The Wine Guild of Charlottesville

Aged Spanish Cabernet

Posted on Aug, 22. 2011 by Will Richey

Categories: Wine

We don’t often find top wines that are aged and ready to go. This one was particularly exciting because it also happens to be awesome.

From the oldest plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon in Spain comes the 2001 Jean Leon Vinya la Scala Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva. Continue reading…

Delicious Tempranillo

Posted on Aug, 15. 2011 by Will Richey

Categories: Wine

Today I bring you the 2009 Bodegas Epifanio Rivera 'Erial' Ribera del Duero. This wine is 100% Tempranillo and a top wine in a category I do not focus enough on, pure deliciousness.

Don't get me wrong, all the wines I enjoy are high on the deliciousness scale, it's just that I am a pure Platonist when it comes to my wine, they must "teach and delight." An aesthetic in art that went unchallenged really until the late Victorians, in a response to John Ruskin's sublime articulation of the 'art for the sake of truth' creed early in that era, began to chant in high volume the battle hymn of Art for Art's sake. The Aesthetic that we hardly notice anymore as we have received it so wholly. Continue reading...

Sauvignon Blanc, La Meme Chose!

Posted on Aug, 11. 2011 by Will Richey

Categories: Wine

I won't go into great detail over this wine, it is at a level of refinement that makes a lengthy description seem almost vulgar.

The 2010 Alphonse Mellot 'La Moussiere' Sancerre is the Puligny Montrachet of Sancerre. At least that was my first notion when swirling the wine around to consider what exactly this unbelievable wine was doing. Mellot's Sancerre is at a totaly different level of experience, like when you see the bathrooms at Biltmore in Asheville and realize you might as well have a port o john in your own house. I have seldom come across any Sauv Blancs at this level of sophistication, it almost transcends the type (making my subject line a bit off the mark). Continue reading...

House Malbec

Posted on Aug, 08. 2011 by Will Richey

Categories: Wine

Heirloom tomatoes with feta, fresh herbs and steamed green black eyed peas. Chicken roasted with garlic and herbs over a small fire. Slow cooked pork, spiced and lightly smoked. Young summer squashes sauteed in butter with fresh thyme. The final mowings. The cool breezes on a hot dry day with the whir of cicadas chanting in the air. It is August and these are a few of my favorite things.

I am drinking Malbec because I found a Malbec that is fantastic for these things. We have featured Argentianian producer Familia Mayol many times here at the Guild as they continuously produce wine at every level that is both exciting and new. The 2010 Malbec has been loaded with juice from the top vine holdings of the estate and is one of the finer everyday priced Malbecs I have come across.

There is a firm but easy tannin to the wine with cleanly expressed varietal fruit. Mature structure and bright fruit tones evoke an almost Mediterranean style with a cooler climate clarity. Old world in style, which is to say the fruit is in no way overdone and the focus overall seems to be pointed towards nuance and charm, words seldom used for the great black grape. All of this and lacking nothing in power, this is a food friendly Malbec that is drinking perfectly right now, something to be gulped on its own on outdoor porches and an inspiration to grill many wonderful things.

Gather together with some friends and make certain you have had your fill of all the flavors of summer, fresh ripe tomatoes, fresh light goats cheeses, mozzerellas and fetas. Grilled fishes, roasted chickens, fresh herbs, loads of the freshest olive oils and garlic and plenty of top quality grilled steaks. And above all make sure you have the right wine, in almost any case it will be this Malbec.

An exciting new find from a consistent Estate.

2010 Familia Mayol, Malbec
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Retail Price: $15.00
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Summers Riesling

Posted on Aug, 01. 2011 by Will Richey

Categories: Wine

I am having to type this one handed as I just cut my left forefinger quite badly whilst doing dishes. Lesson learned, never do dishes again. We'll see how that one sticks with the wife.

To console myself I am retasting the 2010 Donnhoff Estate Riesling that I opened last night to write about today. I feel better.

I knew this wine would be good. Evan and I ordered about 6 cases from the Terry Theise presale last Spring. I knew this because I spent my early wine career stocking up on Donnhoff wines and am still opening late 90's bottlings for my family around the Holidays and blowing their minds. I know that Donnhoff is one of the great German Wine Estates in Production. I know that the wines opened my eyes to a level of German wine I had not thought possible and may be responsible for my love of the stuff today.

'All things being equal' is not a phrase one can use for the 2010 vintage in Europe. In France it was epic, in Germany, well, top importer Michael Skurnik says:

In the olden days they used to give little mottos to each vintage. A hot one like '76 might be "Bringer Of Sun" or a messy rotten year might be "Hedgehog Snot Everywhere," but all of them had a semi-official motto (this being Germany).

I don't even know if they still do it. But if so, I have no earthly idea what they'd come up with for 2010. My vote would go to "WTF?!?!"

He clarifies in the summation:

The headline is, what's good is absurdly good, and there are enough of them. What's not good is a mess.

Donnhoff, being at the top of the game, would only release the absurdly good and I have thoroughly confirmed this with the Estate Riesling both last night and...wait a minute... ah yes,... this morning.

This is Summer's Riesling. It is dry and crisp with the fruit weight of a Northern Rhone Viognier and the flavor profile of Alpine Spring flowers, it is floral and mineraly in that certain way. All top Riesling.

I know we have thrown a lot of Riesling your way this year. It is because we have been enchanted ourselves and want you to see in Riesling what we see. Our reputations are on the line, it means more to us that you end up loving our Riesling selections than anything else and we are only telling you about what we find to be the best in their category to achieve this.

For a top dry mid level Riesling you will not beat this wine. It is both refreshing and versatiley food friendly. A refined porch wine and perhaps the perfect grilled pork chop accompaniment for an August cook out as we ready for Autumn. Throw some green tomatoes on that grill they will make a great sauce for the chop.

2010 Donnhoff Estate Riesling
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Retail Price: $24.00
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Magical Gruner Veltliner

Posted on Jul, 29. 2011 by Will Richey

Categories: Wine

It's going to be hot as Hades today and looks like it will be again all next week. So it is time to induce some 'reverse ritual magic' to balance the effect. That is what I call it when us mortals try to take fate into our own hands and skew it a bit to our favor. Often you see this in the form of knocking on wood to reverse the possibility of a verbal jinx, you get the idea. I often use wine to torque the cosmos. When I am feeling moments of desperation due to monetary problems, I will take a breath, create a fine dinner, and open some of my most expensive wines. This somehow has a balancing effect. Who cares if we're broke, we're drinking Krug Rose with oysters, etc...Then at least I have shed the mental barrier that can make it so hard to get back up again.

So what is the reverse ritual magic for heat? Well, from what I have tasted lately, it is none other than the Nikolaihof Gruner Veltliner "Hefeabzug." Let's pocket some facts before moving on. Nikolaihof may be the finest Gruner producer in Austria, certainly in the top 5, and my personal favorite.This is a beloved estate of the importer Terry Thiese. The wines are certified Biodynamic. Almost any Nikolaihof wine will change your life. That is a true statement, and you will rethink Austria if you get your hands on one of these bad boys.

Did I mention we only have 2 cases available?

I flipped out for this Gruner. It is awesome, very much in the Sauvignon Blanc area of taste association. Crisp, clean, with an almost Shpritz feel from the iconic Gruner spice. A refreshing wine that speaks its quality before all other things. Chill this wine down cold and take a moment next week to stand facing the sun, glass in hand, and defeat the idea of heat with every sip. Or better still, have some friends over for ham biscuits and pimento cheese (the perfect accompaniment for Gruner). Those stalwart Chardonnay guzzlers will be instant converts. One sip and its spring again, at least it was for me.

Nikolaihof Gruner Veltliner "Hefeabzug"
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Retail Price: $30.00
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Awesome California Pinot Noir

Posted on Jul, 11. 2011 by Will Richey

Categories: Wine

If you don't know by now, I am as suspicious of new world Pinot Noir as a fly is of a rolled up magazine. I am a Burgundy fanatic and I will say frankly that the more I taste new world Pinot Noir the more I withdraw into my ways. So perhaps I am a little too hard on Pinot Noir becasue of my biases. Honestly that doesn't worry me much, I love what I love and I know how to get it on a consistent basis.

I still taste every Pinot that is put in front of me, I mean who doesn't like to be reminded that one is perfectly correct in one's biases? There does come along an occasional non-Burgundian Pinot that will strike me as awesome though. Most of them are still French (smile) but I have had a few California and Oregon Pinot's strike me as utterly delicious.

Last week I tasted the 2009 La Follette. Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir and I can say unreservedly that it was just frickin' awesome! I feel like in the past when I have recommended a Cali Pinot it was becasue of the closesness to "the French Palate" of the wine. Not so in this case. This Pinot Noir was classic to everything I associate in a Sonoma Pinot but with out all the faults I typically attribute to the new world style.

The pedigree of winemaker Greg La Follette is worth reviewing here:

Greg’s route to winemaking began inauspiciously when he realized that his first love – playing the bagpipes – was simply not a practical career path. He earned a double BA in Plant Biology and Chemistry from California State University, Northridge, then a Masters in Food Science and Technology at UC Davis. It was at Davis that he became fascinated with the scientific components of mouth feel. As it turns out, his particular interest in the Burgundian techniques of sur lie aging and battonage emerged on the crest of a tidal wave of interest in new production techniques in California. His studies, funded by the Napa Valley Vintners Association, gained the attention of winemaking icons such as Dick Graff, and paved the way for Greg’s future success.

In 1991, Greg left Davis for Beaulieu Vineyards, where he was the research viticulturist /enologist for famed master winemaker André Tchelistcheff. He travelled to Australia, working on Chardonnay for Yarra Ridge, then returned to Napa Valley to work for Jarvis and then again at BV. He consulted for Kendall-Jackson, and was on his way to becoming a top Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producer when he joined Flowers Vineyards & Winery in 1996 as head winemaker and general manager. The winery he built at Flowers during his tenure is still considered one of the best gravity-flow, gas-assist green wineries in the world.

This is great Pinot Noir; smooth in texture, medium in weight, there is a great Pinot flavor that is all deliciousness. I highly recommend this one to everyone, it represents what I consider the best of American wine making, pure yummy enjoyment on a cerebral level.

2009 La Follette. Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir
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Retail Price: $29.99
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Great Summer Chablis

Posted on Jul, 07. 2011 by Will Richey

Categories: Wine

This was the Chablis the whole board went crazy for in the last vintage. We offered the '08 and the membership at large went crazy for this wine, we carried it all Winter. Now the '09 is in and becasue we have developed a history of backing this wine we have been offered a reduced price in this vintage. Stop a moment to reflect, awesome wine, better vintage, lower price due to our group buying power. This Guild thing really is a little bit of paradise isn't it?

For me it is perfect Chablis. The nose is chalky with that Creek/Cave mineral quality that keeps the wine fresh. The palate is first of lemon and then of lemon curd, the fruit is bright and full showing the crispness of green apples as well. The finish is long, strong and contemplative, this wine is distinctly well made.

Others in the group commented that if the wine had been a California Chard from Monterey they would have believed it. That is a part of the perfection of this wine, it appeals to all palates, it is a good Chardonnay but beyond that for me it is a good Chablis. It has the fruit for those who look for that and the mineral and acid for those who just need that.

Beyond that it is from a great Chablis producer Jean Marc Brocard where under the direction of Enologist Nadine Gublin (also of Domaine Jacques Prieur in Montrachet) the wines are being made with no new oak and increasingly Biodynamic vineyard management as classic Chablis should be.

I give this my highest recommendation any time white wines and as a great priced Chablis.

2009 Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis 'Domaine Sainte Claire'
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Retail Price: $21.75
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The Best Red Wine for the Summer

Posted on Jun, 27. 2011 by Will Richey

Categories: Wine

I do not have a lot of time this morning to tell you about this wine and will keep this to the point.

There is absolutely no hyperbole in the title of this e-mail, this will be the best red wine for the summer in every case. Trust me on this one. The grape is Grenache or rather Garnacha as this is a Spanish wine from the Priorat region. The wine has an excellent ripeness of fruit on the nose and palate but just when you think its going to be a bruiser of a big heavy wine it delivers restraint, harmony and balance.

This is the sort of wine that made Priorat famous to begin with. The balance here has been lost to many of the great wines of the region that are going for epic proportion. This wine succeeds it its absolute approachability and quality for the price.

We will stock this wine all summer or for as long as we can as it has already gained a ton of popularity on the Virginia market and there is no telling when it will be gone. Again, I wish I had more time to really present this wine to you as it deserves it and many of you will freak out about the flavor profile and quality here.

Please suffice it to say that this is an awesome Spanish red wine that really will be the best catch all wine for the Summer goings ons.

I will go further to say this is the best red wine I have tasted at this price point in a really long time. Buy by the case goodness. An outstanding Wine Guild palate selection. Jump on it, love it, thank me later.

2008 Mayol Viticultors. "Glop" Priorat, Spain
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Retail Price: $19.50
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My Milkshake Brings All The Boys To The Yard!

Posted on Jun, 20. 2011 by Will Richey

Categories: Wine

And because I am not a hot R&B singer like Kelis my milkshake is Graves.

This Graves to be precise. For me there is no finer Bordeaux region than Graves for truly exceptional Bordeaux expression. That's right Pauillac, 'it's better than yours.' Well at least that is how I feel these days.

Put briefly, Graves brings in it's youth the sort of nuance and complexity one hopes to get from many of the finer Bordeaux after years of aging. Get a fairly decent bottle from Graves and you will have something extraordinary.

Or put another way, this weekend I worked all day in the field, washed up and then prepared a dinner of braised rabbit legs and shoulders from Rabbits I had bred, raised and butchered myself, accompanied by field greens and roasted beets from my garden followed by the sauteed loin of Rabbit in a Basil Butter sauce with glazed carrots all from our own holdings. The meal came out perfectly and we relaxed to digest the fare in front of the outstanding film 'The King's Speech' while nibbling at some homemade bread and fresh Rabbit liver pate. It was then that I opened the bottle of 2000 Chateau Haut Bergey, a Graves of excellent standing that I have had in my cellar since release. Perhaps it was the day of hard work, the meal, the film or the outstanding pate but this was one of the finest bottles of wine I have had in so long a time.

Graves is my current niche wine love affair and no one out there with any type of palate will miss the wonders that this type of Bordeaux can bring. I do not have the Haut Bergey to sell you today. That wine is available in the current vintage and sells for about $60-$75 a bottle. The wine I have is from the Bordeuax presale, I had never heard of it before and yet at less than half the price I would put it next to the Haut Bergey in a tasting as a complete peer, any time, any place, in front of any wine critic.

The 2008 Chateau Pontet Cailou is just awesome Bordeaux. Classic, classic, classic Graves from the sub-region of Pessac Leognan where the hallowed Haut Brion sits. There are flavors of sweet tobacco, cedar, and dried currant, a big heady mouth feel and long elegant finish. The story about Rabbit above was basically because I was just geeked to have pulled off such a great meal and wanted to tell you about it but the link I was trying to make was, how do you complete a perfect scene? And that is what this Bordeaux is for me.

A great price for an awesome, Frenchy styled Bordeaux that will be a great youthful drink now or ten years from vintage cellar pick that won't break the bank.

2008 Chateau Pontet Cailou. Pessac Leognan
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Retail Price: $33.50
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Excellent Chardonnay! From Sancerre?

Posted on Jun, 13. 2011 by Will Richey

Categories: Wine

I have to take a break before I offer you the final two Bordeaux as I tasted some fantastic White wines this past week and they should be gotten into right away.

One of the finest Sancerre producers in production is Alphonse Mellot. His white Sancerre is sublime garnering the highest ratings and praise in the region. His reds are at the very top of the class inspiring many people to look more seriously at Sancerre for the next great Pinot Noir producing area in the world. In fact his Pinot is so good it makes one wonder if these guys have a secret special place in their heart for their not too distant neighbors to the East in Burgundy.

One of the first things you hear about when you become a Loire/Burgundy palated wine geek is that the same limestone, chalky earth that gives Sancerre its distinct, crisp freshness runs in a vein of geographical, plate type connectedness all the way up to Chablis. A lot of people note the connectedness of these areas because of this.

So let me tie this all together. Alphonse Mellot from Sancerre has travlled East a bit up this Calciferous land vein between the Loire and Burgundy and is growing and making a fantastic Chardonnay in a Vin de Pays I have never heard of, Coteaux Charitois.

This was a genius move and the wine shows it. What we have here is a Chardonnay that is made like a Sancerre and drinks like an awesome White Burgundy. There is no oak and for me this was one of the cleanest and purest expressions of Chardonnay I have had in a long time. Big, ripe round fruit, great acidity and overall palate presence. An excellent drinker for new world Chard drinkers and old world white drinkers alike.

If you are typically a California Chard drinker I recommend this one to you with the highest enthusiasm as it is the style I think most Cali producers try to emulate when not using oak.

This is one of my favorite finds in white wines this season and I highly recommend this one to everyone. A high class wine to have for yourself and a wower for guests. Also it is a Chardonnay that will go wonderfully with a wide range of foods.

Greatest Sauv Blanc in the World (Limited Quantity!!!)

Posted on Jun, 10. 2011 by Will Richey

Categories: Wine

This is a brief opportunity to buy one of the greats in one of the greatest vintages. I have till Monday to get orders in.

Didier Dagueneau - Loire Valley. France

Didier Dagueneau was an icon in French winemaking. With the fervor of a crusader, and the intensity of a mad scientist, he strived for perfection in his wines through strict selection of fruit,lower yields and experimentation with barrels. The resulting wines are among the greatest expression of Sauvignon Blanc in the world.

Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fume “Pur Sang” 2009
"Based primarily on fruit from a relatively clay-rich site in Saint Laurent, the Dagueneau 2009 Blanc Fume de Pouilly Pur Sang smells deliciously of elder flower white peach, and cassis. Vividly peachy and with rock-licking minerality, in the mouth this could be mistaken for a great Riesling. Nettle and grapefruit lend brightness in a long, luscious, vibrant finish that also incorporates rich, saline oyster liqueur and oyster meat-like elements. This is going to be both accessible and at the same time worthy of careful attention to its nuances over the coming decade or so."
93+ Points

“Pur Sang” 750ML
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Retail Price: $93.00
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“Pur Sang” 1.5L Magnum
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Retail Price: $210.00
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Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fume “Silex” 2009
"From an enclave just outside the cuverie in Saint Andelain, the Dagueneau 2009 Blanc Fume de Pouilly Silex delivers an almost inordinate diversity of floral, herbal, citrus (predominately grapefruit), and pit-fruit (predominately nectarine) elements, with the bitterness of fruit pits, smoky pungency of red currant and crushed stone, as well as notes of shrimp shell reduction and iodine inflecting a long, bittersweet, yet at the same time vibrant, buoyant finish. This silken textured seducer should gain with time in bottle and be worth following for ten or a dozen years.”
94+ Points

“Silex” 750ML
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Retail Price: $127.00
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“Silex” 1.5L Magnum
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Retail Price: $277.50
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“Silex” 3.0L Double Magnum
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Retail Price: $540.00
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Didier Dagueneau Sancerre “Les Monts Damnes” 2009
"From young vines planted in formerly long-barren acreage, the Dagueneau 2009 Sancerre Monts Damnes smells of ripe white peach, lime, and nut oils, along with intimations of chalk dust. The promises of the nose are fulfilled on a palate additionally suffused with a gorgeous, sweet-saline savor of lobster shell reduction. A smoky, fusil hint of red currant, peat, and struck stones carries throughout as well. The chalky and savory mineral elements, nut oils, and ripe yet fresh fruit convey a luscious length that doesn’t betray the wine’s over-14% alcohol."
94+ Points

“Les Monts Damnes” 750ML
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Retail Price: $127.00
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Pomerol Revisited

Posted on Jun, 06. 2011 by Will Richey

Categories: Wine

First of all, sorry for our very intentional week off from e-mails last week, ah-hem. The good side is we got a lot of very important tasting done. Keep an eye on these e-mails, there is some really impressive wine in the queue.

I first starting hearing about Pomerol in the late 90’s. I don’t know if that’s when Le Pin was really becoming the super cult wine that it is or what, I just remember there was a lot of talk about Le Pin, Petrus and the future greatness we could all expect from this newly rediscovered region.

I spent a lot of money trying to get that Pomerol sensation in the following years. I could not afford the Le Pin but lots of $50 and under bottles began popping up as “top affordable Pomerol” and I really wanted to see what everyone was seeing that made this region so wonderful.

I was gravely disappointed by almost 95% of the wines that I bought at that time. Though there were a few outstanding wines that truly had an individuality and uniqueness, I feel that the majority of them were simply riding on the coattails of the sensationalists.

I stopped buying Pomerol and over the years I took note of the fact that the wine journals were not talking about Pomerol as much either. I assumed that the wine world had had a similar experience to my own.

Since then I have had a few Pomerol, some terribly over priced and over rated but some quite excellent, enough so that I feel as though I have gathered a sense of a Pomerol specific palate, a profile that is unique to itself and exceptionally good when it achieves this uniqueness, even at the lower end of the price spectrum.

Cutting to the chase, today’s wine is the 2006 Chateau Garderose Lalande De Pomerol and it is one of the most distinctive wines from the entire Bordeaux Presale. We are on the last three offerings from this presale and as you may have guessed we have saved the best for last. Besides the Chevalier de Lascombes which we had to offer early to secure our allotment, these last three wines are what Evan, Rives and I considered the best.

The Chateau Garderose is an awesome Pomerol at a freaking steal of a price. The first words in my notes are “Distinctly Pomerol” and I swear I could have nailed that in a blind tasting… well maybe, but you get the idea. Full bodied and lush but soft around the edges, a bit of tobaccoy nuance coming through from the bottle age. The bigness here is a rounded bigness of fully ripe tannins giving a sense of powerful yet soft wine, decadent to drink. It is almost worth grilling a steak just to have the aroma in the background as you sip this wine, that’s the sort of flavor we’re talking here.

If you are a Bordeaux fan and are still struggling with the 'Pomerol palate' as I was you must try this wine. And truly if you like Bordeaux at all you will want a lot of this wine as it is a flavor profile that is recognizable as excellent and yet just different enough to be new all over again, like when they released the Bob Dylan bootleg series and you listened to some of those rough cuts and thought 'damn, he was a genius.'

An unbelievable experience. I highly recommend this wine to everyone, every palate type and for almost all occasions.

2006 2006 Chateau Garderose Lalande De Pomerol
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Retail Price: $18.25
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Rives bought 5 cases, for himself!

Posted on May, 17. 2011 by Will Richey

Categories: Wine

I wanted to put the price of this wine in the title of this e-mail but it would make non members angry so I didn't. This wine will change your life, especially if you are new to the Guild and are not used to our rare and awesome finds.

How will this wine change your life? Because possibly up until today you found value in other wine regions than Bordeaux. Perhaps, you thought it was impossible to find an excellent Bordeaux for an everyday price. I don't know what you were thinking, I am only here to tell you that you were wrong and I can prove it.

I was first turned on to the Cote De Castillon Region in the 2000 vintage. There was a very reasonably priced one with very high scores from Robert Parker that Calvert Woodly was also strongly supporting. So I bought a case. This wine was life changing for me, it was excellent, deep and dark, firm and full as if a freshly tanned, thick piece of leather gave to my bight and melted over my tongue turning into Blackberries as it dissolved. I looked into it further.

Cote De Castillon is a sort of sub region of St Emilion (chances are they would hate being described in this way). Anyway, it is over there, over on the right bank of all places. The designation was only given in the late 80's. My first thought was 'Johnny come latley,' but then I beat up my inner wine snob and realized these guys must have been making some pretty serious strides to get a name in such a strictly regulated region so late in the game. After tasting other Castillons I feel like the style here is consistently fuller and meatier than the other right bank, Merlot based wines. Like Pomerol, the wines can be very hit and miss but when you get a good one you awaken to the truth that there is something distinct and worthy of being sought out here.

In the line up of pre buy Bordeaux there was a Cote De Castillon from 2006. Evan, Rives and I did not expect much. I do not think it is inappropriate in this context to say we stood gape jawed as this wine proceeded to hand each of us our asses. I think Rives signed up for 5 cases himself right on the spot. I am getting 3 and if I remember correctly, so is Evan.

The 2006 Chateau Hyot. Cote De Castillon is a tremendous reminder that we should always be able to buy something great for a reasonable price. Now this wine was nothing like my Castillon experience of 2000 which I was drinking far too young on release. This wine is showing beautiful complexities of having some age. It is at a youthful peak in that there is the firm, round, solid fruits all muscled up at the top that are then broadened and delineated by the quality of a little age. It simply could not be more perfect. Long on the palate, elegant, and I do not stretch at all when I say drinking like a $20 Bordeaux, easily, easily, easily.

I highly recommend that, much like Ann Wilson might do, you go crazy on this wine. We only preordered 20 cases but should be able to get more to cover over orders. You will thank me all season that I twisted your arm on this one, trust me. That said, keep in mind there are 4 more wines that I have to offer you from this preorder, all of which we loved in different ways for different reasons. Keep room in your Bordeaux collection for a few of each of them as they are all amazing wines at amazing prices that very few other folks in the country are getting due to the smallness of this importer.

2006 Chateau Hyot. Cote De Castillon
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Retail Price: $12.99
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Second Growth, Second Label…Lascombes

Posted on May, 09. 2011 by Will Richey

Categories: Wine

We have talked about some of the great everyday Bordeaux from the great Pre-buy Evan, Rives and I put together but now it is time to get into some of the top wines. As a side note, there are some mid level wines to come but these top level wines were harder to get quantity on and if there is extreme interest we will have to know sooner than later.

Chateau Lascombes is one of the great Second Growth Bordeaux (If you do not yet know about the Great Growth system in Bordeaux it is worth checking out. The Chateau is located in the village region of Margaux and is considered to be second in quality only to the great Chateau Margaux herself. Lascombes, for all its praise in the press and prestige, has always been one of the more reasonably priced Great Growths as well.

Those of us who are dedicated Bordeaux adherents learned a while back that some of the best value in Bordeaux is found in the second labeling from certain of the top estates. Not all of the juice can make it into the top bottling and often you can find a close cousin in the second label for a quarter of the price. This was confirmed by the cheese eating grins Evan, Rives and I threw about to each other as we tasted the 2006 Chevalier De Lascombes. This is a deep, dark and full bodied Margaux, almost robust for the feminine qualities associated with the regional style. That said, she's all Margaux. this is one of the better bottlings I have tasted from this consistently good second label. An age worthy Bordeaux that can be drunk right away should the need be. I will do both as I am loving this wine right now but have learned how wonderful this bottle can be with up to ten years from vintage on its back.

This is a top Bordeaux at a great price and an excellent example of the Margaux palate. I strongly recommend this wine.

2006 Chevalier De Lascombes
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Retail Price: $43.62
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