BORDEAUX
Bordeaux,Burgundy,Champagne,Loire,Rhone, Rest of France
Bad Boy
Jean-Luc Thunevin is famed for his unorthodox ways of doing things ,including being a pioneer of Garage Wine in Bordeaux.He was nicked name Bad Boy by Robert Parker.
Jean-Luc owns Ch Valandraud which was promoted in 2012 to Premier Grand Cru Classe B in recognition of their quality.It says a lot about this wine when the owner puts his name on it. Bad Boy is a modern style Bordeaux with juicy sweet fruit yet retaining the typicity structure of Bordeaux wine.
La Chapelle de Calon, St-Estephe
In the basement restaurant during a trip to Japan, I was served this wine from 2007 vintage. I was quite impressed with its quality,its authenticity.Good fruit,polished tannin and very Bordeaux-like.Overlooked and a good find.
Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste,Pauillac
This is one of the overachiever producers in all of Bordeaux. We have been observing its steady rise in quality in recent vintages and would suggest you to try this overperforming classic from Pauillac
Ch Maucaillou, Moulis
I kept running into Ch Maucaillou in the bistro wine list during a trip in Bordeaux. Curious of its popualrity among the locals,I decided to try 1994. Not a good vintage but it gave me the chance to see how it copes with difficult environment. (assuming if it can do well during a tough time,it would do better in a good year). Was not disappointed. Excellent value for money.
I’m a fan since.
Chateau Lacombe Noaillac, Medoc
We were looking for a good value Leftbank which represents the essence of Bordeaux. A Leftbank for drinker, honest and extremely digestible. On the other hand, we do not want concentrated, alcoholic, monstrous wine that needs to be drunk with fork and knife. I think we found the typicity we are looking for in Ch Lacombe Noaillac.
Chateau Recougne, Bordeaux Superieur
We started by looking for a high quality white Bordeaux. A nice surprise is their red is also very good. We ended up import both white and red. As some of you may know, we believe in pre-selection. We always taste and cherry-pick the best of the vigneron’s range. It’s rare that both white and red are equally good. Ch Recougne is the wonderful exception.
Past recognitions include,
- Guide Hachette Selection : 1999,2000,2002,2003,2004,2005 and 2006
- 88 points Wine Spectator
- 3 stars Decanter
- Gold medal Concour Brussels
Chateau des Tourtes, Blaye, Cotes de Bordeaux
Finding a pleasurable,generic Bordeaux is not an easy task. Many of them are tannic,tart and not really a joy to drink. We tasted a lot of bad samples before finding this one. Chateau des Tourtes is located in Blaye, one of Bordeaux oldest vineyard areas. The wine has a lovely soft texture and modern emphasis on fruit. This is truly a joy to drink.
Past recognitions include,
- Medaille d’Or Concour General Paris 2011
- Top value for money 2012, La Revue du Vin du France
- Lively fruit, a little structure without being harsh, Le Guide Bettane et Desseauve
- What pleasure!, Guide Gault et Millau
- A regular in this guide, Guide Hachette
- 4 stars property in Bordeaux, Hugh Johnson
Ch Valandraud, St Emilion Premiers Grand Cru Classé B
Promoted to the highest echelon of St Emilion ranking in 2012, Ch Valandraud has a humble and unique origin.Thunevin bought his first vineyards in 1991.The vines were relatively old,30-40 years, but they were not recognized in any of St. Emilion’s historical rankings. Yet, the wine he made ,Ch Valandraud,became an overnight sensation, emerging as one of the world’s most coveted red wine.
Caprice de Bastor-Lamontagne, Sauternes
A second wine of Ch Bastor-Lamontagne. Well regarded as a source of good value and exceptionally well made Sauternes.
This modern approach to Sauternes produces a sweet wine with relatively fresher taste. We found it invitingly delicious. Slightly lighter yet still retains the caramel,honeyed traits of classical Sauternes.
La Chapelle de La Mission Haut Brion,Pessac-Leognan
The second wine of Ch La Mission Haut Brion which is one of the top chateaux in Bordeaux.
La Dame de Montrose , St Estephe
Ch Montrose is a consistent winner. Producing superaltive wine year in and year out. The joining of Jean-Bernard Delmas,former winemaker of Ch Haut-Brion, would take the quality of this chateau even more upward. This is beneficial to its second wine as well.
In our opinion, this one offers excellent value for its quality
La Petite Eglise, Pomerol
The second wine of Ch L’Eglise-Clinet, the Pomerol super star.