planted with 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Average vine age is 47 years, but there are some sections with vines older than 100 years.

The management is under the team of Mouton-Rothschild, with a higher than normal fermentation temperature, blending following malolactic fermentation. The wines are kept in oak barrels for 16 months, of which 30% is new and remaining coming from old Mouton barrels. Typically about 22000 cases are produced per annum without a second wine.

It is the least well known of the Rothschild portfolio in Bordeaux, having less masculine than Clerc-Milon. The price has gone up rapidly in recent years, making it much less attractive in terms of its value to money.

I have recently tasted the 2004 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Good quality Pauillac with deep ruby color, it got a fairly concentrated nose, showing good complexity and developing aromas of blackcurrant and blackberry, chocolate, cedar, liquorice, pencil shavings, tobacco and cream. Medium in acidity, the tannin is ripe but a bit grippy, the wine is quite full-bodied with reasonably intense flavors of blackberry and black cherries, liquorice, toast, tobacco. Having a reasonable finish, this wine is rather of mediocre given its GCC status and strong management team from Mouton. Ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 5-7 years.