Chateau Durfort-Vivens

The estate was first established by the Durfort de Duras family, which had great influence in the region, coming over from SW France to settle in Margaux in the 14^th century. The family had owned this property as well as the nearby Chateau Lamothe, now Chateau Margaux.

In 1824 it was acquired by Monsieur de Vivens and renamed Durfort-Vivens, and it was still with the Vivens family when it was ranked deuxiemes crus in the 1855 classification. The quality was among the top in the region before that, being the top of the second crus in the Margaux appellation. Thomas Jefferson also ranked it just behind Lafite, Latour and Margaux.

During the 20^th century there were more changes of ownership, first passing to some local negociants and then to the Lurton family, the major shareholder of Chateau Margaux. The wine was made at Margaux until Lucien Lurton took full control in 1961, at that time the family also owning Brane-Cantenac and Climens.

In 1992, when Lucien divided his estates between his children, Gonzague Lurton took over the role of the manager of Durfort-Vivens. Gonzague went on to construct a new chai and installing new wooden and cement vats with temperature control. Now the vineyards comprise of 32 hectares, with typical gravel soils of Margaux.

The planting density is 6666 vines/ha, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon at 70%, with 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The yields are typically 45 hl/ha, with manual harvesting, and fermentation in a mixture of wooden, cement and stainless steel vats. The wine then goes into barriques of which 40% are new. The grand vin is Chateau Durfort-Vivens, with the second wine calling Vivens.

I have recently tasted the 2004 vintage of the grand vin and 2005 vintage of the second wine. Below are my tasting notes:

Appearance

Clear, with deep ruby color, and legs.

Nose

Clean, the nose shows medium intensity aromas of black fruit such as cassis and blackberry, oak notes of cedar, sweet spice of cloves, maturity notes of savory, mineral notes of earth, kernel notes of cocoa. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium, ripe tannin but a bit powdery still, having medium alcohol and medium (+) body, with medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruit of blackberry and plum, oak notes of cedar, sweet spice of cloves and maturity savory notes. It has a medium finish.

Conclusion

Good quality Margaux of good value, the wine has a good nose showing a fair degree of complexity. On the palate the structure is robust, with intense flavors of similar complexity with the nose. Having a reasonable length on the finish, my only issue is that the tannin is still a bit powdery for my liking. Ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 2-3 years.

Appearance

Clear, with deep ruby color, and legs.

Nose

Clean, the nose shows medium intensity aromas of black fruit such as cassis, blackberry and plum, sweet spice of cloves, maturity notes of forest floor, animal notes of leather, oak notes of cedar. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, medium (+) tannin of ripe but a bit gripping still, the wine has medium alcohol and medium body, medium intensity flavors of black fruit of blackberry and plum, oak notes of cedar, herbal notes of black tea. It has a medium finish.

Conclusion

Good quality Margaux with a reasonably intense nose showing a nice complexity, the wine is of balanced, with a smooth tannin though still a bit gripping and needing more time to mellow. The flavors are similarly concentrated and having a fair finish. It is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.

Chateau Prieure-Lichine

The history of Chateau Prieure-Lichine dates back to the Benedictine Priory that owned the land during the Middle Ages. The monks first cultivated grapes for service at dinner and at religious ceremonies, and gradually the wines were also sold to others, providing a very useful income for the monks.

The practice was well established by the 18^th century, with the sales record showing the existence of Le Prieur de Cantenac, the forerunner of today’s estate, at a price comparable with others ranking today at third growth. During the French Revolution the church lost the estate, and the state divided and sold the property of the Priory, giving rise to many properties in existence today.

The vineyard was purchased by a man named Durand, who later sold it to Pages. Upon his death he bequeathed it to his widow, and during this time the estate was ranked a quatrieme cru in the 1855 classification. However, there were several change of hands, and coupled with the disasters of the day, including the oidium, phylloxera, depression and the wars, the quality deteriorated.

When Alexis Lichine came shopping for an estate, the condition of Cantenac Prieure, as the property was known, was quite bad and the vineyard had contracted to a mere 11 hectares. Alexis finally decided to acquire it in 1951 at a price of £8000. Over the years he acquired more plots, expanding the vineyard to 58 hectares, from neighboring estates like Brane-Cantenac, Durfort-Vivens, Giscours and Palmer.

He also invested in repairing the chai, as well as the chateau which has a section dating back to the 14^th century. In 1989 Alexis died and bequeathed the estate to his son Sacha, who further expanded the property to increase the vineyards to 70 hectares. Sacha also engaged Michel Rolland as consulting oenologist. He later sold the estate to the Ballande Group in 1990.

The vineyards are widely spread in the Margaux commune, with most lying to the north of Cantenac, on gravel soils that characterize Medoc. The vines are 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, at a density of 8500 vines/ha.

Manually harvested, the grapes are sorted and crushed before fermentation in temperature-controlled concrete vats with maceration between 3-4 weeks. Must is pumped over twice daily to submerge the cap, and then the wine is transferred to oak for up to 16 months, with 55% of new oak. Racking is done every three months before bottling.

The grand vin is Chateau Prieure-Lichine at 20000 cases per annum, with a second wine called Chateau de Clairefont of about 7000 cases. A white wine is also made, called Blanc de Chateau Prieure-Lichine.

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

Appearance
Bright and clear, this wine is of deep ruby color, with legs.

Nose

Clean, the nose shows medium (+) intensity aromas of oak notes of cedar and toast, pungent spice of liquorice, ripe black fruit of blackberry and dark cherries, maturity notes of tobacco, animal notes of leather. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture, the wine has medium alcohol and a medium (+) body, showing medium (+) intensity on flavors, showing ripe black fruit of blackberry and dark plum, oak notes of cedar and toast, sweet spice of nutmeg, pungent spice of liquorice. The wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion

Very good quality Margaux with a good concentrated nose showing wide, complex aromas, the wine is in balance and got a robust structure, showing ample of flavors characters and also has sufficient intensity. The finish is also quite long and overall a wine one can enjoy now and ready to drink, but has the potential to further develop for another 4-6 years.

Wineshark Cooking - Lamb Kebabs with Apricot Sauce

Ingredients for apricot sauce:

• Olive oil - 1 tbsp
• Onion finely - 5 oz
• Thyme - 1 tsp
• Canned apricot - 8 oz
• Chicken stock - 8 oz
• Dry white wine - 2 oz
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Procedures:

1. Sautee onion finely with olive oil, then add all the other ingredients to cook for about 5 minutes.
2. Blend after it cools down.

Ingredients:

• Lamb shoulder - 1 lb 8 oz
• Green pepper wedges - 16 pcs
• Onion wedges - 16 pcs
• Tomato wedges - 16 pcs
• Whole mushroom - 8 pcs
• Mixed vegetable - 6 oz
• Garlic finely - 1 tsp
• Rosemary - 1 tsp
• Black pepper finely - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Cooking oil - 1 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Cut the lamb shoulder to big pieces, then marinate for about 30 minutes. Remove the mixed vegetable before usage.
2. Use skewer to put green pepper, onion, tomato wedges and lamb alternately, then add the mushroom at the top.
3. Pan-fry the skewer and then put into oven.
4. Serve with the apricot sauce on top.

Domaine Alain Hudelot-Noellat

Alain Hudelot was born in 1940, and now he expects that his grandson Charles van Canneyt will increasingly take over the domaine. Alain started working in the vineyards of Drouhin and Champy, the negociant houses of Beaune, after dropping from school at a young age.

In 1960 his father Noel gave him two plots in Chambolle-Musigny. In the same year he also married the grand-daughter of Charles Noellat. In 1977 he bought an additional 0.72 ha in Clos Vougeot, bringing the total vineyard to 5 ha, which reaches 7 ha as of today.

The vine age is kept high by systematically grubbing up and replanting. Alain dislikes green-pruning and declares that it is possible to make grand vin with healthy yields. The fermentation is done with natural yeast, with 100% destemmed grapes. Total cuvasion lasts 15-24 days, with cold maceration to extract more finesse and complexity into the wines.

Alain uses pigeage for the Vosne Romanee while remontage for the Chambolle. He also uses a variety of oak, and the wines are racked in spring with no fining and filtration. They are bottled 18 months after harvest, with the style tends to be supple and aromatic, of great elegance.

There are two village wines, a fragrant Chambolle-Musigny and a slightly more powerful Vosne-Romanee. Alain also makes excellent Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Les Murgers, but is better known for the premiers crus from Vosne. The 1er Cru Beauxmonts is from the highest, steepest part of Beaumonts, with floral characters.

Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Suchots is made from 90-year-old vines with fat and depth, of silky fruit and cassis. Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Malconsorts, in which only 3 barrels are made normally, is rich and splendid in power and length. Alain’s Clos Vougeot is one of the best from that grand cru. The Richebourg and Romanee-St-Vivant are the summit of Alain’s achievements, with the former bigger and more powerful.

I have recently tasted the 2010 vintage of the Vosne-Romanee village wine and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, this wine is of light ruby color, with legs.

Nose

Clean, the nose shows medium intensity aromas of red fruit such as raspberry and red cherry, sweet spice of cloves, hints of maturity notes of savory, mineral notes of earth. The wine is youthful.

Palate

Dry with medium (+) acidity, with medium (-) tannin of silky texture, the wine has medium alcohol and medium (-) body. Medium intensity with flavors of red fruit such as red cherry and raspberry, sweet spice of nutmeg, some maturity notes of savory, the wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion

Acceptable quality Vosne-Romanee with a reasonable intensity on the nose though a bit on the simple side, the wine is a bit closed down and on the palate the acidity is a bit high, but fortunately the flavors overall is still fair in concentration. The finish is quite long, but definitely this wine needs more time to reveal its true potential and too young.

Wineshark Cooking - Breaded Pork Chop

Ingredients:

• Pork chop - 4
• Salt - dashes
• White pepper powder - dashes
• Flour
• Bread crumbs
• Egg - 1
• Oil

Procedures:

1. Marinate pork chop with salt and white pepper powder.
2. Coat pork chop with flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.
3. Deep fry pork chop till it turns golden brown.

Chateau Romer

The history of Chateau Romer and its neighbor Chateau Romer du Hayot can be traced back to a common origin, at least as far back as the 17^th century. During that time it was in the hands of the Montalier family, who may be the one created the estate.

By 1800 it was the property of the Lur-Saluces empire, when Marie-Therese Gabrielle de Montalier married to Ferdinand Auguste de Lur-Saluces. The estate was passed to their daughter Louis Alexandrine, and then to her husband Comte Auguste de la Myre-Mory.

Under the tenure of the Myre-Mory family the estate got classified as a deuxieme cru in the 1855 classification, the only wine in the commune of Fargues being ranked. After the death of the Comtesse in 1811 the estate was passed to the heirs, and because of the Napoleonic laws it was divided into five sections, with the estate inherited by Comtesse Beaurepaire-Louvagny.

In 1911 the proprietors sold a 5 hectare rump to Roger Farges, giving birth to Chateau Romer, and the larger portion of 9 hectares was held back to become Chateau Romer du Hayot. In 1975 when the autoroute A62 was constructed the estate had to be demolished, with Andre du Hayot, owner of Chateau Romer du Hayot, moving to another estate he owned in Barsac.

For the Farges family, they chose to turn the farming of their land to Andre du Hayot, as a result having Chateau Romer disappeared. So in the period of 1980 to 1990 many wine texts often failed to mention Chateau Romer. Chateau Romer was reborn in 2002 when Anne Farges took more control after the death of Andre du Hayot. Now the estate was being put on sale, and a potential buyer is Bernard Magrez. But the SAFER intervened in favor of Francois Janoueix, an established businessman already owning a number of domaines in the right bank.

The vineyards are situated in the commune of Fargues, with trees forming protective regiments around the estate. There are 6.5 hectares of land of which 3.5 hectares are currently planted, making it one of the smallest of all the classified growths in Barsac and Sauternes still in production, behind Doisy-Dubroca. The soils are gravel and clay, with deeper limestone bedrock. The varietal mix has 90% Semillon, 5% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle. Under Anne the vinification is done in oak barrels, with the wine rested for 12 to 18 months before bottling.

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

Appearance

Bright and clear, this wine is of medium gold color, with legs.

Nose

Clean, the nose shows medium intensity aromas of citrus fruit such as lemon peel and orange marmalade, stone fruit of apricot, maturity notes of honey, floral notes of honeysuckle, oak notes of butterscotch. The wine is developing.

Palate

Sweet with medium (+) acidity, the wine has medium alcohol and is of full body with medium intensity flavors of stone fruit of apricot, dried fruit of sultana, maturity notes of honey, floral notes of honeysuckle, tropical fruit of melon, oak notes of vanilla. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion

Good quality Sauternes though the nose is less intense than one would expect, showing reasonable complexity. The wine has a good balance with the acidity and sweetness in harmony. Reasonably concentrated and complex on the palate, however it also has a shorter than expected finish. Ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 6-8 years.

Wineshark Cooking - Vegetable Risotto

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil - 2 oz
• Onion finely - 6 oz
• Garlic finely - 1 tsp
• Long rice - 14 oz
• Dry white wine - 1 tbsp
• Chicken stock - 1 lb 11 oz
• Tumeric grounded - 1/4 tsp
• Diced tomato - 6 oz
• Diced cauliflower - 8 oz
• Fresh dark mushroom - 2 oz
• Salt - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp

Procedures:

1. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces, then soak in salt water.
2. Remove the cauliflower to drip dry, then put in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.
3. Remove skin and seeds of the tomatoes, and then cut into dices.
4. Cut fresh dark mushroom into dices.
5. Sautee the onion with garlic, then add the long rice, sprinkle with dry white wine.
6. Add the hot chicken stock gradually, using the wooden spoon to continuously stir the rice till it dry up. Then add more chicken stock.
7. Finish until all the chicken stock is used, then add the seasonings and vegetables.
8. Keep the lid covered until the rice and ingredients are all cooked.

Chateau Fonroque

The history of Chateau Fonroque began when in 1931, when Jean Moueix and his wife Adele acquired the property and settled there. Their first son Jean-Antoine took control later and upon his passing in 1979 the estate was passed to Etablissements Jean-Pierre Moueix, bringing in new investments.

There was installation of a new drainage system, significant replanting, new oak and equipment in the cellar, and in 1993 a new cellar with bottling and tasting rooms was put in place. The property came to Alain Moueix in 2001, and his family includes some of the most significant winemakers in the right bank, like his cousin Christian Moueix, who is the man behind Petrus and Dominus in Napa Valley. Alain was also running Chateau Mazeyres in Pomerol.

He has a high respect for terroir and his vineyard, with training as agricultural engineer and oenologist, as well as experience working in New Zealand, he sees the vineyard as an ecosystem, and believes that keeping the system healthy can avoid many of the pests and diseases that plague the vines. He began to practice organic in 2003, certified by Agrocert by 2005. Full biodynamic preparations followed and the whole estate was accredited with Biodyvin in 2005.

The vineyards is ranked a Grand Cru Classe and account for 22 hectares. There are limestone on the plateau, with some vines on the cotes where clay dominates and at the foot of the slopes with more silt and sand. The vines are predominantly Merlot, with 88% of vineyard, and the remaining is Cabernet Franc. There is leaf and bunch thinning, as well as grass planted between rows to increase water competition.

Once picked the fruit is sorted on a vibrating table and then by hand, before fermenting in temperature control cement vats, with maceration between 15-30 days. Most of the wine goes into oak of 40% new, 40% one-year and 20% are in vat.

The wine is fined with egg white but not filtered before bottling. The grand vin is Chateau Fonroque, of about 6500 cases per annum, with a second wine Chateau Cartier accounting for 25% of the production.

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

Appearance

Bright and clear, this wine is of medium ruby color and with legs.

Nose

Clean, the nose shows medium (+) intensity aromas of pungent spice of liquorice, black fruit of black cherries and blackberry, oak notes of cedar, mineral notes of earth, sweet spice of cloves, maturity notes of wet leaves. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, medium (+) tannin of ripe but a bit powdery in texture, the wine has medium alcohol and is of medium (+) body with medium intensity flavors of black fruit of dark cherries and blackberry, oak notes of vanilla, red fruit of plum, sweet spice of cloves. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion

Good quality St-Emilion with a good intense nose of fair complexity, the wine has a good robust structure, but the tannin is a bit too strong with a powdery texture and not as integrated as I would prefer. The palate is reasonably concentrated and complex, with a similarly fair length on the finish. Ready to drink now, the wine can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.