Château Figeac may be somewhat of a conundrum for neophytes to Bordeaux. Even for some who work in wine. While sampling three white wines at the trendy Vino Volo airport wine bar at Dulles International Airport last week, just before a flight to Frankfurt, Germany, I told the wine salesman there about Figeac being a [...]

Here we are! Nearly 2012. For wine lovers, the end of a year seems to increase the need to taste superb wines.  At least, I feel that rush. And thank my lucky stars for having fellow wine lovers to share such experiences. As much as I am increasingly enamoured by the freshness of Burgundy as some modern [...]

Tasted on 19 November in London, at Decanter’s Fine Wine Encounter Master Class. Yet another superb tasting by Decanter.  Six vintages of Pichon Comtesse de Lalande spanning over 30 years  pleased many a palate in a master class hosted by Sylvie Cazes and Mark Bingley MW. Participants enjoyed a charming 2007, a seductive 1989, and [...]

Plus: Enjoying Bordeaux without losing your savings And detailed tasting notes on Pessac-Léognan and Graves 2008, 2009 and 2010 A return to Bordeaux late September, and as the harvest was coming to an end, I discovered a rollercoaster season, as written in my report for decanter.com. Botrytis-affected grapes left behind on the vineyard like so [...]

Many thanks to Marie-Stéphane Malbec of Lettres de Château for a press invitation to the Graves region in Bordeaux late last month. I tasted some well known wines in the northern part, known as Pessac Léognan (but also some unsung heros there), and some truly fine (and less expensive) wines from the southern part. I [...]

Robert Parker, one of the most famous wine critics in the world, will host a tasting of his top 20 Bordeaux “wines to watch out for”, on 8 November in Hong Kong. The occasion will be the Wine Future event that month. I just came back from Shanghai where I judged a wine challenge, and [...]

Enjoyed the Chateau Montrose St Estephe 1986 last night with a delicious prime rib at a friend’s. This wine shows just a bit of brett at first, but it blew off. The nose evolved over time. Beautifully. Notes of cassis and cedar of course but even some bright raspberry. The palate was expansive. It was [...]

Well, finally. Finally, Bordeaux 2010 futures prices are out and they are expensive. The vintage was very fine, and if you are new to the game or are sufficiently loaded, then buy away: you will be rewarded with some great wines. HERE MY COMPREHENSIVE NOTES and VIDEOS. But for the rest of us, the Bordeaux [...]

UPDATE: Coverage by The Washington Post, HERE,  thanks to Dave McIntyre… an article that was published in late March 2011, but I only discovered it yesterday. Thanks to Dave for the kind review and also for the link to the decanter.com coverage. THE VIDEO – See text and photos below Dating back to at least the 17th [...]

So the prices on Bordeaux 2010 are coming out and they are for the most part predictably expensive… although one can find mid range wines of excellent quality for more modest prices. Like a bee drawn to honey, I of course tasted many wines I cannot afford, starting with Chateau Ausone, a rare Saint Emilion [...]