Chateau Rauzan-Segla

The Rauzan estate was where the two chateaux of Rauzan-Segla and Rauzan-Gassies originated, which were both second growths of the 1855 classification, located in Margaux.

The estate was first acquired by Pierre des Mesures de Rauzan in 1661. Pierre was a powerful negociant, who had run Chateau Margaux and Chateau Latour, and his time spent with the first growths contributed to his decision to buy the estate later on. At his death in 1692, the estate was passed to his three sons, with the youngest taking over the title and the responsibility of the vineyards.

In 1763 the estate was divided between Jean-Baptiste de Rauzan and a nephew, Jean de Roulier, but the two estates continued to function as one. But when Catherine de Rauzan married to Baron de Segla, the split was complete, becoming the now Rauzan-Segla.

In the 1855 classification Rauzan-Segla was ranked much higher than Rauzan-Gassies, and actually it was ranked at the top of the second growths only behind Mouton. In 1903 it was acquired by Frederic Cruse, but without much investment in the cellar the quality deteriorated. Cruse did construct the current chateau but had to sell the estate in 1956.

The estate was later sold to a Liverpool firm John Holt in 1960, with the management turning to Eschenauer, aiming to turnaround the property. The high-yield and low quality Merlot was replanted with fresh swathes of Cabernet Sauvignon and with the appointment of Jacques Theo in 1983, the quality further improved with the replacement of the cellar master and the mouldy barrels with stainless steel equipment.

It was later acquired by Brent Walker in 1989, who in 1994 sold again to the Chanel group. The Wertheimer family of Chanel installed a new winemaking team, headed by John Kolasa, with more new equipment including sorting tables, field drains to prevent the flood at the vineyards, and renovation of the cellars and chateau.

The total vineyard size is 62ha, but the estate actually covers 75ha. Among that, 52ha has vine density increased from 6,000 vines per hectare to 10,000 vines. A purchase of an additional 10.5ha from nearby Alesme-Becker and Arsac contributed to the second wine, known as Segla and was introduced in 1995.

Cabernet Sauvignon now contributes 54%, with 41% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot. The soil is typical gravel of the Medoc, and during the growing season leaf thinning and green harvesting is practiced. Now only manually harvested, the grapes would go through sorting at the reception, destemming and then another sorting.

Each plot is vinified separately, with the fruit being transferred by gravity to temperature-controlled stainless steel vats for fermentation. The wine will then go into barrel, about 50-60% new, for up to 20 months, with traditional racking undertaken every 3 months, before fining with egg white and bottled unfiltered.

The grand vin is Chateau Rauzan-Segla, typically producing 10-12,000 cases per year, with 55-68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32-40% Merlot and minor contributions from Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

With rigorous selection, only the best of the harvest goes into the grand vin, with the rest going to the second wine Segla, which has about 12,000 cases produced per year. In 1987, for example, no grand vin was produced because of the quality issue. The 2009 label was a commission by Karl Lagerfeld to commemorate the 350^th anniversary of the original estate.

Chateau Latour-Martillac

The name of the estate was derived from an ancient tower which can still be seen, dating from the 12^th century, in the courtyard at the front of the property. The earliest record as a vineyard was dated only to the 19^th century, but the wines were not widely known or of great reputation then. It was not until the arrival of the Kressmanns, a family of German descent, that things began to change.

Edouard Kressmanns arrived in Bordeaux in the 1860s and set up wine trade, distributing the wines of Latour-Martillac by 1871. The family later took over the viticulture, first planting white varieties in 1884 and then launched Graves Monopole Dry in 1892, selling well throughout much of the early 20^th century.

Edouard’s son Alfred later decided to purchase the estate in 1929 and owned it till now. Most of the 12 hectares vineyard was planted with white varieties then. The wine got a good reputation and was drunk at the coronation of George VI in 1937. Alfred’s son Jean took over control in 1955.

Although the white is more well-known, it was the red which was first classified in 1953. The white followed later at 1959. Jean then decided to purchase the adjacent land to increase the vineyard to 30 hectares, and there were more purchases in recent years.

Now the estate is under the management of the next generation, with brothers Tristan and Loic in the helm. They had been advised by Denis Dubourdieu in 1986 and Michel Rolland in 1989. Today the vineyard covers 46 hectares, with 36 hectares on red varieties.

The soil is the typical gravel of the region, but also with some clay and limestone. Average age of red vines is 30 years, with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. The whites are comprised of 55% Semillon, 40% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle, with average age of 40 years.

The vines are pruned in double Guyot, harvest manually, with the grapes transported to the winery using small crates to minimize oxidation. They are then sorted before destemmed, crushed and fermented in stainless steel vats with temperature control.

The red undergoes 3 weeks of maceration, and then goes into oak barrels (up to 40% new) for as long as 20 months, before fining with egg white and bottled. The white wine undergoes gentle pressing before ferment in stainless steel vats, then going into barrels (also up to 40% new) and rests on lees for 15 months.

Annual production is about 10000 cases of red and 2000 cases of white, with a second wine marketed as Lagrave-Martillac.

The grand vin white has a higher percentage of Sauvignon Blanc in recent vintages, bringing a more aromatic note, with also characterized by acidity and freshness. The red is often understated with well-integrated oak in youth and pleasing fruit, with freshness and minerality, and a classic Graves of good value.

Albarino / Alvarinho

This is an aromatic grape of high quality that is mainly grown in Galicia, Spain, as well as in Vinho Verde region in Portugal. It can also be found in California, Oregon and Australia, but to a much smaller extent.

The vine has a good vigor and need a large canopy, particular in the wet and humid climate where it is grown in Spain and Portugal. One of its characteristics which suit well with the two regions is its ability to withstand heat. Also, its thick skins protect the grape from the rot in the humid climate.

In Spain, it is one of the most popular and fashionable white grapes, with Rias Baixas the main DO producing the varietal wine, accounting for 90% of the plantings. It is in fact one of the white grapes to produce as a varietal.

Consumption in Galicia alone has exceeded the supply, making the wine generally expensive. There are some experiments going on with barrel fermentation and ageing, but generally they are made fresh using stainless steel vats. The best producers include like Pazo de Senorans and Agro de Bazan.

In Portugal, the grape is known as Alvarinho, with the best quality coming from Dao and Estremadura, mainly because of the lower crops, as well as in the extreme north of the Vinho Verde region.

It is one of the first white grapes to appear as varietal too in Portugal, but is more often blended with Loureiro, Treixadura and Caino. The best producers include Jose Maria da Fonseca.

The wine is typically light-bodied, with zesty and hints of exotic fruit, showing the aromas and flavors of lemon zest, grapefruit and apple blossom, mineral and when ripe, apricot skin and white peach.

Couvent des Jacobins

The estate was built in the 13^th century, and now own by Rose-Noelle Borde, the descendent of the Borde family who had owned the estate for 106 years.

Throughout the years the estate has been renovated but the style of the property was still preserved.

Located in the heart of St-Emilion with 10.7 hectare, all bottling is done at the convent, where the Dominican preachers left behind. The wines made by the preachers were used to be prized by the Court of England.

Chateau Balestard La Tonnelle

The name of Chateau Balestard La Tonnelle came from a canon at the Collegiate Church named Balestard, and an eye-catching sight of the old watchtower (Tonnelle) which had been in the estate for six centuries.

Back in the 15^th century the French poet Francois Villon had already praised the estate named Balestard in a poem, and this poem is now printed on the label of the wine. All that demonstrated the ancient viticulture, which has a history exceeding 500 years.

The estate has been under the Capdemourlin family for many years, who is a notable vinous dynasty of significance in St-Emilion. Twelve generations of the family has resided in the estate, and now it is run by Thierry Capdemourlin, who also controls other properties including Chateau Cap de Mourlin and Petit Faurie de Soutard.

It is located on the eastern edge of the town, close to Soutard, La Couspaude and Villemaurine, at the clay-limestone slopes of the plateau. With a total vineyard area of 10.6 hectares, the plantings are 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, with average vine age of 33 years. Historically there was Malbec in the vineyard but now it was replanted probably by Merlot.

Pruned in traditional double Guyot system, the vineyard is managed with limited chemical treatment, and weeds are removed by working the soil. Manually harvest, the grapes are put in small perforated crates before transporting to the cellar.

The grape is fermented half in epoxy-lined cement tanks, half in stainless steel, with temperature control for both. Maceration lasts for at least 3 weeks, followed by elevage lasting between 15 to 18 months, using 50% new oak and 50% one-year oak. Consulted by Michel Rolland, the annual production is about 55,000 bottles.

The wine may have less finesse compared with some other GCC but has definite rich and mouthfilling flavors, and is full-bodied. Reasonably priced, it is easy to drink and good to age for 10-20 years.

Chateau Nairac

The origin of the property was not too clear, but there is a school of thought that it was the estate of Andre Duranceau, a wealthy accountant from Bordeaux, who built an estate and leased out the vineyards. He later bequeathed the estate to Jerome Mercade, who was related to two other Sauternes proprietors at Climens and Romer-du-Hayot.

Jerome’s daughter-in-law Elizabeth Prost increased plantings and expanded the vineyard, but eventually selling to Elysee Nairac in 1777. The Nairac family erected the chateau and later sold to Bernard Capdeville of Chateau Broustet.

Capdeville united his vines in Broustet with those from Nairac, creating an estate called Broustet-Nerac, and this property was ranked in the 1855 classification. In 1861 Bernard died and the estate was divided back to its original constituent parts, with the Nairac portion passing on to Georgina, one of his daughters.

With the onset of phylloxera, Georgina’s husband decided to replant with black grape varieties instead. After the fiasco and because without a heir, the estate was passed to a cousin named Armichard, who sold it to a negociant named Jean-Charles Perpeza. 

Perpezat decided to replant the vineyard with Semillon, Sauvignon and Muscadelle, the grapes more suitable and also the tradition of the region. And in 1966 the estate was again sold, to Dr Jean Gabriolle Seynat.

Unfortunately during Seynat’s reign the vineyards slipped into disrepair, with the wine sold in bulk, and it was only until it was acquired by the Heeter family in 1971 did the fortune reversed.

Tom Heeter was an American who worked at Chateau Giscours and later married the owner’s daughter, and he decided to renovate Chateau Nairac and moved in. With the renovation in the facilities and advice from Professor Emile Peynaud the quality improved immeasurably.

When Tom and his wife divorced, he left the family home and his wife Nicole stayed on with her children, hiring a new winemaker Francois Amirault, who left in 1993. The mantle was then passed to Nicole’s son Nicolas, who remained in control to this day.

The chateau is the first that one will encounter when heading south from Bordeaux to Barsac, with 17 hectares of vines. Because of the proximity to the Garonne, a more silty and alluvial soils are found with some clay, instead of the rich, red-brown soils and deeper limestone famous for Barsac. There are some plots located elsewhere though, with more classic Barsac soils, close to Chateau Climens.

Semillon accounts for 90% of the vineyard, with 6% Sauvignon Blanc and 4% Muscadelle, and the average vine age is 30 years. Tom Heeter and Francois Amirault both appreciated the fresh aromatics of Sauvignon Blanc so a higher proportion was used in the blend, and they were harvested earlier without noble rot. The Semillon was picked by hand in a series of tries, and only the botrytised fruit is selected, so yield is typically low.

The fruit is then pressed and transferred to oak for fermentation, using indigenous yeast. There is a philosophy of reducing the dependence of sulphur dioxide. Then the wine will see two years ageing in barrel, with racking, before bottling. A second wine named L’Esquisse is made.

The wine has a rich style but is still fresh, with vibrant acidity, with structure but sometimes a little heady and luscious. Certainly a good quality Barsac in my opinion.

Chateau Cantemerle

A fifth growth which is ranked last in the 1855 Medoc Classification, many people may believe that it is of inferior quality as compared with other GCC, but in fact it is a completely wrong assumption. 

The name Cantemerle was first recorded in 1147, with the Pons de Cantemerle donating land to the monks at La Sauve Majeur Abbey. First mention of viticulture can be found around 1354, and the estate subsequently changed hands many times.

The estate was located in Macau, Haut-Medoc, which in the 15th century was the feudal house belonging to the Caupene family. Through marraige the la Roque family took over the ownership in the beginning of the 16th century. In 1579 Jean de Villeneuve, the second president of the parliament of Bordeaux, purchased the estate.

Throughout the years, the wine was sold direct to merchants in Holland. But in 1854, Caroline de Villeneuve-Durfort, owner at the time, decided to sell in the Bordeaux market through the traditional network of brokers. When she learned that the estate was not part of the 1855 Classification, she presented the historical selling price records to the committee and appealed, and successfully adding the estate back to the list.  

In 1892 the estate was sold to the Dubos family, ending the Villeneuve’s family reign of over 300 years. But during the difficult years of the world wars many parcels were pulled up and only 61 hectares had remained in production by 1981. The quality of its wine also deteriorated because of under-investment in the later years.  

Bertrand Clauzel, the great-nephew of Pierre Dubos, then decided to sell the estate to the insurance group SMABTP, which spent a lot to replant the vineyard, renovate the cellar and estate. Some relics were discovered in the vineyard and there is a small museum within the estate now showing those on exhibition.

Starting in 1993 the estate began to control its own operations and sales, with the beginning of selling directly to negociants by 1996. Currently it is managed by Philippe Dambrine.

The vineyard now has 91 hectares, divided roughly into three equal parts, with silica and gravel soils. Planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the average vine age is 30 years. Green harvesting and leaf thinning are practiced, including selection during picking.

In the cellar, the grapes are completely destemmed before going through selective sorting again, followed by maceration and fermentation for at least 30 days. The best parcels are put in wooden vats, with the rest in stainless steel. A unique practice of selective devatting is adopted, with only the middle section of the cap used for pressing.

The different plots are fermented separately and the wine is matured in 50% new oak barrels for a year and then blended. The wine is further put in vat to age for another 4 months before light fining and bottling. Annual production is about 560,000 bottles, with a second wine called Les Allees de Cantemerle.

The wine is easy to drink yet also suitable for ageing, providing good value for money. It is one of the best entry-point in my opinion to understand Bordeaux Medoc GCC.

Chateau Cap de Mourlin

The Capdemourlin family has been living in this estate for about 400 years, extending all the way to Antonie Capdemourlin in 1617. The family also owns other properties in St-Emilion, but this is the oldest among them.

The family was instrumental in the wine industry throughout the years: more recently with Jean Capdemourlin contributing to the formation of Jurade de St-Emilion, the local vinous brotherhood, as well as the St-Emilion Classification in 1955.

The estate was once divided in two, one owned by Jean Capdemourlin and the other by his nephew Jacques. Both were having the same label with the only difference on the name of the proprietor, causing a lot of confusion.

Jacques then reunited the two parts in 1983, and then invested in the renovation of the vineyard, vat-house and cellar, introducing modern wine-making equipment to the traditional barrel ageing.

Jacques Capdemourlin has now handed over the reins to his son Thierry to manage the estate, along with the other estates of the family, including Balestard La Tonnelle and Petit Faurie de Soutard.

The 14 hectares of vineyard lies on the north of St-Emilion, comprising of clay-limestone and sandy soils. Planted with 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the vines are averaging 34 years.

Manually harvested in small crates, the must is fermented in 100% stainless steel vats with temperature control. Maceration is carried out for at least 3 weeks, and then the wine is aged in 50% new and 50% one-year oak barrel for 15-18 months before bottling. Annual production is about 70,000 bottles.

I have tasted its 1994 vintage yesterday, one of my oldest St-Emilion in the cellar. Garnet in color, with a brownish rim showing the age of the wine, the nose is fairly light, showing some dried fruit notes of fig and raisin, maturity characters of wet leaves and vegetal, with some farmyard and meaty aromas and a hint of cinnamon.

The wine still got a good acidity on the palate, with a resolved and fine-grained tannin of medium body. Similar to the nose though, it is fairly light, showing prune, vegetal and some coffee notes. A rather short finish, overall it did not impress me at all and I would rank it as acceptable only. Probably a bit too old in my opinion, and the vintage was not impresive.

However, given all the investment and attention in the recent years I do expect the more recent vintages to do better and it would be good to taste the wine of 2000 or beyond, to further evaluate.

Wineshark Recipe - 68. Spaghetti Marinara

Ingredients:

• Olive oil - 3 tbsp
• Onion finely - 6 oz
• Garlic finely - 1 tsp
• Tomato paste - 1 tbsp
• Canned tomatoes - 12 oz
• Thyme - 1 tsp
• Bay leaf - 1
• White fish meat - 8 oz
• Squid - 8 oz
• Prawns - 8
• Fresh basil leaf - 4 tbsp
• Spaghetti - 1 lb
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Black pepper finely - 1/4 tsp

First use olive oil to saute the onion, then add garlic to cook for a short while before putting the tomato paste.

Then add the canned tomatoes (chopped into pieces), thyme and seasonings. Slowly stew.

Saute the fish meat, squid and prawn, then add the fresh basil leaves for a short period, then put those into the tomato sauce.

Upon serving put the spaghetti at the bottom and pour the sauce and seafood on top.