Chateau Beaulieu Comtes de Tastes – 2009: One of the Best Values of a Great Vintage in Bordeaux
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The Chateau Beaulieu
Comptes de Tastes Label
They’re here. The 2009 Bordeaux are just starting to arrive.
Most of the top Bordeaux 2009s are sold-out last year when they were first offered as futures and this would have been also except I just never got around to offering in the flood of releases last summer. Grab a case while we still have this available.
The 2009 Bordeaux vintage Wine Spectator rates a 95-98 for the Right Bank and describes as, “rich and powerful yet round and friendly, with velvety texture and loads of fruit,”
This is the vintage we have been clearing space in the cellar for,. The vintage Robert Parker started a fire storm of demand for when he wrote, “some of the greatest wines I have tasted in 32 years,” one of the greatest vintages of our lifetimes – it’s here.
Kick it off right with Beaulieu Comtes de Tastes 2009.
Robert Parker raves about this Right Bank estate:
“This is one of Bordeaux’s finest run over-achievers.”
Wine Spectator bestows a whopper of a rating: 88-91, reviewing this gem as, “A minerally and fruity wine, but subdued and balanced. Medium-bodied, with fine tannins and a long finish. Score range: 88-91 -JS” – Wine Spectator
Parker liked this Bordeaux Superieur wine so much that he selected it for inclusion in his book Robert Parker’s Wine Bargains: The World’s Best Wine Values Under $25. “…this sensational wine exhibits excellent texture, medium body, and soft tannins and is a beauty to enjoy over 5-6 years.”
This is the wine that everyone is looking for – a 2009 Bordeaux with incredible taste and quality for a price you can pull the cork on everyday.
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The Golden St Marc
Sauternes bottle
Everyone likes a glass of Sauternes – but how often do you actually have one? Not often enough, probably. A sip in a restaurant. A glass at a friend’s who is having a very pleasant dinner party. We all need some Sauternes at home to make this very pleasurable wine experience more available.
Sauternes is wonderful before dinner. Of course we know after dinner it adds a rich touch to (or in place of) dessert. But it is also a very delicious and appetizing apéritif.
This time of year I serve it with a slice of fresh peach in the glass or pour some into the bowl of a cut melon as a starter course. Sauternes is no one-trick pony.
That’s right, Sauternes are not always patient enough to wait until the end of the meal. Sauternes is a versatile little beauty that will stimulate your senses just about any time.
The Sauternes wine-growing area is about 45 minutes south of Bordeaux. There are only five communes whose grapes can be bottled with Sauternes on the label: Fargues, Preignac, Bommes, Sauternes, and Barsac. Barsac, which lies to the north of the other villages, has its own appellation and can put Barsac or Sauternes on the label. Chateau St Marc is a Barsac.
Barsac/Sauternes is a nectarous libation created by picking grapes that have been afflicted with the mold botrytis cinerea. The mold attacks each ripe grape, devouring the grape skin and causing the grape to become dehydrated and shrivel. This results in superconcentration of the grape’s juice and a high sugar content.
2008 Faugères from Pierre Gaillard Transhumance: Brilliant Blend of Grenache and Syrah
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The modern and distinctive Transhumance label
(label from last year)
It’s well established that Pierre Gaillard makes some of the world’s greatest wines in the Northern Rhone, so when he told me he was making a Faugeres from the Languedoc Roussillon I knew I wanted it in my glass.
And, of course, the first sip told me that Pierre Gaillard has packed all the expertise that he applies to his expensive and exclusive Cote Rotie and St Joseph wines into his stunning Faugeres. It is saturated with color and an amazing richness of red and black fruit flavors.
And there’s even more good news: this wine is from the Languedoc Roussillon and those prices have not nearly caught up with Cote Rotie and St Joseph even though the wine is way better than its peers including many wines asking twice the price.
If you don’t know the wines of Pierre Gaillard, you should.
The Faugeres wine region lies between the Cevennes mountain range and the Mediterranean Sea, near the villages of Beziers and Pezanas. There is a special connection between Pierre Gaillard and Faugeres. Faugeres is one big mountain of schist rock and Pierre Gaillard loves schist. He makes his famous Cote Rotie in the northern Rhone from schist-based soils. It’s a rocky, brittle soil he knows well.
The lovely thing about schist is it forces the vines to plunge their roots deep into the soil to search for moisture since schist drains well. These roots become very hardy and able to withstand those gale-force winds and long periods of drought which can challenge the Languedoc Roussillon growing season.
Of course this adds complexity and minerality – the elusive mark of great wines
2009 Saumur Champigny from Domaine Lavigne: My Paris Bistro Favorite
Subscribe to Cynthia’s free newsletterThe new supply of one of our favorite Loire reds has just arrived! And, what a wine and a vintage it is.
There is something you should know about the 2009 vintage in the Loire. Some people are saying it’s historic, and everybody is saying it is exceptional.
Here is how the growers are describing their harvest: “the freshness of 2005, combined with the richness of 2003″, “some truly great wines (no exaggeration)”, “lovely fruit, wonderful concentration and balance – on a par with 1989 and 1997″.
Wine Spectator chimes in with “…best and most consistent harvest since 2005.”
This is the moment to uncork some Loire wines.
One wine writer out there is calling 2009 the “Smiley Vintage” and others have picked up on it. Why? Because the growers just can’t keep the smiles off their faces when they think about the 2009 harvest.
And, more than one Loire expert is comparing the 2009s to the 1989s. You have to understand something about the 1989s – that was and still is a revered vintage in the Touraine (the region of Saumur Champigny) sort of like the 1945 or 1982 in Bordeaux. You don’t make frivolous comparisons unless you are absolutely gaga over the harvest. So, the 2009 is a truly remarkable vintage that you cannot miss.
Paul Garaudet’s Puligny Montrachet 2007: “indisputably delicious, round, rich and generous” -Allen Meadows
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Domaine du Rochouard Bourgueil 2009: Full Flavored, Aromatic, Inexpensive Cabernet Franc Just What We All Want
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The Domaine du Rochouard Coteau label
I first heard of Domaine du Rochouard when it showed up in Decanter magazine a while back with five out of five stars (5****) for one of its wines.
I was on the phone with proprietor Dominique Duveau shortly after to request a rendezvous. He was reluctant since he is such a small producer, and fearful of getting his production gobbled up by some big importer who cares more about quantity than quality, but after I explained that small, high quality independent producers are the only growers we deal with, he loosened up.
The consensus is that the 2009 vintage is the best vintage the Loire has enjoyed since the remarkable 2005. This is a beautifully ripe vintage that will last and evolve but I prefer to drink them young when the fruit shows best and the vibrant acidiy makes them a great match with any full flavored foods (pizza anyone?).
You probably know by now that if you like to drink wine often, as I do, the Loire has some of the best wine values in France. Among the reds the top three appellations are Chinon (more stucture), Saumur Champigny (more fruit forward) and, a favorite of mine, Bourgeuil (maybe a combination of the two) which is a perennial Paris Bistro favorite. You will find it everywhere in the capital by the glass, by the caraffe, and the best ones from family domaines like Domaine du Rochouard by the bottle.
Bourgueil, which is not far from Chinon, is part of the Touraine. It’s north of the Loire River, west of Tours. The climate is mild and you will run into the odd palm tree. This delicious and aromatic red is 100% Cabernet Franc.
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The Domaine des Jougla Initiale Rosé
I’m picky about what goes in my glass. I’m not about to fall for something just because it’s pretty in pink.
But, I was willing to admit that, as the quality of French wine has gotten better and better, so has the Rosé. And, as I’m sure you know, the popularity of Rosé has gone through the roof.
So I went on a rotation throughout France and I drank every Rosé I could find – not the romp through the vineyards you’re undoubtedly envisioning since there are still a number of slackers out there passing off their leftovers as Rosé.
But with some perseverance, and over several years, I found a few. This was the very first one I imported. It’s not surprising that my first Rosé was right in my own backyard of existing growers. I like to work with the small “indy” growers who put quality ahead of practically everything. These are the fellows who are not about to short-change their Rosé. In fact they are devoted to their Rosé as much as any wine they produce from their vineyard.
Domaine des Jougla 2007 French Country Wine from a Skilled Winemaker – Everyday Priced
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The Local St Chinian Wine Fair:
Wonderful , undiscovered wines from local growers
This is one of my favorite inexpensive wines – and in a spectacular vintage. Domaine des Jougla is located in Prades-sur-Vernazobre, a village of 200 people. The famille Jougla who has worked their property for many generations, makes a red St Chinian cuvee Ancestrale from a vineyard that is very close to the Mediterranean Sea.
St Chinian was awarded its own appellation back in the early eighties because of its superior soil (schist, clay, and limestone) and the passion of the winemakers there. If you talk to anyone about Domaine des Jougla, they will tell you the wines are a reference for the area.
Here’s what Paul Strang (Languedoc Roussillon: The Wines and Winemakers) says:
Presidial 2006 – Jean-Luc Thunevin Master Garagiste Produces a Brilliant Everyday Bordeaux (Again)
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Winemaker Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle
in their Saint-Emilion Garden
Presidial Bordeaux 2006 The last cases. Some people came back for thirds on this wine and now we are down to the end of my supply.
Save $20 per case. This is a close out price on this familiar red favorite:
But, it is here now and I’m ready to fill your glass. You will love it! It is all concentrated fruit and none of those vegetal, reedy flavors or rough tannins that often mar a lower priced Bordeaux that is not meticulously made. This Presidial 2006 is quite perfect and no surprise considering that Thunevin is the architect.
It doesn’t hurt that this Bordeaux has been the rave of the French press. It has been been called the “Best Value in Bordeaux”. More than once. Now that is tough to top.
You probably know who Jean-Luc Thunevin is by now. He “started” the whole “garage” movement back in 1989. Garage wines, as you probably know by now, are small production wines made from tiny parcels of vines that are tended as preciously as orchid gardens.
Jean Luc bought a tiny parcel, on the “wrong side of the tracks” in Saint-Emilion and proved to the venerable Saint-Emilion establishment in a few vintages that one could make a silk purse from a moose’s ear if you did things like de-stemming by hand and severe green harvesting and keeping the yields very, very low.
He called his wine Valandraud. It led the way in the quality revolution in Saint-Emilion that persists to this day. Now, even the old establishment types are copying his every move. We have Jean-Luc Thunevin to thank for a lot of the great wine coming out of Saint-Emilion because today he advises many, many chateau owners about their wines.
Pierre Gaillard Cornas 2006 Hermitages’ Wild Cousin full-bodied, macho power & serious depth Syrah
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The Gaillard Cornas Label
“Without a misstep, Pierre Gaillard pursues a path of quality. He is dynamic and intelligent, for several years now his wines have been exciting and fascinating, winning and seductive in their youth, lacking nothing in complexity and potential. These wines are the surest values in the Rhone Valley.”
I’ve always loved the robust and rounded red wine from Cornas. And, when you match Pierre Gaillard’s winemaking prowess and intelligence with the Cornas terroir, the result is a beautiful glassful of red wine.
“Fruit and lots of it is the hallmark of the 2006 vintage in the Northern Rhone,” John Livingstone-Learmonth writes in Decanter magazine.