Chateau Guiraud

Little is known of Chateau Guiraud before the 18^th century, at which the estate was referred as Bayle for uncertain reasons, perhaps the man who established it. It was until 1766 when the estate was purchased by Pierre Guiraut that it got its current name. The estate remained with the Guiraut family through two further generations, before it was sold to a local consortium led by Depons in 1846.

Under their direction the estate was classified as a premier cru in the 1855 classification of Sauternes and Barsac, ranked 9^th out of 21 properties. In 1858 it was sold to Felix Solar, who in turn sold to the negociant Schroder and Schyler by 1861, and later to the Bernard family.

The Bernards were well known for building local railways and docks, and invested in the properties, with expansion of vineyards, renovated cellars and a new chateau, producing good wines and was a golden era for the property. With the Bernard daughters marrying into the Maxwell family, Guiraud eventually came under the control of James Maxwell in 1910.

The Maxwells were forced to sell the property later because of disastrous vintages, war and depression, to Paul Cesar Rival, in 1932. Rival had added an airstrip to his estate so he could fly between his family property in Provence, and he had also crashed his plane into the Yquem vineyard. After World War II Rival became progressively reclusive, and the estate fell into a state of disrepair, and he eventually sold to a Canadian family named Narby in 1981.

Under the direction of Hamilton Narby, there was unprecedented investment, refurbishment, repair and re-equipping, and his father Frank took over in 1988, appointing Xavier Planty as manager. Planty had worked hard to move Guiraud towards sustainable, environmentally friendly and ultimately organic viticulture.

The quality of the wines also improved, and in 2006 Planty also took part-ownership of the estate. That deal resulted in Guiraud being under a consortium of four, led by Robert Peugeot, better known for motor manufacturing, and the wine expertise and some financial contribution came from Stephan von Neipperg, who also owned Canon-La-Gaffeliere in St-Emilion, Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier and of course Xavier Planty.

The estate now covers 128 hectares, of which 100 hectares are dedicated to vines, with 85 hectares producing the traditional Sauternes, and the remaining a dry wine. The top soils are the typical gravel with some clay, but digging deeper there are some red and white clay, limestone marl, and some fossilized oysters.

Planted with 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc, with average age of 40 years, planting at a density of 6660 to 7200 vines per hectare. The high proportion of Sauvignon Blanc came as the misdirected Rival in extensively planting only this variety. Planty has also practiced massal selection, and he puts the Sauvignon Blanc to good use in the production of the dry white, which has becoming a fashionable practice in the region.

The vineyards are now converted to organic, with the last herbicide spayed in 1996, and no pesticide was used from 2004 onwards. There are ‘insect hotels’ positioned on the edges of the vineyards, supporting increased levels of insect and bird life. Only organic fertilizer is used, and the organic certification was granted in 2011.

The fruit is harvested in a number of tries, up to six, selecting only botrytised grapes, with very low yield of 12 hl/ha. The fruit is pressed using modern, pneumatic equipment, fermented in a plot-by-plot basis without chaptalization or cryo-extraction, in 90% new wood. Once done the wine is aged in oak between 18 to 24 months, with racking every three months.

The grand vin is Chateau Guiraud, and a second wine Le Dauphin de Chateau Guiraud is also made, with the dry white G de Guiraud seeing a cold clarification after pressing, followed by a 9-month ageing. Annual output is around 15000 cases.

I have recently tasted the 2001 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

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

Nose

Clean, with pronounced intensity of citrus fruit such as lemon peel and orange marmalade, sweet spice of ginger and cloves, oak notes of cedar and butterscotch, stone fruit of apricot, maturity notes of honey and botrytis, tropical fruit of pineapple. The wine is developing.

Palate

Sweet with high acidity, the wine has medium alcohol and full body, showing medium (+) intensity flavors of citrus fruit such as orange peel and marmalade, oak notes of cedar, maturity notes of honey and botrytis, stone fruit of apricot, sweet spice of ginger. The wine has a long finish.

Conclusion

Very good quality Sauternes with an exceptionally concentrated nose showing good complexity, the wine has a high acidity to balance well the sweetness, making it refreshing and not a bit cloying. The palate also has good intensity, and the finish is also very long. Overall a dessert wine to show how good a Sauternes can be, it is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 8-10 years.

Wineshark Cooking Class - 16. Chicken Maryland

Ingredients:

• Chicken breast - 4
• Salt - 1/4 tsp
• White pepper powder - dashes
• Plain flour - 1 oz
• Egg - 1
• Bread crumbs - 1.5 oz
• Bacon - 4 stripes
• Banana - 2
• Cream sweet corn - 2.5 oz
• Plain flour - 2 tbsp
• Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
• Egg - 1/2
• Salt - dashes
• Water - 1 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Marinate chicken breast with salt and white pepper powder. Then coat with flour, egg and bread crumbs.

2. Deep fry the chicken breast till golden.

3. Mix cream corn with flour, baking powder, salt, egg and water.

4. Panfry the mix to form a cake.

5. Serve with the corn cake at the bottom, and put the chicken breast on top, then put the deep fried banana and bacon.

Wineshark Cooking Class - 15. Chili Garlic Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

• Light soy sauce - 80ml
• Dry sherry - 2 tbsp
• Small fresh red chili - 2
• Sweet chili sauce - 1 tsp
• Garlic finely - 1 tsp
• Grated fresh ginger - 1 tbsp
• Fresh coriander - 1 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Blend all the ingredients together.

Wineshark Cooking Class - 14. Grilled Prawn with Cheese & Garlic

Ingredients:

• Prawns - 12
• Garlic finely - 1.5 tsp
• Egg white - 1
• Parmesan cheese - 1 tbsp
• Bread crumbs - 1 tbsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• White pepper powder - dashes
• Worchestershire sauce - 1/2 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp
• Red chili powder - 1/4 tsp

Procedures:

1. Clean the prawns, remove the shell, cut at the back to flatten, remove the intestine and then dry using kitchen paper.

2. Marinate with garlic and the other seasonings for about 5 minutes.

3. Pan-fry the prawns on both sides for a short while.

4. Once cooled down, brush it with egg white, and then coat with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

5. Put in oven for about 5 minutes, at 220 degree Celsius.

6. Dip in the sauce (see the next recipe).

Wineshark Cooking Class - 13. Pork Loin Stuffed with Mushroom

Ingredients:

• Pork loin - 12 oz
• Onion finely - 1 oz
• Garlic finely - 1 tsp
• Chopped mushroom - 1 oz
• Chopped dark mushroom - 1 oz
• Black pepper finely - 1/2 tsp
• Mixed herbs - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Butter - 1/2 oz
• White wine - 1/2 oz
• Calvados - 1 tsp
• Brown sauce - 8 oz
• Whipping cream - 1 oz

Procedures:

1. Slide the pork loin in half.

2. Use butter to sautee the onion.

3. Add the mushroom and mixed herbs, then add white wine and calvados.

4. Add black pepper and salt, with a bit of brown sauce. When it is done, let it cool down.

5. Stuff into the pork loin.

6. Put in oven for about 30 minutes.

7. Mix the brown sauce with the juice left on the tray, then add whipping cream and cook for a while, before pouring on top of the pork loin.

Wineshark Cooking Class - 12. American Crab Cake

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp
• Onion finely - 1
• Garlic crushed - 2 cloves
• Ginger puree - 1.5 tbsp
• Small red capsicum - 1
• Spring onion - 8
• Crab meat - 15 oz
• Tabasco - 2 tsp
• Chopped parsley - 2 tbsp
• Bread crumbs - 3 tbsp
• Dijon mustard - 1/2 tsp
• Egg beaten - 1
• Plain flour - 6 oz
• Bread crumbs - 6 oz
• Parmesan cheese - 2 oz
• Egg beaten - 2

Procedures:

1. Sautee onion with oil till golden, then add ginger and garlic.

2. Add red capsicum and spring onion.

3. Add crab meat, then season with tabasco, parsley, bread crumbs, mustard, salt, black pepper and the egg.

4. Cool down and then make a cake shape, then coat with flour, egg, and bread crumbs with Parmesan cheese.

5. Deep fry in cooking oil.

Wineshark Cooking Class - 11. Apple Crumble with Vanilla Sauce

Ingredients:

• Peeled apple - 4
• Sugar - 1 tbsp
• Unsalted butter - 1/4 oz
• Orange juice - 2 tbsp
• Orange zest - 1 tsp
• Orange liqueur - 2 tbsp
• Plain flour - 4 oz
• Unsalted butter - 3.5 oz
• Icing sugar - 2.25 oz
• Oats - 1.75oz
• Custard powder - 0.5 oz
• Milk - 8 oz
• Sugar - 1 oz
• Vanilla oil - 1/8 tsp

Procedures:

1. Peel the apple.

2. Cut the apple to pieces.

3. Sautee the apple with butter, then add sugar, orange juice, orange zest and orange liqueur to cook for about 10 minutes.

4. Put into a baking tray.

5. Mix the flour with icing sugar and softened butter, mix well and then add oats.

6. Sprinkle on top of the apples like bread crumbs, and put in oven to bake for about 40 minutes, under 180 degree Celsius.

7. Mix the custard powder with 1 oz milk.

8. Boil the remaining milk with sugar, and then add the custard mix. Once cooked and blended well, add the vanilla oil.

9. Pour the sauce on top of the baked crumble.

Wineshark Cooking Class - 10. Water Goby en Papillote

Ingredients:

• Water Goby - 1
• Thyme - 1 tsp
• Sliced lemon - 3 pcs
• Salt - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
• Dry white wine - 1 tbsp
• Foil - 1 pcs

Procedures:

1. Clean the water goby, especially the inside, and no need to remove scales. Make three cuts on both sides.

2. Insert the lemon into the cuts, and marinate with half the salt and white pepper powder. And put some white wine as well.

3. Mix the remaining salt and white pepper powder with thyme, and marinate the inside of the fish. Add some white wine too.

4. Wrap the fish in the foil tightly and put in oven for about 35 minutes.

Chateau Belgrave

Chateau Belgrave is located in St-Laurent, west of the commune of St-Julien, not far from Camensac and La Tour Carnet. The history could be traced back to 1740, when an attractive hunting lodge was built. That history could still be found from the small ferret, beneath a crown, on the label.

At the time the property was known as Coutenceau, still so named when in ownership of Bruno Devez in 1855 during the classification. In later years it was christened Belgrave by an English owner, who named it in honour of Belgravia, London.

In 1902 it was acquired by Marcel Alibert, a retired banker who owned also Camensac and Les Ormes de Pez in St-Estephe. Under his tenure the estate was well kept, but in 1920s he sold the estate to Albert Spee, and the estate began to see its decline, probably also due to the economic depression and World War II.

In 1956 it was acquired by Guges, but after his death it was sold again, to Dourthe in 1979. Today it was run on behalf of Dourthe by Olivier Gayrard, vineyard manager, and Frederic Bonnaffous, estate manager. In the cellar Antoine Gonzalez oversees the fermentation and subsequent works, consulted by Michel Rolland.

The estate covers 61 hectares, entitled to the Haut-Medoc appellation but just a small stream away from St-Julien, with the typical gravelly character of the Medoc on deeper clays. There are two gently rolling hills, which at the foot is more sand.

Today Merlot accounts for 42% and mostly are found on the more sandy areas, with Cabernet Sauvignon covering 50% on the gravel portions, and 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The planting density is high at 10000 vines per hectare across 34 hectares, with the remaining areas planting at 6500 vines per hectare.

The rows are interplanted with grass, and the vines are trained high to improve exposure. Harvest is manual, into small trays but in recent past machine harvesting had been practiced. Dourthe installed new equipment in 1982, including stainless steel vats with temperature control, as well as a barrel cellar.

The works were consolidated in 2004 with the addition of a new reception area, new fermentation area before delivering to the vats by conveyor, of which 35 are stainless steel and 6 are wooden. The new vats vary in size to match to specific parcel of vines, and also set up for micro-oxygenation.

The wine will then go into oak for 12 to 15 months before bottling. The grand vin is Chateau Belgrave of about 21000 cases and a second wine called Diane de Belgrave of 9000 cases.

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

Appearance

Bright and clear, it is of deep intensity ruby color, with garnet rims and legs.

Nose

Clean, with medium (+) intensity of black fruit such as blackberry, cassis and plum, maturity notes of savory and sweet tobacco, pungent spice of licorice, oak notes of cedar and vanilla, animal notes of leather. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry, with medium acidity, the wine has medium tannin of ripe and velvety texture, medium alcohol and medium (+) body, showing medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackberry, plum and cassis, MLF notes of cream, oak notes of cedar and vanilla, sweet spice of cloves. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion

Good quality Haut-Medoc with a fairly intense nose showing good complexity, the wine has a robust structure, but in good balance overall. The palate is equally intense and showing good range of flavors, coupled with a reasonable finish on the length. Overall a wine that is enjoyable, good value for money, ready to drink now but can further develop for another 3-5 years.