Fine Wine Source Club Selection – May 2025

Posted on May 19, 2025 by thewineraconteur

Some days, I venture into The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan just to pick up the monthly club selections.  The two wines arrive at just under thirty dollars and are curated by the owner and his staff, and I have to believe that they are a loss leader and an enticement to visit the shop.  On top of the two wines, the club entitles me to get case discount pricing, even if I only buy one bottle of wine.  Not to mention, that I truly enjoy just spending some time there. 

The first wine always represents the Old World and this wine was Tome Wines  “Tocca Dentro” Pinot Grigio Treviso, Friuli-Venezia Giuli, Veneto 2021.  Robert Tomé is the founder and CEO of Tomebrands. Robert was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; his father was an immigrant from Friuli Venezia Giulia home of some of his favorite vineyards, and his mother is a third-generation Canadian of Scottish descent, from where he learned to love golf. His earliest memories of wine are the wines made in his family’s garage by his father and uncles.  Years later he found himself working at a golf club, where he developed a passion for the game, as well as the hospitality industry, where he eventually received a full scholarship and then a degree in hospitality and tourism.  By the nineties he was working full time in the wine industry, and in 2004 he launched his own wine importing agency in Canada.  In 2017, he sold his interest in the agency and fulfilled his dream and created Tomé Group of Brands, making wines from Washington State and in Italy.  As with every wine of his that I have encountered the “name” is from golf lingo and “Tocca Dentro” in Italian means “Tap In.”  The wine is pure Pinot Grigio, and I will venture to say that the wine was vinified in Stainless-Steel.  This straw-yellow colored wine offers notes of apples, pears and almonds.  On the palate this soft summer quencher displays tones of apples, nectarines, pears and almonds with a “twinkle of acidity.” 

The second wine that we received from the club representing the New World is Two Mountain Winery “Show Pony” Yakima Valley NV.  After four generations of Yakima farming, an uncle sold the owner the Schmidt Orchards planted in 1951, and in 2006, it became the Copeland Vineyard, which he and his uncled planted in 2000.  The winery is named after the two mountains seen from their grounds: Mount Adams and Mount Rainier.  The wine is a blend of sixty-eight percent Cabernet Sauvignon, eight percent Merlot and twenty-four percent Cabernet Franc, and the blend is changed each year; as the newest incarnation is listed on their website as having thirteen percent Super-Secret Sauce (which I hope is stated with tongue firmly in the cheek).  The fruit is from the Copeland, Mary Evelyn, Portteus and Marcela Vineyards.  The wine is aged for twenty-two to thirty months in a mix of French and American oak, both new, used and neutral.  There were five-hundred-sixty cases made of this wine.  The wine is described as offering notes of baked cherry, coriander, dried Eucalyptus and coffee grounds.  On the palate the wine displays notes of red and black fruit, followed by cola flavors, fresh fig and baker’s chocolate with lingering soft tannins to leave your mouth salivating for more.    

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Another Three Tastings in the Next Room

Posted on May 16, 2025 by thewineraconteur

This last wine tasting was one for the books at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan as the selection just kept coming.   When all of the wines are curated by the owner and his staff, there never is a bad wine.

We next enjoyed Clarendelle Rouge Bordeaux 2016, “Inspired by Haut-Brion” by Clarence Dillon Wines in conjunction with the winemaking team from Chateau Haut-Brion.  The wine is created by Prince Robert de Luxembourg and named in honor of Mr. Clarence Dillon, his great-grandfather who acquired Chateau Haut-Brion in 1935.  The family also produces La Mission Haut-Brion and Quintus; and the goal of this wine to produce subtle elegance in age-worthy wines at an affordable price.  The wine is a blend of eighty-four percent Merlot, ten percent Cabernet Sauvignon and six percent Cabernet Franc; and has been aged in oak.  This deep claret wine offered notes of red cherry, raspberry, black currants and violets.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine displayed fruit-forward flavors blended with velvety tannins, well-balanced with a medium count finish of fruit.

We proceeded to Chateau Figeac Petit-Figeac Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2020.  In 1945, Chateau Figeac was one of the first Bordeaux estates to have a second wine, and it was La Grange Neuve de Figeac, named after a particular plot in the estate.  In 2012, the second wine was labeled Petit-Figeac and is now made from fruit from various plots across the estate.  The production of the Grand Vin is 100, 000 bottles, the production of Petit-Figeac is 40,000 bottles.  Petit-Figeac is harvested, vinified, and bottled to the same standards as Grand Vin, just with younger vines.  The wine is a blend of fifty-eight percent Merlot, thirty-three percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and nine percent Cabernet Franc.  The wine is aged from fifteen to eighteen months in oak, with about twenty percent new.  The deep red wine offers notes of black and red fruit, florals, and spice.  On the palette great tones of cherries, plums, spices blended with polished tannins; a medium-bodied red wine with a good finish of terroir.

We then enjoyed Camp Cabernet Sauvignon North Coast 2022, a part of Hobo Wines.  Hobo Wines began in 2002 with two barrels of Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel; with no business plan and a reckless abandon to be in the business.  By 2020 they were producing a thousand or more barrels of wine, but still with no business plan, but a better grasp on the industry.  The Camp label started in 2011 to showcase Sonoma County, and made with certified organic grapes.  The  Cabernet Sauvignon fruit is sourced from Redwood Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Sonoma Valley and the Merlot is from Hopland and Sonoma County, and all the vineyards are certified organic.  They use indigenous yeasts for Initial Fermentation and for Malolactic Fermentation.  The wine was aged for thirteen months in a mix of Stainless Steel vats and neutral French Oak, with a minimum of twice daily punch downs or pump overs.  A deep red wine that offered notes of black cherry, blackberry and sous bois.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine was not a typical California juice-bomb, but led with dark fruit, then some red fruit, blending with silky tannins and a medium-count finish of fruit and a dash of pepper.     

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Another Wine Tasting in the Next Room

Posted on May 13, 2025 by thewineraconteur

I had just finished a wine tasting with Podere Ciana at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan while in the new addition, I walked into the original part of the shop and another wine tasting was being offered, hosted by the importer of Podere Ciana.  It was a perfect way to finish the trip to the shop.

The first wine being poured was Prime Cellars “District 4” Chardonnay Napa Valley 2018.  Prime Cellars was founded by Ted and Lisa Henry, he a graduate of UC Davis (1999) in winemaking and had positions with Trinchero Family Estates, then head wine making positions at Jarvis, Clos du Val and Groth.  He crafted his first vintage of Prime Cellars in 2005.  Prime Cellars does not own any vineyards; they work with select tiny vineyard sites in both Coombsville and other parts of the valley.  He originally wanted to put Coombsville as a tribute, but because of the AVA rules, he couldn’t; but Napa is designated as “District 4” in the “California Grape Acreage Report” issued by the United States Department of Agriculture.  The winery makes about five different wines and total production for all is about one thousand cases.   The wine is a soft golden color and offered notes of melon, papaya, mango, honeycomb, butter, vanilla and lemon zest.  On the palate the wine displayed tones of Golden Delicious apple, mandarin orange, pear in a well-balance wine with a medium-count finish of fruit and spices.

We followed with another white wine from Matthiasson Wines Vermentino Cressida Vineyard Carneros 2023.  Matthiasson Wines began in 2003 by Steve and Jill Klein Matthiasson.  Steve began as an amateur gardener and farmer and eventually co-authored the California manual on sustainable vineyard practices, as well as mentoring and teaching at UC Davis.  His wife Jill studied at Penn, and did graduated studies at UC Davis and manages the business side of the winery.   They grow both popular and have some esoteric varietals for California, such as this Vermentino.   The Cressida Vineyard is planted on the spine of a ridgetop in the upper section of Los Carneros, overlooking the Bay and the San Francisco skyline.  The soil is shale based from an ancient inland sea, which lend a distinct minerality to the wines.  The fruit was harvested on the early side to maintain the natural acidity and divided into two separate fermentation lots.  The riper portion of the fruit was fermented on the skins, while the less ripe portion was press whole cluster immediately and fermented in neutral barrels.  The lots were then blended after fermentation using only indigenous yeasts.  Seven-hundred-sixty-three cases were produced.   This straw-colored wine with a slight pink cast offered notes of ripe orchard fruits, Mandarin oranges, lemon, spices and sea salt.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine displayed tones of apricots, white peaches and distinct spices with a very pleasant medium-count finish of fruit, terroir and sea-spray with refreshing salinity.  It reminded me of countless Mediterranean Vermentino wines and was very enjoyable.  

We then had our first red wine of this tasting from Chateau La Grande Metairie Bordeaux Rouge 2022 from Vignobles Buffeteau.  Vignobles Buffeteau has two estates and has continued growing with four generations in neighboring villages.  They use traditional vinification methods and go out the day before harvest to eliminate unripe or rotten fruit, and then the next day the fruit is mechanically harvested, separating the grapes from the vines while in the plots and done at night to maintain the freshness and aromatics of the fruit.  They installed a new cellar in 2015 with thermos-regulated Stainless-Steel vats, and with a semi-underground ageing cellar with both concrete vats and traditional oak barrels.  The wine is ninety percent Merlot and ten percent Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine underwent Initial Fermentation and Malolactic Fermentation and aging for one year in Stainless- Steel vats with periodic stirring with fining and filtering.  This dark claret wine offered notes of ripe red fruits, spices and herbs.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine displayed tones of black and red cherry, blackberry and currants, with good acidity blended with medium tannins and a medium-count finish of fruit and herbs.  

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Semifonte, Le Diacce and Gran Selezione from Podere Ciona

Posted on May 10, 2025 by thewineraconteur

We were getting ready to taste the last three wines from Podere Ciona at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  Lorenzo and Jennifer Gatteschi were conducting the tasting and the crowd were all waiting for these wines.

The first red of the tasting was the Podere Ciona Semifonte Toscana IGT 2019.  This happens to be one of my favorites consistently from the winery as I think it offers a great bang for the buck, as we used to say when I was young.  The soil of the vineyards is a mix of sandstone, clay schist and marl. Depending on the vineyard the vines are between seven to eighteen years of age.  The wine is seventy-five percent Merlot and twenty-five percent Alicante Bouschet.  They still maintain hand harvesting and Initial Fermentation is in Stainless Steel for about ten days with extended post-fermentation maceration on the skins for about a month, followed by Malolactic Fermentation, and then aged in French Oak for about eighteen months, finally refined for twelve months in the bottle.  This purplish-red colored wine offered notes of red fruits and spices, and on the palate fresh fruit, soft tannins, and a velvety texture from the Merlot with a nice medium finish of fruit and terroir.

Then I was poured the Podere Ciona Le Diacce Rosso Toscana IGT 2016 and Le Diacce is the estate’s flagship wine featuring their finest Merlot grapes and a touch of Alicante Bouschet.  Outside of Chianti Classico Riserva, Toscana IGT is the other famous designation of Tuscany, and Toscana IGT is the most famous of all the IGT designations in Italy.  Back in 1984 when Sassicaia was granted its very own title of DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia, instead of Vino de Tavola, the floodgates were opened for Toscana IGT and whatever the winemaker can create.  This wine is ninety-seven percent Merlot and three percent Alicante Bouschet.  All hand-harvested and the best grapes are selected for this wine and the Initial Fermentation was for ten days in French Oak.  This was followed by post-fermentation maceration on the skins for about thirty-five days and Malolactic Fermentation in French Oak.  The wine was then aged in French Oak for twenty-four months, and then another twelve months in the bottle.  There were three-hundred-thirty-three cases produced.  A rich deep purple-red wine with notes of red fruit, chocolate and nuts.  On the palate deep tones of cherry and red fruit (very fruit forward), totally balanced and lush with a nice long finish of fruit and terroir.  This was a second tasting of this wine, and my notes were totally appreciative each time.

The final wine for the tasting was the Podere Ciona Gran Selezione Chianti Classico 2018.  This new category was approved by the European Commission in early February 2014 and took effect immediately and any wine made starting with the 2010 vintage that met the requirements could go after this new elite designation.  This wine from Podere Ciona is from a single vineyard that they have on a flatter plot.  While the original rule was for ninety percent Sangiovese, this wine is pure Sangiovese.  The wine is made in the traditional Chianti vinification and was aged for forty-two months in barrel and bottle, before being released.  This deep garnet-red wine offered notes of black fruit, herbs, paprika, leather and tobacco, smokiness, sous-bois and terroir.  This full-bodied wine displayed rich tones of black fruit, coffee, chocolate, cedar and smoke, tight tannins, well-balanced, showing heat and a nice long-count finish of fruit, chocolate nuts, earthiness and smoke.  A delightful wine, with no seconds on the tasting as there were only a few bottles available for this tasting, offered as a pre-pay, pre-offer purchase and expected delivery in about forty-five days, and it was a Fine Wine Source exclusive and from the murmurs of the crowd, this initial Gran Selezione will be a sellout. 

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Lorenzo and Jennifer Gatteschi of Poderi Ciona

Posted on May 7, 2025 by thewineraconteur

I attended another wine tasting at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan and the tasting was conducted by Lorenzo and Jennifer Gatteschi of Podere Ciona from Gaiole in Chianti.  I was reading the history of the winery on their website “Franca and Franco Gatteschi were looking for a place in the countryside to retire to, after many years of working in Italy and abroad, when they came across a small, beautiful, albeit run down property: 100 acres of land, mostly wooded with 10 acres set aside for cultivation, of which 2.5 acres already had vineyards; a house from the 18th Century, abandoned for more than 40 years; and, above all, a view without equal on the Chianti hills, with Siena in the distance.”  It really sounds idyllic and makes one ponder how this property was neglected and ignored for years.  “They purchased the estate at the beginning of 1990 and they immediately started the reconstruction work on the main house (it took nearly three years). They also set up a small but well-equipped wine cellar for making wine. In 1996 they permanently moved to live on the estate and the following year, the great 1997 vintage, saw the birth of the first “official” wine of Podere Ciona: A Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva.”

I have met Lorenzo Gatteschi many times at wine tastings, but this was the first time that I had the chance to meet his wife, Jennifer.  In the new part of the shop, they now have a tasting counter, and there is even a computer monitor above to show photos and features of the wines being tasted.  Lorenzo was working one end of the counter and Jennifer was working at the other end, so she had to endure my quirks.  As I started to take my first photo of a glass of wine and the adjacent bottle label, Jennifer surprised me and asked if I was “the Wine Raconteur” as she also handles the social media for the winery.  I was flattered to say the least.  The first wine for the tasting was Podere Ciona Ciona Rosé Toscana IGT 2022.  The Rosé was made entirely of Sangiovese in the saignée method.  The vines are from six to nineteen years of age and planted on quartz, clay schist and marl.  The fruit is manually harvested in small baskets and then de-stemming, berry by berry for a slight crush in Stainless Steel vats for ten to twelve hours of skin contact and no Malolactic Fermentation. The wine is then aged for about six months in Stainless Steel and then further fined and bottle aged for six months before distribution. There were about one hundred-eighty cases produced of this wine.  A pretty salmon-pink color with notes of fruit and spices, just a well-balanced light and easy drinking wine with a nice medium count finish offering terroir.

The next wine poured was Podere Ciona Chianti Classico Riserva 2016. I think that when most people think of Tuscany, their first thoughts are a traditional Chianti Classico and if they can get a Riserva, all that much better. The wine is estate grown on their quartz, clay schist and marl soil.  The wine is a blend of ninety percent Sangiovese, eight percent Merlot and two percent Alicante Bouschet; and the vines are between fifteen and sixteen years of age. The fruit is all hand-harvested and the initial fermentation is for about ten days in Stainless Steel.  Then malolactic fermentation of the juice on the skins is for about a month in French Oak.  With this being a Riserva, the wine is then aged for twenty-four-months in a mix of French Oak of which ten percent are new, and then an additional twelve months in bottles, before being released.  There were about eighteen-hundred six packs of this wine made. This deep ruby-red wine offered notes of plenty of red fruit, bakery aromas and terroir.  On the palate, the cherry and other red fruits were excellent with a refreshing trace of blood orange, it was well balanced and had velvety tannins and a nice lingering finish of chalky terroir.  This bottle will cellar well, and it needs at least an hour to breath before serving.

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Another Blog Anniversary

Posted on May 4, 2025 by thewineraconteur

On 4 May 2012, I began this chapter of my life, writing about my enjoyment of wines.  I realize in the big picture, it doesn’t amount to much, but I have had fun, and hopefully in the now thirteen years, others have found some articles that have made them smile. The first year, I actually wrote an article every day, just to get used to writing since it had been many years when I was a student and had to write. After the first year, I made my life easier and published every other night, and a little over a year ago, I became a slacker and now publish every third night. This will be my 2,455 post on the blog, which is also down on Facebook, and I started an Instagram account and now all the locations get published on the same evening and it will be number 5,057 there.   Now I am still a student, but I am not writing to curry a grade, but for my own satisfaction.  The conceit of my writing is that I envision myself talking to another at a table, as we are sharing a bottle of wine.  I don’t lecture about wine, but I write about how the average person decides on a glass of wine, sometimes very unexciting and sometimes extremely exciting; it just depends on the venue and the mood of the moment.

Over the years I have had plenty of people point out the fact, that I have no credentials or designations, that I have never been in the wine trade; and how dare I write about wine.  Those points are all true, and that is why I have never attempted to lecture to anyone about wines, I will make suggestions, sometimes I may grimace and make faces, and I know that is terrible, but everyone has to learn about wines, in their own manner.  I like to say that even bulk wines can be the steppingstones for the curious to find out what the better wines can taste like.  I certainly did not start drinking wine at the top of the heap, in fact, growing up in Detroit which is a factory town, there were only a handful of restaurants that really had a wine carte in my youth, and I really started my exploration when I was sixteen, it is amazing how a well trim mustache makes one look older.  I remember growing up having the chance to savor home-made “Dago Red” wine made in people’s basements and fined with eggs whites, and for years, that particular after taste haunted me.  And after all of these years, I have bestowed with the honorary title of “Street Somm” as I am sure that I could never pass an exam, as I am too ornery and bit of a curmudgeon at my age to attempt such scholarly pursuits.

Though I am proud of the fact that I am now starting another year of writing my anecdotes and my assessments of wines.  When I grew up, learning from people that had  wine knowledge, a great review was “that is a delightful Medoc” or “that is what every Chianti should taste like.”  People didn’t gush about cocktails, beer or wine, back in the day, as it sounded pretentious or putting on airs.  Actually, growing up, there were probably more beers or glasses of Chevas consumed with a steak, then there were bottles of wine.  I persevered, because as a teenager I was enraptured how wine was presented in cinema, as something special and I thought that I should discover this special Nectar of the Gods.  To this day, I am still learning and discovering, though now I endeavor to pass on my thoughts to others, right, wrong or indifferent.  And there are times, when I even drive my Bride to drink, as she has to wait, until I take that photograph of the bottle and the wine glass for the blog.  

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Easter 2025

Posted on May 1, 2025 by thewineraconteur

For years, I have written about the large family gatherings we would have for holidays and birthdays.  It gradually became that way, as my Bride, before we met, was the daughter that was always cooking with her mother for events, and my Bride was the first of the five daughters that bought a house, and she made sure that it was big enough to handle the crowds.  This went on for years, but now, the families are starting to splinter, because our nieces and nephews are getting married and the families are having smaller dinners with just their immediate family.  We ended up having five for dinner, but my Bride still persevered with traditions and she even got me an Easter basket, candies, cookies and all the stuff that disappeared from the house during Lent.  Though she really spoiled me and bought me a set of Laguiole Steak Knives, the ones with a bumblebee at the tang.  I have admired these from the first time we used them at Casanova’s in Carmel-by-the-Sea, and the following year, when we went there, they were using a different set of knives, because the knives had been stolen by patrons, how sad.  Yes, my Bride does spoil me.

We started off in the living room having appetizers, as I am still old-fashioned and like using our living room for family and friends.  She placed some Hummus with garlic, flat bread, crackers and some cheeses.  One of the cheeses, was a big hit, but the label from the shop didn’t reveal much, other than it was cow’s milk, had a hard red rind and it was a “lemon cheese” and no there wasn’t any leftover for me to indulge in, the next day.  We served Domaine Daulny Reserve Sancerre 2022 from the Loire.  Etienne Daulny owns fifteen hectares of vines divided into about fifty different plots within Sancerre and none of these wines see Malolactic fermentation.  Most of the aging occurs in Stainless Steel, but about twenty percent is aged in well used six-hundred-liter “puncheons” and then the wines are blended at the end.  A nice straw-colored wine that had notes of grapefruit, lemon and herbs.  On the palate, tones of a classic Sancerre, a bit racy, well balanced with a nice long crisp finish with terroir.

For the main course, my Bride made my (our) favorite Easter dinner, Roast Lamb with Root Vegetables.  This is really “comfort food” for me and I also enjoy the root vegetables roasted with the meat.  She also made for the first time some Southern Fried Chicken for our one grandson, that doesn’t like lamb.  My Bride doesn’t like fried food or even frying food, but for a grandson, she would even bend her rules.  It didn’t look picture perfect, but it was moist and tender and what more can you ask for; and the strange thing was, the grandson didn’t come for dinner as he was ill, and I was going to share with him a special wine, it will just have to wait, until the next dinner.  With Lent being over, my Bride made dessert especially for herself, but a true classic for the Detroit area.  She made Cream Puffs and served them with ice cream and Sanders Hot Fudge.  I gave my Bride a couple of choices for the wine for dinner and she chose Cain Vineyard & Winery Cain Five Napa Valley 1999, of course nowadays the wine carries the Spring Mountain District AVA, which was granted in 1993, but it was not as well-known as Napa Valley.  Since I first introduced my Bride to Cain Five, it is her first choice for any true celebration.  Cain began in 1980, when Jerry and Joyce Cain purchase the 550 acre McCormick Ranch (sheep) with the intention of making a big mountain “Napa Cabernet blend.”  The first vintage was released in 1985, and all was going great for them until they lost the winery, heritage barn, housing and the 2019 and 2020 wines by the “Glass Fire,” and they have rebuilt.  This wine is a blend of sixty-one percent Cabernet Sauvignon, nineteen percent Cabernet Franc, ten percent Merlot, six percent Petit Verdot and four percent Malbec; of the forty-four lots, twenty lots were selected for this wine. The fruit is hand-harvested, destemmed, whole berries, manual pressing, lot by lot, using indigenous yeast, with maceration going for ten days to five weeks for the lots.  The wine was aged for twenty-one months in French Oak including Malolactic Fermentation, with minimum fining and no filtration.  For a twenty-six-year-old, the wine was a deep black-ruby offering notes of blackberries, cedar, tobacco, sage and sous bois. On the palate after being open for over an hour, this full-bodied wine displayed rich tones of blackberry, spices, still very tight and silky tannins, well-balanced with a very long-count finish of fruit and terroir, we no signs of being old.   

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Bordeaux Wine Tasting – Part Four

Posted on April 27, 2025 by thewineraconteur

We were coming up to the end of the Bordeaux Wine Tasting at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan, as I looked at the printout furnished for the tasting.  As I always count the wine selections to figure  out how I will write my blog for these events. 

The last wine on the printed list was for Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint-Julien 2022 and is a Second Growth from the 1855 Classification.  Saint-Julian commune has no First Growth wines but has eleven classed growths and is located between Pauillac and Margaux.  Chateau Gruaud Larose was formed from three merged estates in1757 by Joseph Gruaud, who left the property to a Monsieur de Larose in 1771.  From 1865, the property was split into separate estates, as a result of inheritance, but reunited in 1935. It was bought by the current owners, the Merlaut family, in 1997; and their Groupe Taillan owns numerous other Bordeaux properties.  The estate is eighty-two hectares and the vines are planted on a soil that is a mix of gravel, pebbles, sand, clay and humus over a subsoil of assorted clays, sand and pebbles; and the vines average forty-six years of age.  The estate is 100% managed according to the principles of Organic and Biodynamic Agriculture; they even maintain a herd of three-hundred sheep to keep the grass under control in the winter, as well as a source of compost.  The fruit is hand harvested and undergoes a double selection process while still in the field and the tanks are initially by plot and varietal, of which fifty percent is oak, and fifty percent is concrete for Initial Fermentation and maceration; the wine is then aged for eighteen months in French Oak.  The wine is a blend of eighty-three percent Cabernet Sauvignon, fourteen percent Merlot and three percent Cabernet Franc.  The black-purple colored wine offered notes of cassis, black fruits, licorice and cedar.  On the palate this full-bodied wine displayed tones of cassis, black cherry and other dark fruits, well balanced and featuring tight tannins and a long-count finish of fruit and graphite (terroir).  This wine probably needs ten to twenty years in the cellar to truly open.

While there were ten wines on the printed sheet featured in the tasting, there was an eleventh wine that was served and the was Chateau de Fargues Sauternes 2006 from Chateau d’Yquem and I heard it referred to as “d’Yquem Jr.”  Chateau de Fargues has been with the Lur Saluces since 1472 and today they only produce one wine, a classic interpretation of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc from its vineyards around the village of Fargues at the center of the appellation. Originally, they produced both red and white wines at the twenty-five-hectare estate, but in 1928, they replanted for only white on clay-gravel soils over a layer of clay and hardpan soil.  The first vintage was produced in 1943 and released in 1964.  The fruit is hand-harvested and sorted to separate the “noble rot” from the “gray rot” and each day’s selection is pressed and fermented in oak barrels, with about thirty percent new).  Racking takes place four times a year and the wine is tasted to see if they have a vintage year, and if so, the wine continues aging in oak for thirty months, with an additional six in the bottle.  There were no vintages for 1972, 1974, 1992, and 2012.  While Chateau d’Yquem was the only and still only Grand Premiere Cru, Chateau de Fargues was absent from the 1855 classification for Sauternes and Barsac, since they only started producing in 1943.  While the Lur Saluces family had the chateau for three-hundred-years before they bought Chateau d’Yquem, and then recently sold it in 1999, the two estates were always under the same strict quality standards hence the “d’Yquem Jr.” This beautiful amber colored wine offered notes of sweet tropical fruits, florals, jasmine, saffron, and some “sous-bois.”  On the palate a full-bodied wine with layers of candied fruits, quince, figs, saffron, and honey, beautiful acidity and a nice long finish caramel and terroir.

Then as a special bonus a twelfth wine was poured and it was Chateau Troplong Mondot Premier Grand Cru Classe Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2022.  Chateau Troplong Mondot was established in the late 1800s when Raymond-Theodore Troplong bought and expanded the Mondot estate.  The estate was classified as Premier Grand Cru Classe B in Saint-Emilion in 2012.  Over the course of years, ownership and management has changed and Michel Rolland was the consultant winemaker and the wine was known for its deep color and full-bodied style.  IN 2017, the estate was sold to the French Insurance Group SOCR and they brought in Aymeric de Gironde formerly at Pichon Baron and Cos d’Estournel to manage the estate, as well as many other changes with no owners.  The original estate had thirty-three hectares and they have since increased the holdings by another ten hectares.  The property is situated on well-draining limestone and clay soil, interspersed with chalk and flint; and is located on a higher elelvation compared to most of the region.  The new wine making team is returning to more classic winemaking and less manipulation.  This wine is a blend of eighty-five percent Merlot, thirteen percent Cabernet Sauvignon and two percent Cabernet Franc.  The fruit is hand-harvested and stored in a cold room before the gentle winemaking procedure begins, and the wine is aged for eighteen months in French Oak.  The blackish-ruby colored wine offered notes of dark cherries, plums, hibiscus, cedar and vanilla.  On the palate this full-bodied wine displayed tones of rich dark fruits, silky tannins and ending with a nice long-count finish of fruit and chalky minerals (terroir).   

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Bordeaux Wine Tasting – Part Three

Posted on April 24, 2025 by thewineraconteur

While we were all enjoying another fine wine tasting at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan the crowds as always grow, even though we are supposed to block our times, that tends to get a little loose, as those that came in at one time, want to retry a couple of the wines before placing an order and others come in a little earlier to get a jump-start, while some just have the good fortune of coming in without any knowledge of the tasting, but are handed a glass.

The time group that I was with proceeded on with the tasting with Chateau Haut Marbuzet Saint-Estephe 2022, and as I was checking my notes I have this wine from the 2000 vintage in my cellar.  The estate was founded in the 18th century, but has received notice since 1952 when it was acquired by Herve Duboscq and is now produced by H. Duboscq et Fils.  The estate is located between Chateau Montrose and Cos d’Estournel and is about forty hectares of gravel, clay and limestone soils with a view of the Gironde, with vines that average about thirty years in age. The property was one of the original Crus Bourgeois name in 1932 and promoted to Crus Grand Bourgeois Exceptionnels in 1978; and confirmed as one of the nine Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels in 2003, the winery is regarded as being comparable to many of the Cru Classe wines. The wine is a blend of fifty percent Merlot, forty percent Cabernet Sauvignon, five percent Cabernet Franc and five percent Petit Verdot.  The fruit is picked as late as possible, and vinification occurs in large oak vats for Initial Fermentation and for Malolactic Fermentation and then the wine is aged for eighteen months in all new French Oak.  The deep ruby-red wine offered immediate notes of oak and then black cherry and blackberry, hibiscus, chocolate and pepper, spices and minerals.  On the palate this creamy textured wine displayed tones of the dark fruits and smokiness and a dash of espresso, blended with rich dusty tannins culminating to a long count finish of full fruit and terroir.

The next wine was Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal Pauillac 2022 under the watch of Claire Villars Lurton who was awarded the Revue du Vin de France Winemaker of the Year in 2024.  The winery is a certified organic and biodynamic Bordeaux producer and is a Fifth Growth from the 1855 Classification of the Medoc and Graves. The winery began in the 18th Century and was named after the Liberal family, negociants who owned the property and helped establish the reputation.  The name of the property is first for the Liberal family and the topographical lay of the land “Bages” is a large plateau in Pauillac; and it is located between Chateau Latour and Chateau Pichon Baron.   At one time the wine was made at the neighboring Chateau Pontet-Canet, when both properties were owned by the Cruse family, and it was sold in 1983 to the Taillan Group, headed by Jacques Merlaut.  Since 2000, Merlaut’s granddaughter Claire Villars- Lurton has owned and managed the property with her husband under the G&C Lurton group.  The estate is thirty hectares on deep gravel over a limestone base.  The wine is a blend of eighty percent Cabernet Sauvignon and thirteen percent Merlot; and the fruit is hand-harvested.   Vinification begins in a mix of Stainless-Steel vats and concrete vats, and fermentation on skins for about twenty-one days.  The wine is then aged for sixteen months in a mix of forty percent new French Oak, forty percent once used and twenty percent in ovoid concrete tanks and amphorae.  The dark ruby-red wine offered notes of black cherry, cassis, currants, pencil shavings (graphite) and cocoa.  On the palate this full-bodied wine displayed tones of dark fruit and dusty tannins, with good acidity, balance and a long count finish of fruit and terroir.

We then enjoyed Chateau Durfort-Vivens Margaux 2022, a Deuxiemes Crus (Second Growths) from the 1855 Classification of the Medoc.  The estate was one that was visited by Ambassador Thomas Jefferson, before he became the President of the United States who rated the chateau just under Lafite, Latour, and Margaux. Like many other estates after the French Revolution, the chateau had many different owners until it was purchased by the Lurton family in 1937, who also at the time had a stake in Chateau Margaux.  In 1962, Lucien Lurton bought the estate and in 1992, his son Gonzague took over, who revamped the cellars and converted the estate to organics and biodynamics.  They now have a range of wooden and concrete vats sized to specific vineyard parcels.  The estate is fifty-five-hectares of vineyards planted on deep gravel soil over a sand and clay base.  This wine is a blend of eighty-four percent Cabernet Sauvignon and sixteen percent Merlot.  The fruit was hand-harvested during three selective passes.  Initial Fermentation was done with indigenous yeasts, with twenty-one days of maceration with pumping-over done daily.  The wine was then aged for eighteen months using seventy percent new French Oak and thirty percent in amphorae.  This was a deep ruby-red wine offering notes of black fruit, cigar box, cocoa, spices and minerals.  On the palate this full-bodied wine displayed tones of black fruit, well-balanced, blended with tight tannins and a nice long count finish of fruit, terroir and a dash of spice; needs a few more years in the cellar.

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Bordeaux Wine Tasting – Part Two

Posted on April 22, 2025 by thewineraconteur

What could be better than enjoying a Bordeaux wine tasting at my favorite wine shop The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan?  As usual, I just have to respond to the text announcement and say what time and how many, and if the time I picked is good, all is great, otherwise they might suggest another time; and of course they are always pleased if I am with my Bride, but this time I was stag.

I will continue with the tasting with Chateau Montlandrie Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux 2022.  The estate was purchased by Denis Durantou in 2009 of L’ Eglise Client, sadly he passed away in 2020, but his daughter, Noemie, who worked alongside her father has continued to produce the wine.  The estate is an eleven-hectare vineyard on limestone and clay soil with twenty-five-year-old vines, originally sold as Cotes de Castillon and the appellation changed to Cotes de Bordeaux Castillon.  This wine is seventy-five percent Merlot, twenty percent Cabernet Franc and five percent Cabernet Sauvignon.  The vineyard is set up for fifteen parcel plots, and the parcels are vinified in fifteen small temperature-controlled, Stainless-Steel vats of assorted sizes.  The Initial Fermentation and the Malolactic Fermentation occurs in these vats.  The wine is then aged for fourteen months in French Oak, of which thirty percent is new.  The deep purple wine offered notes of black and red berries, violets, truffles, cocoa, licorice and gravel.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine displayed tones of rich fruit, good acidity, with grainy tannins and medium-count ending of fruit, graphite (terroir) and a saline finish.  

We progressed to Chateau Bonalgue Pomerol 2022; the Bourotte-Audy family has owned the estate for almost the last one hundred years.  Jean-Baptiste Audy is a family-run negociant firm based in Libourne and they own properties in Pomerol, Lussac-Saint-Emilion and Lalande de Pomerol.  They own Clos de Clocher, Chateau Bonalgue, Chateau Monregard La Croix, Chateau du Courlat, and Chateau Les Hauts=Conseillants.  The company was founded in 1906 and is now run by the great-grandson Jean=Baptiste Bourotte.  Chateau Bonalgue was built by a Napoleonic captain and his estate is the embodiment of Pomerol terrain; clay, gravel, sand and iron-ore (which helps retaining heat, and allows the fruit to mature early).  The estate is just over nine hectares and is planted with ninety percent Merlot and ten percent Cabernet Franc, but this wine is ninety-five percent Merlot and five percent Cabernet Franc.  The wine undergoes Initial Fermentation and Malolactic Fermentation and is aged in French Oak, of which half is new, for eighteen months.  A deep red purple wine that offered notes of dark fruits, violets and licorice.  On the palate this full-bodied wine displayed tones of blackberry, black cherry and currants blended seamlessly with velvet tannins and terminating with a long count finish of fruit and terroir.

We then went and enjoyed Chateau Fieuzal Pessac-Leognan Rouge 2022, a classified Cru Classe de Graves in 1959.  Chateau de Fieuzal is named after the family that owned the property until 1851.  After the family sold the estate, it was broken into two separate chateaux, and it was until 1995 that the estate was re-unified and is now owned by Brenda and Lochlan Quinn.  In 2006 they hired Hubert de Bouard of Chateau Angelus as a consultant winemaker and a new winery was opened in 2011; with Stephen Carrier as the winemaker.  The estate is about seventy-five hectares, and the vineyards are planted with a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle; planted on soils of gravel, clay and sand.  The vines on average are about thirty-five years of age, but some of the Petit Verdot plantings date back to 1908.  The wine is a blend of fifty percent Cabernet Sauvignon, forty-five percent Merlot and five percent Petit Verdot.  The red grapes are fermented in both Stainless-Steel and French Oak barrels, then blended and aged for about twelve months in French Oak.  This ruby red wine offered notes of red and black fruits and sous bois.  On the palate this full-bodied wine displayed tones of red and black plums, and tones of licorice, well-balanced and with ripe tannins and ending with a long-count finish of fruit and terroir.  

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