Chateau Lamothe-Guignard

This chateau has a similar history as La Tour Figeac which I have just written, in the sense that it was originally part of a larger property. The original Chateau Lamothe dated back to the 18th century, which later had split into Lamothe (sometimes referred to as Lamothe-Despujols) and Lamothe-Guignard. Both are deuxieme cru in 1855 Bordeaux GCC classification in its own rights.

The break-up occurred under the tenure of Baptiste family, in the 19th century, with the vineyards destined to become Lamothe-Guignard being sold to Charles Joseph Bergey. As a result, the chateau was then named Lamothe-Bergey, which was subsequently sold to Armand Bastit Saint-Martin in 1958, which already acquired the original Lamothe estate so can in theory reunite the two to form the old estate again. However, Lamothe-Bergey was leased out and the two halves were operated as separate units still.

The Bastit Saint-Martin family then also sold off their assets, with the original Lamothe to Despujols in 1961, who continue to run the estate today, and the Bergey portion to Guignard family in 1981, so the name becomes the current Lamothe-Guignard. The Guignard brothers, Pierre and Jean, already owned properties around Sauternes, and Jean's sons Philippe and Jacques, replanted the vineyards, and producing the wine in the chateau (previously it was done in d'Arche), thus significantly improving the quality.

The total area of the vineyard is 17 hectares, with a section on limestone and clay, as well as a gravelly plateau. 90% of the vines are Semillon, with 5% each of Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. Average age is now 40 years. Harvest normally occurs in several tries, where the grapes are pressed hydraulically before fermentatin in stainless steel or en barrique depending on the vintage. The wine will spend up to 15 months in oak, with 25% new barrels in each vintage.

I have tasted the 2005 vintage, which is of good quality. But when you take into consideration the very attractive price you will no doubt try to stock up more for the wine to further develop and I am sure in another 7-10 years, with more maturity characters this wine will become even better. Less than HK$250 for a full bottle Sauternes? What are you waiting for?

Region / Country: Sauternes France

Vintage: 2005

Grape: 70% Semillon, 25% Sauvignon, 5% Muscadelle

ABV: 14%            

Price: HK$238

Tasting Date: 29 June 2011

Wineshark Score: 90

Light golden color Sauternes with a reasonably intense and developing aromas of acacia, lemon peel, apricot, honey, oak and nutty. Sweet yet balanced well with the acidity making the wine fresh and not cloying at all. Full body with a reasonably intense palate of honeysuckle, honey, lemon, pineapple, apricot, oak and nutty. Overall of good quality, with a fairly complex palate, reasonable length and intensity. Particularly considering its price it is superbly good value. Ready to drink now but can further age to develop for another 7-10 years.

Chateau La Tour Figeac

This chateau, as its name implies, has a strong relationship with Figeac. Situated on the gravelly soil in St-Emilion, it is neighboring the famous Cheval Blanc, also derived from Figeac. In 1879 Corbiere acquired a piece and land and subseqently divided into two, keeping one for himself (La Tour Figeac) and sold off the other (La-Tour-du-Pin-Figeac).

In 1973 the property was sold to the Rettenmaiers, a German family, and till today it is managed by the heir Maximilian, with the assistance of Christine Derenoncourt. The vineyard now is about 14.5 hectares, about one-quarter of gravelly soil, with the remaining having increasing sand and loam. Merlot contributes 60% of the vineyard, with the rest being Cabernet Franc, with an average age of 35 years. Focusing on biodynamics, no chemical pesticide or treatments are used. Yields are typically 40 hl/ha by pruning, bunch-thinning and green-harvesting.

Stainless-steel vats were installed in 1995, but were reverted to wood once again in 1999. Mix of pumping over and punching down is practised, with the wine kept in oak (100% new in some vintages) for at least 18 months. About 3300 cases of La Tour Figeac and 1250 cases of L'Esquisse de La Tour Figeac (2nd wine) are produced annually. No fining of the wine is done.

I have tasted the 2006 and below is my tasting note:

Region / Country: St-Emilion France

Vintage: 2006

Grape: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc

ABV: 13.5%                 

Price: HK$298

Tasting Date: 27 June 2011

Wineshark Score: 89

 

Opaque ruby color St-Emilion GCC with a reasonably intense and developing aromas of black cherry, blueberry, liquorice, smoke, oak, cream and plum. Relatively low in acidity, with a smooth and ripe tannin, this medium (+) body wine got reasonably intense flavors of black cherry, blueberry, cloves, smoke, violet and oak. Overall of acceptable quality with reasonable length and fair intensity, soft and smooth in style, making it an easy-to-drink wine. With further ageing it can become more complex. Ready to drink now but ideally should be left to further age and will be good for another 5-7 years.

Other vintages I have from this chateau:

• 2008 Chateau La Tour Figeac

Chateau Cantemerle

The origins of Chateau Cantemerle lie in the Middle Ages when this chateau is part of the defensive line against attack in the Haut-Medoc area. The name first appeared in 1147 with the donation of the land to the monks by the knight Pons de Cantemerle. Vines were first recorded to be grown here in 1354, and the estate changed hands several times from Caupene family to La Roque, and then to the Villeneuve in 1579, with the house officially renamed Cantemerle in 1643.

An interesting sidenote on the 1855 classification involved Cantemerle also. Originally not part of the original list, which was derived from the selling price of the wines at that time, Cantemerle had been selling directly to merchants in Holland and thus lacking the track record for the prices required. However, the then proprietor Caroline de Villeneuve-Durfort fought by presenting the documents to prove that the selling prices were on par with hte other 5th growths. At the end, Cantemerle was added to the list which is still referred nowadays.

The property was sold again to Dubos family in 1892 and finally to the current owner SMABTP insurance group in 1981. The size of the vineyards now reached 87 hectares, planting with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Average age of the vines are over 30 years. Green harvesting is practised with also selection at vineyard. Then it is 100% destemmed before putting up to 30 days of maceration in wooden vats. The wine are aged for 16 months, 12 months in French oak casks (half new) and remaining 4 months in vat after blending. A total of 560,000 bottles are produced annually, including the second wine Les Allees des Cantemerle.

Region / Country: Haut-Medoc France

Vintage: 2004

Grape: 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot

ABV: 13%            

Price: HK$268

Tasting Date: 25 June 2011

Wineshark score: 90

Opaque ruby colour with an intense and developing nose of blackberry, blackcurrant, black cherry, liquorice, sweet spice, smoke and savory notes. A bit sour on the acidity with medium (+) tannin of well-integrated texture. Medium (+) body showing intense flavors of blackberry, black cherry, liquorice, smoke, charred wood, sweet spice and savory notes. Overall a good quality Haut-Medoc with a reasonable length, fairly complex characters in nose and palate, and good intensity. Ready to drink now and can be further developed for another 5-7 years.

Other vintages / wines I have tasted for this chateau:

• 2005 Les Allees de Cantemerle
• 2006 Les Allees de Cantemerle
• 2006 Chateau Cantemerle

Wineshark weekly - 26 Jun 2011

I have decided to write a weekly blog to update some interesting things over the week and also the food and wine I have. Just drop me a note about how you feel after reading it! I also just wrote my 150th wine tasting note. Time really flies... 

Last Sunday was Father's Day, and like many of you I had a good dinner with my parents. To celebrate I also brought with me the oldest wine I ever owned - a 1976 Pommard! I got it from my recent trip to Minneapolis and my friend in Haskell highly recommended it. Condition was still very good and we all enjoyed it very much. The cork was broken but I just have to compliment my skill to successfully rescue it without getting the cork into the wine, haha!

Wine: Remoissenet Pere & Fils, Pommard Clos des Epenots (score: 93)

Region / Country: Pommard France

Vintage: 1976

Grape: 100% Pinot Noir

ABV: 13%            

Price: HK$1496

Tasting Date: 19 June 2011

Intense garnet colour showing the age of the wine, with a good and fully developed nose showing the characters of prune, earth, smoke, savory, cigar box and mushroom. Lively acidity accompanying a silky and supple tannin, the wine is of medium body with an intense flavors of prune, savory, coffee, earth, rust, smoke and cigar box. Overall a very good quality Pommard with profound maturity characters, really complex and intense flavors. A long length in the finish but the wine is still lively despite its old age. A very good demonstration of how good Burgundy can age. Ready to drink now and can be maintained for another 2-3 years at least.

During the week I was in Singapore for business. Also tried a very good Laksa at the hotel I stayed (Rendezvous at the end of Orchard Road), but unfortunately I forgot to take a picture. Try it next time!

Wherever I go I always will look for some wine shops and see whether I can find something interesting. So of course in this trip I did the same. But due to my limited time I can only go to Bacchus in Paragon this time. The shop is small and quite 'messy', with virtually no room for you to walk around. They got a fair amount of choices but do not provide something 'exceptional' nor 'rare'. Next time I will try to visit some another one called Wine Culture which I heard got a wider selection...

In Singapore many people will go to Chatterbox in Mandarin for the chicken rice. Well, I don't think they are exceptionally good but I still go there regularly. This time round I did the same, again nothing to surprise me. Though I tried a drink called 'Milo Dinosaur' which is basically a cold milo topped with a lot of milo powder. Quite nice! But don't breathe while eating the powder or you will choke!

Yesterday was first lesson of my new cooking class. We made two dishes: Chicken Chowder and Rack of Lamb with Walnut Pesto. Both are very good! Also went for a movie (X-Men First Class) and bought the jumbo pop-corn, cannot finish half of it...

Last night's dinner was at Lee Fa Yuen, the Korean restaurant. I went to the Sheung Wan Branch at The Pemberton. Did not get something special, just some BBQ and the hot tofu soup...

To wrap up the day I open a bottle of wine, Chateau Cantemerle 2004, which I will write separately on another post.

Tinto Pesquera

I have been searching this wine for a while. In fact, when I visited Spain last year (it was just like yesterday!) I also tried to ask around. Unfortunately I was only staying in a small town called Calahorra which basically has very few shops (and I cannot speak Spanish!) to be able to find this. So really a big surprise when I found it when I walked into a shop in CWB (and bump into a big HK movie star and his Miss HK wife - you guess who la...).

This vineyard was owned by Alejandro Fernandez and family, planting with 100% Tempranillo. Located in Ribera del Duero, people sometimes compared this vineyard with Vega Sicilia for producing wines of good quality at a reasonable price. Born in 1932, Fernandez has worked in different areas before finally ending in the winery to fufill his dream of making a world-class wine. He released his first wine in 1975, but unlike the other Spanish wines which were aged in the bodega before releasing matured, Pesquera was designed to be aged in bottle.

In 1989, with his success Fernandez built a new bodgea called Contado de Haza, which produces over 60,000 cases per year. Recently he expanded his empire to Toro and purchased a nearly 2,000 acre estate. Because of his success, the Spanish government granted official DO status to Ribera del Duero in 1982. And can you imagine he did not receive any formal education on oenology?

Janus is only produced in exceptional good years, so really quite rare to find. Since the first vintage (1982) up to now there are only eight other vintages. So when you do find one in HK, please let me know! I am going to try this tonight with some wine enthusiasts. Really looking forward to that!

Below is my tasting note for the 1994 Janus (the cork is rotten and broken upon opening):

Wine: Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez Tinto Pesquera, Janus
Region / Country: Ribera del Duero, Spain
Vintage: 1994
Grape: 100% Tempranillo
ABV: 13%
Price: HK$1980
Tasting Date: 18 June 2011

Official website: http://www.pesqueraafernandez.com/english/index.htm

Appearance: Clear, deep garnet colour with paler rims and legs

Nose: Clean with medium (+) intensity and developing aromas of prune, savory, leather, mushroom, taro, coffee and tea leaves.

Palate: Dry with medium acidity, medium and rounded tannin. Medium alcohol and medium body, showing medium (+) intensity flavors of taro, mushroom, leather, savory, coffee and prune. Medium (+) length.

Conclusion: Excellent quality Tempranillo with really complex and intense nose and flavors. Very interesting taro characters on both nose and palate. Also with good length in the finish. Ready to drink now but is approaching the life of the wine so should drink it within next 1-2 years.

Jun 2011 wine tasting party

Really excited about today's wine tasting party, the theme is Spain and I have selected 7 wines (2 white, 4 red and 1 sweet). I picked the wines from different regions and trying different varietals as well. In fact I should include a Cava to make this more complete...

Thanks Grace and Cyrix for hosting this party and all the wonderful food prepared by different people. I am sorry I was late and missed part of the fun and the Champagne. Really look forward to our next gathering in Jul!

1. Inigo Blanco 2008, Bodegas Amezola de la Mora, Rioja (score: 87)

Lemon color with slightly developing aromas of lemon, grapefruit, walnut and cream. Refreshing acidity and medium body exhibiting grapefruit, citrus, lees, cream, walnut characters with hints of bitterness from minerals. Overall an acceptable quality Rioja white with reasonable complexity and length though falling short a bit on intensity. Ready to drink now and can be maintained for another 1-2 years.

2. Terra Firme Albarino 2009, Bodegas Agnusdei, Rias Baixas (score: 86)

Lemon colour with youthful aromas comprising of apricot, peach, grapefruit and lemon. Refreshing acidity and a light body showing similar fruity flavors. An acceptable quality Albarino with well-defined fruit on both nose and palate, as well as reasonable intensity and length. Ready to drink now and can be maintained for another 1-2 years.

3. San Roman 2006, Bodegas y Vinedos Maurodos, Toro (score: 92)

Opaque purple in colour, with an intense and developing nose of blackberry, black cherry, raspberry, smoke, vanilla, violet and chocolate. Lively acidity and smooth tannin, even with a high alcohol level the wine did not feel heady, the wine shows finesse with full body and intense palate of blackberry, raspberry, coffee, smoke and oak. Overall a good quality Tempranillo with an intense and complex nose and palate, fully exhibiting the ripeness of the grapes, with a good balance between the fruit and new oak used to mature the wine, further reinforced by a good length and aftertaste. Ready to drink and can be further developed for another 3-5 years.

4. Santa Cruz de Artazu 2007, Bodegas y Vinedos Artazu, Navarra (score: 90)

Deep purple in colour, with an intense and developing nose of raspberry, red cherry, vanilla, mint and sweet spice. Lively acidity and smooth tannin, with a high alcohol level showing the ripeness of the grapes upon harvest. Full body and reasonable intensity palate of red cherry, raspberry, mint, sweet spice and vanilla. Overall a good quality Garnacha with a good nose of ripe fruit, a reasonable complexity and a long length. Definitely a value for money buy. Ready to drink now but can further develop for another 2-3 years.

5. Vina Tondonia Reserva 2000, R. Lopez de Heredia, Rioja (score: 88)

Intense garnet colour with a strong oxidative and developing nose of red fruit, prune, sherry aromas and vanilla. High acidity with smooth and dissolved light tannin, of medium body and reasonable intensity palate of prune, sherry aromas, red fruit, vanilla, coffee and cigar box. Overall an acceptable quality Rioja with a strong oxidative nose and palate, reasonable length but relatively simple characters. Though still got some fruit the wine is approaching its maturity. Ready to drink now but can further develop for another 1-2 years maximum.

6. Pesquera Janus 1994, Bodgeas Alejandro Fernandez Tinto Pesquera, Ribera del Duero (score: 94)

Deep garnet colour showing its maturity, with an intense and developing aromas of prune, taro, savory, leather, mushroom, coffee and tea leaves. Reasonable acidity makes the wine fresh, with also a rounded tannin and medium body. Intense palate with flavors of taro, mushroom, leather, savory, coffee and prune. Overall excellent quality Tempranillo with really complex nose and palate, particularly the taro character, as well as good length. Ready to drink now but the wine should be consumed in 1-2 years.

7. MR Mountain Wine 2007, Telmo Rodriguez, Malaga (score: 88)

Light lemon-green colour with intense and developing nose of muscat, grapey, apricot, pineapple and honey. Medium-sweet balanced with a low acidity, the wine exhibits full body and intense flavors of the same tropical fruit characters. Overall an acceptable quality Malaga sweet wine with intense nose and palate plus a good length, though lacking the complexity to make this wine a higher quality candidate. Ready to drink now but can further develop for another 3-5 years.