Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou

The origin of Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou dated back to the 17^th century, when they were part of a larger property Beychevelle. In 1642, following the death of Beychevelle’s proprietor Bernard de Valette, the property was sold off, leading to the parcellation, with one part purchased by Jean-Baptiste Braneyre in 1680, becoming Branaire-Ducru today. A second part very near to Gironde, becomes the today Ducru-Beaucaillou.

By the latter of 18^th century it was under Bergeron, with the wines sold as Maucaillou, with the name referring to the black pebbles on the ground. The name gradually changed to Beaucaillou, a more positive and appealing term. In 1795 Bergeron died, and the chateau was acquired by the new owner Bertrand Ducru, with the estate becoming Ducru-Beaucaillou.

With the improvement in quality so did the price, and upon Bertrand’s death in 1829, his two children inherited the estate, and ran jointly for thirty years, with son Gustave renovated the vineyards and constructing the chateau. In the 1855 classification the estate was highly ranked, as a deuxiemes crus in St-Julien.

Boosted by the success, Gustave purchased Branaire-Ducru  in 1857, ceding control of Ducru-Beaucaillou to his sister in 1860, but she then sold it later on to Lucie-Caroline Dassier, wife of the wealthy merchant Nathanial Johnston. Difficult times began with the phylloxera and then the mildew and in fact Ducru-Beaucaillou played an important role in the discovery of the solution to mildew, using the manager Esrnest David using copper sulphate and lime to fight against the fungus.

The Bordeaux Mixture, as it was called, then went on to be tested in the Dauzac vineyards. Following the death of his wife, Nathanial remarried to the daughter of Prince Constantine of Turkey, and the chateau was refurbished and two towers and new wings were added, making the estate a notable landmark. Because of the bad times, the Johnstons were forced to sell the estate, to a wine merchant called Desbarats, but soon the estate was again on sale and it was the Borie family that took up ownership in 1941.

After his death, his son Jean-Eugene continued to steer the property, adding another 32 hectares of vines from the neighboring Chateau Lagrange, but the fruit is harvested and bottled under a different label, Lalande-Borie. In 1995 the second label was created, with Wine Spectator awarding the grand vin the number one spot in the Top 100 list in 1998.

In 1998 the control was passed to his son Francois-Xavier, who ceded running the estate after five years to hand over it to his brother Bruno who remains in charge today. The vineyards of Ducru run almost down to the Gironde, totaling 215 hectares, with the typical Gunzian gravel and the large pebbles that gave the estate its name.

Not all the vines are destined for the grand vin or second label La Croix de Beaucaillou, so effectively there are only 75 hectares of Ducru vineyards, nearly half around the chateau and most of the rest further inland within the St-Julien appellation, near Gruaud-Larose and Talbot. The vines are 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, with average vine age of 35 years, planting at a density of 10000 vines per hectare.

Harvest is manual, with the fruit passing a sorting table before destemming, pressing and fermentation in stainless steel vats under temperature control. There is frequent pumping over and each individual vat is controlled separately on vinification. Once finished the wine is left to macerate for a week, and then the wines are assessed before undergoing malolactic fermentation in concrete vats. After that it goes into oak, with the grand vin spending 18-20 months in 50-80% new oak, then are fined with egg white before bottling.

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

Appearance

Bright and clear, it has deep ruby color, with fading rims and legs.

Nose

Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit such as cassis and blackberry, maturity notes of savory and forest floor, mineral notes of earth and lead, pungent spice of licorice, sweet spice of cinnamon, oak notes of cedar. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin which is smooth and silky, with medium alcohol, medium (+) body and medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruit such as cassis and blackberry, pungent spice of licorice, mineral notes of earth, oak notes of cedar. The wine has a long finish.

Conclusion

Very good quality high-priced Bordeaux left-bank, with a complex and intense nose which is impressive, the wine has a good structure, in harmony and balance, as demonstrated by the concentrated palate and its long finish. It is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 4-6 years. 

Chateau Haut-Brion

The history of Chateau Haut-Brion could be traced back as far as the 14^th century, with the estate appeared to center around a manor house entitled Aubrion. In 1509 it came into the hands of Jean de Segur, a member of the same family that later took ownership of many of the top estates of Medoc, including Latour and Lafite.

But during 1520s ownership was passed to Philippe de Chabot, who went by the title of Amiral de Brion. It was later acquired by Pierre de Bellon, who held the same position in Libourne. He gave the property as a dowry for his daughter Jeanne who married to Jean de Pontac in 1525, naming the estate Chateau Pontac.

Jean was a wealthy shipping magnate and also a mayor of Bordeaux, and it was him who was responsible for establishing the vineyard, also enlarging the property by buying neighboring plots of land. In 1550 he began constructing the chateau. Jean had married twice more after Jeanne, and sired 15 offspring.

It was his son Arnaud who inherited the estate, who was later ordained a priest in 1557 and eventually became Bishop of Bazas. His son, Arnaud III, was an influential politician, but also dedicated to his estate and vineyard, and in 1666 under his direction, his son Francois-Auguste, established the Enseigne de Pontac, soon becoming one of London’s most fashionable inns.

In the establishment the wines were sold, and were very well received, successfully marketed the wine in England. Upon his death the estate and its associated debts were inherited by his two sisters, Therese and Marie-Anne, with Therese taking two-third, and Marie-Ann passing the portion to the Tresnes family through marriage.

Similarly, through marriage the portion of Therese was passed to her husband Jean-Denis d’Aulede de Lestonnac in 1654. Subsequently the estate was passed to their son Francois-Delphin, who also owned Margaux. Upon his death it was bequeathed to his sister Catherine, the widow of Francois-Joseph de Fumel, and it was the Fumel family that steered the estate during the Revolution.

After Catherine came Louis de Fumel, her son, but in 1749 upon his death it was passed to his son Joseph, who also marketed the wine in foreign lands actively, as well as formalizing the Fumel-Tresnes split, with the Tresnes portion separating from Haut-Brion. At the time the wine was increasingly appreciated by notables, including Thomas Jefferson in 1787 during his tenure as ambassador to France.

During the Revolution Joseph donated much of his wealth to the impoverished, but still he went to the guillotine and Haut-Brion was sequestered by the citizens. But after the Revolution, Joseph’s nephew Jacques quietly reacquired the property, eventually selling it to another famous name Talleyrand in 1801.

Talleyrand was a foreign minister and distinguished international diplomat, but given it scant attention before selling it three years later to Michel Aine, who again sold it to a partnership of Comynes and Beyerman. In 1836 it was again put on sale, with the new owner being Joseph-Eugene Larrieu, a banker. The wine was commanding a high price then and was of the highest quality to be included in the 1855 classification of Medoc, the only Graves estate in the list, but with the compound effect of oidium, phylloxera, world war, recession and great frost it went into decline just like others.

The Larrieu family was also owner of Bastor-Lamontagne, continued to persevere and purchased a section of the property from Countess of Vergennes, the portion which was lost to the Tresnes family in 1694, reuniting the property again. But the second and following generations did not provide the direction it needed and the property was eventually seized by the bank, and was taken under control of Societe des Glacieres in Paris.

The retired director Andre Gilbert had tried to sue the other properties using the Haut-Brion name and also selling part of the gardens to developers. In 1935 Andre offered the estate to the city of Bordeaux but was turned down, and it was the American financier Clarence Dillon that came to the rescue. Still under the Dillon family till now, but the estate was in fact under the limited company Domaine Clarence Dillon SA, to prevent division of the estate from one generation to the next.

Control shifted to his nephew Seymour Weller, supported by the manager and winemaker Georges Delmas, whose son Jean-Bernard succeeded in 1960, and now by Jean-Philippe Delmas in 2003, who contributed tremendously on the quality of the wines. With Seymour’s retirement in 1975, control passed to Clarence’s granddaughter Joan, who married to Philippe de Noailles, the Duc de Mouchy.

Within the estate there are two gravel croupes, with Gunzian gravel peppered with quartz, stone and flint, totaling 51 hectares. The vines consist of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, with also white varieties of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, without any Muscadelle. The crop is harvested by hand, with the ripe fruit delivered to the cellar for destemming, before fermenting inside stainless steel vats by lot on natural yeast.

There were new double-skinned fermentation vessels installed in 1991, with temperature control, and the must undergoes a post-fermentation maceration to enhance extraction of color and tannin. The wine is then run off into oak barrels which are fashioned on-site, for maturation of up to 24 months and occasionally even longer, before bottling.

The grand vin is Chateau Haut-Brion, with a second wine Bahans Haut-Brion, renamed in 2007 onwards to Clarence de Haut-Brion. The white produced is a classic Bordeaux blend which often vies for the position of top dry white in any Bordeaux vintage.

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

Appearance
Bright and clear, it has deep ruby color, with fading rims and legs.

Nose

Clean, with medium intensity aromas of black fruit such as blackberry, dark cherries and plum, pungent spice of licorice, maturity notes of savory and tobacco, oak notes of cedar, sweet spice of sage, kernel notes of chocolate. The wine is developing.

Palate
Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin which is smooth and velvety, with medium alcohol, medium body and medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackberry, plum and dark cherries, oak notes of cedar, maturity notes of sweet tobacco, pungent spice of pepper. The wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion
Very good quality high-priced Bordeaux left-bank, with a reasonably concentrated nose showing good complexity, the palate has the elegance and structure for a good wine, with intensity, complexity and length also demonstrating fine winemaking finesse. Still a bit too young in my opinion to express its full potential, the wine is best to further age for another 3-5 years.

Penfolds

Penfolds is one of the most successful in Australian wine industry, with over 150 years of legacy. Many regarded Penfolds to produce the greatest wine of the Southern Hemisphere, the Penfolds Grange.

The name Penfolds comes from a young English doctor who migrated to Australia. Born in 1811, he was the youngest of 11 children and studied medicine at St. Batholomew’s Hospital, graduating in 1838.

He had a firm belief in the medicinal value of wine, and so planted vine cuttings from south of France next to his cottage in Magill, on the outskirt of Adelaide in 1845. He and his wife Mary called this house ‘The Grange’ after his wife’s home in England.

Dr. Penfold died in 1870, but his wife continued to own the vineyards and winery, mostly dedicated to producing fortified wines of port and sherry. In 1881 the scale was already remarkable, accounting for nearly one-third of all the wine produced in South Australia.

When the consumer taste started to change after World War II, Max Schubert, the winemaker, decided to institute a profound change in the direction. After his visit to Europe, Schubert produced the first experimental vintage of Grange Hermitage, a Shiraz-based wine inspired by France’s Rhone Valley.

Penfolds also produce a wide range of wines, with the best regarded by many to be Bin 707.

I have recently tasted the 1994 Grange and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, it has deep ruby color, with fading rims and legs.

Nose

Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit such as blackcurrant and blackberry, pungent spice of pepper, sweet spice of cinnamon and nutmeg, some herbal notes of mint and Chinese medicine, oak notes of cedar, dried fruit of prune, kernel notes of chocolate, maturity notes of savory. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium tannin which is totally smooth and well-integrated, with medium (+) alcohol and medium (+) body, exhibiting medium (+) intensity of flavors including black fruit of blackberry and dark cherries, pungent spice of pepper, sweet spice of nutmeg, oak notes of cedar, kernel notes of chocolate, herbal notes of mint. The wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion

Very good quality high-priced Australian Shiraz, showing good fruit despite already 20 years old, on the nose the highly complex aromas has good concentration, and the palate is elegant, given this is a powerful wine it is particularly impressive. The tannin is already well-integrated and extremely smooth, with the structure so robust and balanced. It is at its peak now but can be kept for another 3-5 years.

 

Wineshark Cooking Class - 47. Mackerel & Potato Stew

Ingredients:

• Mackerel - 1
• Potatoes - 250g
• Garlic cloves - 2
• Fresh parsley - 1.5 tbsp
• Tomatoes - 1.5 tbsp
• Olive oil - 1.5 tbsp
• Sweet paprika - 1 tsp
• Fish stock - 400ml
• Cornflour - 1 tsp
• Aioli - 1/2 tsp

Procedures:

1. Cut the body of the mackerel into three equal pieces. Season with salt and white pepper powder.

2. Cut the potatoes into pieces about 3 cm across.

3. Finely chop the garlic.

4. Put the flesh of the grated tomatoes into a sieve and leave to drain over a bowl for 15 minutes. Discard the juice.

5. Put a large pan over a medium heat, then pour in the oil. Add the garlic.

6. As soon as the garlic starts to turn golden, add most of the chopped parsley and all of the grated tomatoes.

7. Cook for 5 minutes and ten stir in the paprika.

8. Add the potatoes and stir until well coated in the garlic, tomato and paprika mix.

9. Pour in half of the stock and simmer for 20 minutes.

10. Cook the fish gently for 5 minutes.

11. Mix the cornflour with a little cold water until smooth, then stir into the pan slightly.

12. Leave to cook gently for 5 minutes. Loosen the aioli with a little of the sauce. Add to the pan.

13. Finish the dish by sprinkling with the remaining parsley and season with salt.

Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey

The oldest reference of Lafaurie-Peyraguey mentioned the construction of a fortified keep in the 13^th century, before viticulture started. In the early 17^th century the land was owned by Raymond Peyraguey, a member of the rural bourgeois who settled in Bommes in 1618.

In 1742 it was acquired by Baron Nicolas-Pierre de Pichard, a local parliamentarian who also owned Lafite and Coutet, and also oversaw the construction of dedicated winemaking facilities. He met his end during the Revolution, and his estate, known as Pichard-Peyraguey then, was first leased to a local named Vignon, before sold as a national asset in 1796 to Lafaurie and Mauros, with the former buying out the latter subsequently.

Lafaurie also owned a stake in nearby Chateau d’Arche, and renamed the estate Lafaurie-Peyraguey, and got it ranked third place in the 1855 classification, directly behind d’Yquem and La Tour Blanche. When Lafaurie died the estate was passed to his widow, who married again to St-Rieul-Dupouy, who later sold it to Comte Duchatel, proprietor of Chateau Lagrange, in 1865.

By then the vineyards shrunk to 27 hectares, but he refurbished extensively, remodeling the chateau and buildings, responsible for the appearance of the current estate. Upon his death the property was passed to his daughter Charlotte de Tremoille, who sold the chateau and cellars to Farinel et Gredy in 1879, continued to be named Lafaurie-Peyraguey, and the other portion to Grillon, becoming the current Clos Haut-Peyraguey.

Under the Gredy family the quality started to decline, partly due to phylloxera and oidium, also the backdrop of war and recession. It was later sold to Desire Cordier in 1917, with the Cordier family continued to run for much of the century. The winemaking responsibility was given to Michel Laporte in 1983, seeing renewed success.

In 1984 it was acquired by the Suez Group, now known as GDF Suez after several mergers. Between 1998 and 2004 the chateau, other buildings and the vineyard have all seen significant work, with climate-controlled cellars.

The 48-hectare vineyards are scattered across Bommes, Sauternes, Preignac and Fargues, with three main plots, the first of 11 hectare lying directly behind and around the chateau, the second of 5 hectare at a slightly higher elevation, adjacent to the Lafaurie sibling Clos Haut-Peyraguey, and the third of 5 hectare closer to Guiraud, with the remaining small plots near Rieussec, Yquem and Suduiraut.

There was a vineyard originally under d’Arche but got cleaved off during Revolution and resold to the Cordiers after the Revolution. The soils are rich in silica and gravel, with some variations in soils because of wide distribution of plots, which also protected against failure in any one vintage. Today Semillon accounts for almost all the vineyard, with only 8% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle, of average vine age of 40 years.

The fruit is harvested by hand in multiple tries, between 3-7 depending on the vintage, with average yield of 18 hl/ha, with pneumatic pressing and subsequently in vertical basket press. There is cold soaking at 15 degree Celsius followed by alcoholic fermentation, entirely in French oak of which 30% are new. After that the wine is aged in the same barrique for between 18-20 months, with racking every 3-5 months. The grand vin is Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey of about 5500 cases and a second wine.

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

Appearance

Bright and clear, it has deep gold color, with fading rims and legs.

Nose

Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of stone fruit of apricot, citrus fruit of blood orange, tropical fruit of pineapple, floral notes of honeysuckle, oak notes of pine and butterscotch, dried fruit of raisin, maturity notes of honey and botrytis, mineral notes of beeswax, sweet spice of ginger candy. The wine is developing.

Palate

Sweet with high acidity, the wine has medium alcohol level, showing a bit of warmness. It has medium (+) body and medium (+) intensity on flavors of stone fruit of apricot, tropical fruit of pineapple, citrus fruit of orange marmalade, oak notes of butterscotch and caramel, maturity notes of honey, sweet spice of ginger candy. The wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion

Very good quality high-priced Sauternes with good intensity on the nose showing high complexity, but the most notable is the surprising light palate, with not only the acidity balancing well to bring nice refreshing enjoyment but also highlighting the elegance and finesse of a good Sauternes, which despite the concentration did provide a delicate feel. Ready to drink now though can further develop for another 8-10 years.

Wineshark Cooking Class - 46. South American Seafood Soup

Ingredients:

• Long rice - 2 oz
• Fish stock - 2 lb 4 oz
• Avoset - 1.5 oz
• Milk - 1 oz
• Dry white wine - 1 tbsp
• White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Fish fillet - 4
• Prawn - 4
• Squid - 4 pcs
• Mussels - 4
• Flour - 0.5 oz
• Egg - 1

Procedures:

1. Put the long rice into the fish stock to cook for about 45 minutes.

2. Blend the rice and stock together.

3. Add avoset, milk, white wine and seasons.

4. Wipe dry the fish fillet and prawn, then marinate and then coat with flour and egg.

5. Deep fry the fish fillet and prawn.

6. Blanch the squid and mussels in the stock, then put inside the bowl.

7. Sprinkle some parsley on top when serving.

Chateau Pape Clement

The name of this estate came from Pope Clement V, a French-born clergyman who took the papal office in early 14^th century. Today it is under Bernard Magrez. Clement V was born into the noble De Goth family and held a seat at Villandraut, to the south of Sauternes. He began his career in the church at a young age, and by 1299 he had been made Archbishop of Bordeaux by Pope Boniface VIII.

His brother presented him with a property named La Mothe as a gift, which is close to Bordeaux with a vineyard already. In 1305 he became Pope but continued to direct activities at his estate for four more years, and then decided to donate the property to the church before moving the papal seat to Avignon, where his successors established a nearby town known today as Chateauneau-du-Pape, for the summer residence.

In the hands of the church the estate continued as a site of viticulture, and during Revolution it was confiscated and sold off. The wines were not marketed throughout the years, reserved for use in the Archbishop’s residence and during mass. Early in the 19^th century it passed to Jarrige, De Fortmanoir and Clouzel, before the latter sold to a local negociant named Jean-Baptiste Clerc in 1858.

By this time the reputation was firmly established, with the wines regarded as second best after Haut-Brion. Clerc expanded the vineyards to 37 hectares, ensuring only the best varieties are planted, including a little Cabernet Franc. With the good price and profit commanded, Clerc was able to build an elegant chateau.

Jean-Baptiste died before 1880, passing the estate to Cinto, another negociant, who made extensive modifications, including the castellations and ramparts. He sold the property later to an Englishman named Maxwell, and the estate fell into decline, and was later purchased by a vigneron Paul Montagne in 1939.

Paul engaged the service of Emile Peynaud, and revitalized the estate. Upon his death at the age of 94, the estate was passed to his son Leo, but the majority of ownership was taken on by his son-in-law Bernard Magrez, who became involved in the property since 1985. From this estate Magrez went on to acquire dozens of properties in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and USA, including in Bordeaux Chateua Fombrauge, La Tour Carnet and Clos Haut-Peyraguey.

Located very close to the Rocade, the Bordeaux ring road, surrounded by housing on all sides, the vineyards account for 33 hectares in Pessac-Leognan. There are three distinct terroirs with the classic gravels lying over limestone bedrock, but towards the west the soils are sandier, with deep seam of gravel, and to the east with increasing clay along with gravel, to the north the soils are thin and poor.

The red vines cover 30 of the 33 hectares, with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, with the other varieties long since disappeared, with Merlot planted mainly on the clay areas. Since 1990 well over half the vineyard has been replanted, but some vines still are over 40 years old. The white varieties include 45% Sauvignon Blanc, 45% Semillon, 5% Muscadelle and 5% Sauvignon Gris.

Planting density is between 7700 and 9000 vines per hectare, with Double Guyot training. Leaf-thinning is done in summer to improve exposure to sun, and green harvesting to temper yields. The harvest is manual, with the white being picked in several tries, ripe to the point of turning golden contributing to the richer style of the wine, restricting the picking in morning to maintain acidity and freshness.

Red grapes are picked plot-by-plot, with the fruit going into small trays for transport. In the chai the red grapes are destemmed by hand, an unusual practice, with the fruit subject to examination and selection, before gently pressing in pneumatic and then fed by gravity to oak vats for fermentation. Different vat sizes are used, allowing vinification of small parcels, with the must limited to 29-30 degree Celsius during fermentation, then a maceration for up to 35 days, with punching down.

The new wine is fed by gravity to 100% new oak barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation, and then aged for 20 months. For the white, the grapes are pressed lightly and then decanted directly into oak barrels of 70-100% new, carrying out fermentation and elevage, with regular batonnage to keep the lees in suspension, for 12 months.

The wines are fined with egg-white if required before final blending, under the supervision of Michel Rolland. The grand vin is Chateau Pape-Clement with about 7000 cases of red and 350 cases of white, with second labels Le Clementin du Pape-Clement and Le Prelat du Pape-Clement.

I have recently tasted the 2008 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance
Bright and clear, it has deep ruby color, with garnet rims and legs.

Nose
Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit of cassis, blackberry, dark cherries and plum, maturity notes of tobacco and savory, animal notes of meaty, sweet  spices of nutmeg, kernel notes of coffee, dairy notes of cream, hints of oak notes of smoke. The wine is developing.

Palate
Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture, with medium in alcohol level, it has medium (+) body and medium (+) intensity on flavors of black fruit such as cassis, blackberry, plum and dark cherries, oak notes of cedar, kernel notes of milk chocolate, maturity notes of sweet tobacco, mineral notes of earth. The wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion
Very good quality Pessac-Leognan showing the true beauty of the Bordeaux left bank, with an intense nose of high complexity, even at a relatively young age, with a good abundance of primary, secondary and tertiary aromas, all in harmony with each other. The palate is of elegance, with the ripe fruit highlighting good concentration and flavors, but accompanying also with all the fine elements of the wine, plus having a fairly long finish. Ready to drink now but the wine can further develop for another 3-5 years.