Chateau Beau Sejour Becot Bordeaux 2007

Last summer, our family enjoyed a vacation around France.  After a few days in Paris, we headed to Bordeaux to drink some wine. We stayed at Chateau Camiac in Creon which is located between the "right bank" and the "left bank" of the  Gironde.  This was the perfect spot so we could tour the Saint-Emilion, Fronsac and Pomerol areas on the right and the Medoc, Saint Estephe and Pauillac regions on the left.  The right bank wines are Merlot based and the left bank wines are Cabernet Sauvignon based.  Let me start by saying that Chateau Camiac was outstanding.  The food was the best we had during our trip and the kids loved the pool.  We would definitely stay there again if we were in Bordeaux.

My favorite area was Saint Emilion due to its history, architecture and sites. The cobblestone streets remain and the way in which they carved several of the structures into the limestone hillsides was incredible.  The Famous Monolithic Church and towering bell tower was partially built subterranean.  There are many underground passages throughout town.  Saint Emilion was named after a teenage monk who fled southern France due to religious persecution.  His name was Emilion.  If you get the chance, be sure to visit Saint Emilion.  And of course, let's not forget the phenomenal wines.

We made numerous vineyard tours on both sides of the Gironde but one stood out, the Chateau Beau Sejour Becot in Saint Emilion.  We had a private tour of the property, the wine making facilities and the underground caves where all the wines are stored.  At the end, we had numerous vintages from 1996 - 2007 shipped home for special occasions.  This past weekend, we opened a bottle of the 2007 Premier Grand Cru Classe.  Although it is still very young, and we would recommend cellaring this another 5-10 years, it was still an outstanding bottle.  As they say, you can't replicate the experience of drinking it in the vineyard, but this certainly brought back a lot of great memories.  This medium-full bodied Bordeaux is a blend of 70% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon.  There was plenty of juicy red fruit aromas along with some cassis, plum and hints of chocolate and licorice.  Like most wines, particularly Bordeaux, the aromas and flavors changed frequently over the evening.  On the palate, it was more of dark fruits and black plums along with the stone from the region.  The French oak barrels also were identifiable in the flavor.  The tannins were very soft but had greater acidity.  Overall, a well balanced wine.  The wonderful flavors were long lasting.  I can't wait to open some of the other vintages.  My wife made a beef tenderloin in the oven that melted in our mouths along with a reduction of wine, peppercorns and shallots.  The side dishes included orange glazed carrots and parsnips as well as mashed potatoes with creme fraiche and scallions.  This was better than you can get in most restaurants!! The Chateau Beau Sejour Becot Bordeaux 2007 was perfect for the meal.  This is a hard wine to find in the States but if you do, we highly recommend buying some.  It retails for about $50. Neal Martin from erobertparker.com rated this 90-92 points. 

Today's Bordeaux 100

A few weeks ago, I was invited by Sona Rai to the Today's Bordeaux 100 wine tasting sponsored by the Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB).  The 100 wines selected were chosen out of 300 entries consisting of reds, whites, roses and sweet (Sauternes).  The selection of finalists occurred over a two day period by a panel of five members of "Le Wine Buffs" appointed by the Bordeaux Wine Council along with three distinguished judges (Mr. Levin Dalton, Mr. Carson Demmond and Mr. John Osborne).  It was a pleasure meeting two of the "Wine Buffs" April and Mollie. 

I wish I had 2 days to try all 100 as I am sure I missed a lot of exceptional wines.  I did manage to taste 21 from the list which encompassed all regions and types of wines.  Unfortunately, some of the whites were getting warm while sitting on the tasting tables.  Below, I will mention a few from each category that stood out.

From the 300 entries, only one rose was selected.  This was the Chateau Bonnet Rose 2011.  It was a 50% cabernet sauvignon and 50% merlot blend.  The Bonnett Rose had a wonderful nose of fresh picked strawberries which continued to the taste, along with some raspberry flavors and a hint of  watermelon.  I have to admit I don't drink rose's very often but this was an enjoyable summer wine with great balance and a relatively long finish.  This retails for about $13.

The Chateau Perron 2011 is a white wine made from a blend of 50% sauvignon blanc, 40% semillon and 10% muscadelle.  Unfortunately, the whites from Bordeaux are overlooked by many but are exceptional wines.  This white is from the Graves region of Bordeaux which is mainly known for it's red wines and also one of the first regions to give notoriety to Bordeaux.  The Perron had a floral nose along with the sweetness from the Semillon.  The semillon also gave some body to the wine.  The flavors included grapefruit and orange peels along with a soft hint of honey and oak.  The acidity is low enough that it could pair well with a salad and not compete with the acidity from the dressing.  Would also pair nicely with fish or my favorite lobster.  This retails for about $15.

A second white that I really enjoyed was the Chateau Haut Selve 2011 also from the Graves appellation.  This is a blend of 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon and 10% Sauvignon Gris.  This was similar to the Perron with the floral notes along with some green apples and grapefruit.  These followed on the palate along with some vanilla from the 6 months in "new oak" barrels.  This retails for about $25.

On the red side, there were three that stood out for me.  The first was the Chateau Tour de Pressac 2009 from Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Appellation.  Don't confuse this with the Grand Cru classe.  This is a blend consisting of 72% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc,12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Carmenere and 1% Malbec. I am a fan of Cabernet Franc and Carmenere.  This is a medium to full bodied wine that has plenty of red fruits and the Cabernet franc contributes plenty of tobacco flavors along with some nice spices.  There was some vegetal aromas along with some mushroom and red fruits.  I also picked up some black pepper and some slight oakiness.  A well structured wine with long lasting flavors.  I would pair this with my wife's incredible goulash. This red retails for about $35.

The second red worth noting is the Chateau Bernadotte 2004 from the Haut Medoc region.  This was a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36%  Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.  This is full-bodied wine that has dark red fruit on the nose and on the palate along with some cedar and coffee on the back end with some noticeable, but acceptable, tannins.  This would pair well with a pepper crusted steak.  This retails for about $27.
 
The other red that I really enjoyed was the Chateau Gros Caillou 2005 from the Saint-Emilion appellation.  This is a blend of  65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.  This was more of a medium bodied wine with the limestone terrior ever present on the nose and some mineral flavors.  The Caillou also had cherries on the nose with plums, black currant, cedar and pepper on the palate.  A complex but extremely well balanced wine.  This would pair nicely with veal or other white meat.  A great buy at $23.

The final table at the tasting included three Sauternes, which I tried two of the three.  Sauternes are sweet wines from the Sauternais region of the Graves Appellation.  Unlike the other Sauternes that I tasted, the Barton & Guestier 2010 only used 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc, where as the other blended with Muscadelle.  This golden colored wine had plenty of honey on the nose along with some dried fruits and nuts.  The honey was predominant on the palate along with apricots and golden raisins. Although I prefer port over a sweet wine, this was smooth and enjoyable.  It retails for $25.

Each of the wines at the tasting are sold in the US and range in price from $9 to $35.  All 100 wines can be found on http://www.bordeaux.com/us/wines.

Thanks Sona for a wonderful evening of fine wines.

Gustave Lorentz

Last week I had the pleasure of having dinner with Pascal Schiele from the Gustave Lorentz winery in France.    Let me begin with a little background on Pascal.  He was born and raised in the Alsace region and grew up with many winemakers in the family.  Both his great grandfather and grandfather were winemakers and two of his uncles are still winemakers.  Pascal started in the wine exporting business in 1996 and moved to Gustave Lorentz wines in 2001.  Today, he is the Export Director for the winery.  They currently export to 55 countries, and although only the 8th largest exporter of Alsace wines to the US, they will definitely crack the top 5 with the help of their new US Distributor, Quintessential Wines.
The Gustave Lorentz winery is located in Bergheim commune (village) in Haut-Rhin in north-eastern France near the Rhine River and the German and Swiss borders.  Although there were over 160 Alsace villages growing vines in the first millennium, the re-birth of the Alsace came after World War I when the winegrowers adopted a "quality first" policy.  This policy was reinforced by delimitation of the vineyard area, and by strict enforcement of production and vinification legislation.  These efforts were officially rewarded by Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AOC) status: AOC Alsace in 1962, AOC Alsace Grand Cru in 1975 and AOC Cremant d'Alsace in 1976. 
The Lorentz family has been in the wine making business since 1836 and today is the largest family owned producer in Alsace bottling over 150,000 cases.    Gustave Lorentz's Estates vineyard represent 32 hectares (79 acres), of which 1.5 (3.71 acres) are planted on the hills of the Grand Cru Kanzlerberg and 13 hectares (29.65 acres) in the Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergheim.  In addition, they also buy grapes from another 120 hectares, which are almost exclusively based in Bergheim.  Although they are the largest family business, they don't sacrifice the quality of their wines.  They employ state-of-the-art vinification techniques and equipment and was among the first producers in the Alsace to use stelvin (screw-cap) closures on their wines. In  2009, the winery entered into a partnership with Ecocert to have their entire Estate vineyards certified organic beginning with the 2012 vintage.  The winery is managed by Georges Lorentz, who is the 7th generation in this family run business.
During our tasting, we sampled 10 wines and paired them with different plates of food:
Cremant d' Alsace (non-vintage) -  This is a sparkling wine with small soft bubbles that is made from 33% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Blanc and 33% Pinot Noir.  Like Champagne, this sparkling wine goes thru two fermentation processes with daily bottle rotation, going from horizontal to vertical.  I am not a big fan of Champagne or sparkling wines but I found myself going back for more.  Additionally, the $24.99 price is substantially less than Champagne.  Give it a try.
2009 Pinot Gris Reserve -  This 100% Pinot Gris had a golden color with hints of white fruit and a touch of honey.  Very fruit forward and semi-dry.
2007 Pinot Gris "Schofweg" (single vineyard) - This was a very nice Pinot Gris that was well structured and fuller bodied than the Reserve.  Although these were from two different vineyards, both had notes of the limestone which is common to this region.  Both of the Pinot Gris would go well with appetizers, cheeses or seafood, especially with scallops.  The Reserve retails for $23.99 and the Schofweg retails for $29.99.  For the extra $6, go for the "Schofweg".  This received a 91 point rating from Wine Spectator.
2009 Pinot Blanc Reserve - was also a very nice Pinot Blanc that was not as dry as the Pinot Gris.  It was very fruit forward with lots of citrus, especially lemon along with white peach and a hint of grapefruit.  The flavors of this progressed with some spiciness that was perfect with the crisp acidity.  I would recommend this wine, which retails for $19.99.
2009 Riesling Reserve - is their entry level Riesling.  They produce about 160,000 cases of this wine of this medium to fuller body Riesling.  It has a refreshing acidity and a nice dry finish.  There was some tartness of green apples and a slight unappealing aftertaste.  This is a basic Riesling that retails for $23.99.
2005 Riesling Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergheim - This was probably my 2nd highest ranked wine of the night.  This is a must buy, even though it retails for $49.99.  Only 1,000 cases were produced.
2009 Gewurztraminer Reserve - again the entry level wine, was more than entry level.  It had a wonderful nose of fresh flowers and tropical fruits that followed onto the palate along with some spiciness and orange peels.  The grapes for this wine come from 30-50 year old vines.  This well structured wine retails for $23.99. 
2006 Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergheim - This, along with the Riesling Grand Cru were my two favorites.  This is the real deal!!!  A nice semi-dry wine with great tropical fruit aromas and tropical fruit flavors. This golden yellow wine was perfectly structured with a long finish.  This will be great for the next 5 years.  The perfect pairing for many foods from appetizers to white meats and sausages to seafood to spicy ethnic dishes. The 2006 Grand Cru retails for $59.99.
2008 Pinot Noir Reserve.  This was the first red of the evening.  I paired this with a steak and it was the perfect match.  It could  be served with other red meats, but will also go really well with veal and lamb.  I was expecting a bigger wine like the West Coast US Pinot Noirs but this was a softer, less in-your face wine.  As the meal went on, this wine became more expressive and more enjoyable.  Be sure to decant this wine for 30 minutes.  The Pinot Noir Reserve is an un-oaked wine with raspberry and cherry aromas and a hint of red currants.  The red fruits continued onto the palate.  Surprisingly, it was better chilled than slightly warmer.  Although it is very drinkable now, I think a few more years will bring the best out of this wine.  The 2008 retails for $23.99.
Cremant d' Alsace Rose (non-vintage) - This Cremant is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes.  This sparkling rose wine had a nose of cranberries and red rose petals.  Although it was well received by many dinner guests, this one did not work for me.   It was a little too sweet for me and, as mentioned earlier, sparkling wines are generally not my favorite.  The Cremant d' Alsace retails for $24.99.
Overall, I was quite impressed with the Gustave Lorentz wines and would strongly recommend you picking some up.   The Lorentz family takes pride in their food friendly wines.  They are served in the small Brasserie to the highly rated Michelin stared restaurants in France.   Thank you to Lorraine and to Pascal for inviting me to this enjoyable dinner and for the introduction to some very good wines.  I look forward to a tour of the winery this summer.

Chateau Bellefont-Belcier 2004

I have to admit, I picked up this bottle because of the label.  I was raised in a small town in PA called Bellefonte, so of course seeing a label with the name on it was a must buy.  The Chateau Bellefonte-Belcier estate dates back to the 17th century and was founded by Count Louis François de Belcier.   Our tasting of this wine was over a two day period.  This medium to full bodied St. Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux is from the Libournais region in France.  It has a dark purple color and is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.  It starts off with a big nose of black fruits, cassis, leather and dark chocolate, along with a hint of vegetables from the Cabernet Franc.  The flavors were filled with black fruits, black cherries and plenty of smokey oak, along with some mushroom/earthiness flavors.  The tannins were very chewy the first day but mellowed slightly on the second day.  Additionally, I thought there was some extra acidity on the back end along with a slight bitterness.  I would hold this for another 3-5 years.  I think the 2004 has great potential and rumor has it the 2005 is exceptional.  I have the 2005 vintage in the cellar and look forward to comparing the two.  However, I think I will hold off for a few more years.  Spring arrived with some great weather for grilling.  This is a nice bottle for grilled chicken, pork or veal.  The Chateau Bellefont-Belcier reatils for about $34.  Wine Spectator gave the 2004 a 90 point rating.

Chateau Haut Vigneau 2005

Last weekend the boys and I wanted to make a nice dinner for my wonderful wife and their mother. While I cooked, they set the table and then got dressed up. On the menu was going to be a carmelized apple salad with roasted walnuts, blue cheese and a spicy orange viniagrette (a favorite of ours for years), pork tenderloin medallions with an apple and jalepeno sauce for on top and roasted asparagus with aged balsamic and fresh lemon. What could I find in the cellar to pair with the sweetness from the oranges and apples, yet complement the jalepenos in both sauces and then be subtle enough for the asparagus? With the cellar needing restocked, I reached for the Chateau Haut Vigneau 2005 which is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. This ruby colored bordeaux is from the Pessac-Leognan appellation and more narrowly defined as the Graves subregion. This region is located southwest of Bordeaux. I opened and decanted this wine about 20 minutes prior to plating the food. It started off with aromas of both red and black berries, old plums, milled wood shavings, violet and some earthiness. I probably should have quickly gone downstairs and pulled something else. On the palate, this medium-bodied wine had some black fruits flavors, cherries, clove, toasted oak and some dirt from the gravelly terroir. The tannis were not too chewy for such a young Bordeaux, but the acidity was relatively mild and it really lacked a finish. It received an 88 point rating from the Wine Spectator. We would probably agree with this rating, or slightly lower. However, based on all the empty plates and the smiles, the dinner was a big success. Next time, I would choose a Rioja for this dinner. Unfortunately I was all out. The 2005 Chateau Haut Vigneau Bordeaux retails for about $20.

Moulin De Toulet 2008

This 2008 Vin De Pays Des Cotes de Gascogne is a white Bordeaux from south west France produced by Maison Sichel. The Sichel family moved to France in the mid 1850's from Germany and opened their first wine shop in 1883. Hermann's grandson, Peter Sichel, followed his footsteps to France from England and became one of the top ambassadors for Bordeaux wines. He led the family business for 31 years. Today, his son Allan is the Managing Director of the family empire along with his brothers and their children. This white wine has wonderfully crisp aromas of exotic fruits, summer flowers and a little limestone. On the palate, the exotic fruits are up front followed by some juicy citrus and then a big sweet tangerine flavor on the finish. There is great acidity and length to this wine. It has a mild 11.5% alcohol content and is perfctly structured. If you are a Sauvignon Blanc drinker, you will love this wine. If you are looking for a crisp white with plenty of fruits, this will blow you away. It can be enjoyed by itself or with appetizers. We served this with Chilean sea bass with a lemon and caper sauce along with braised fennel and rice. Perfect pairing. Keep this wine cold. It retails for about $12.

Domaine Du Bagnol Cassis 2005

This deep golden colored wine comes from the Provence region of southern France, about 15 miles south of Marseilles. Cassis was historically an old fishing village along the French Riviera with some of the highest and most picturesque cliffs in all of France. Today, there are a handful of small wineries in Cassis, although not many of the wines actually get imported to the US. The 17.5 acre Domaine Du Bagnol winery, which dates back to 1867, was purchased by Jean-Louis Genovesi several years ago and is popular for their Cassis Blanc and Rose wines. The 2005 is a blend of Marsanne, Clairette and Ugni Blanc. We opened a bottle tonight before going out to dinner and we were disappointed. It has a relatively light nose of pear but the aromas of grass and nuts overpowered the fruit. On the palate, it was quite flat with some apricot and honey flavors along with the nuttiness and a little spice. The rocky-limestone terrain was also picked up in the flavor. I would have thought the alcohol content would have been higher than the 12.5% based on the blend, as Ugni Blanc and Clairette are usually higher than this and are typically used in Brandys and Cognacs. The acidity was high though and almost had a burning sensation. This Cassis must be kept very cold. Based on our tastes and, more importantly, the $30 price tag we would not purchase this again. If you have it stored, I would serve it with a Meditteranean fish or maybe a lentil soup.

Chateau La Cardonne 2000

We have finally started to tap into the French section of the cellar. Saturday night my wife made another one of her exceptional swiss dinners of Pork Tenderloin Medallions with a honey and curry sauce along with a slice of apple on top. As her father always does in Switzerland, she broke out the Bordeaux. The Chateau La Cardonne is a Cru Bourgeois, a classification dating back to 1932 which was attempted to be revised in 2003 but vetoed by the French Government.   This wine is not only from the Medoc region , but also from the Appellation of Medoc. Typically, there is more Cabernet Sauvignon planted in this part of the appellation than Merlot, but the blend for the La Cardonne is 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. The Medoc region is divided into two parts with the northern section called Medoc and the southern portion called Haut-Medoc. I will save the Bordeaux sub-region classifications and discussion for a separate post as it gets very confusing.

As you can see on the vintage chart (see sidebar), the 2000 Bordeaux's from Medoc had outstanding ratings. This wine followed those ratings, though not as high. This had a delicious bordeaux taste with the cabernet franc perfectly integrated. It was a smooth wine with nice rich aromas of red berries, chocolate and some molasses. The French oak was present but had aged well. The wine really opened up as dinner went on.  I recommend decanting this wine.  If you are looking for a nice entry-level Bordeaux at a very reasonable price, $22, then give this a try. The La Cardonne 2000 is ready to be opened. No need to cellar this longer. Wine Spectator gave this an 89 point rating. I would agree.

Pierre Boniface Vin de Savoie Apremont 2007

This is a refreshing white wine that I found at Gary's Wine & Marketplace in Wayne, NJ (see sidebar). The Savoie region of France is situated in the foothills of the French Alps, bordering southwest Switzerland and the northern Piedmont region of Italy. It is made from the Jacquere grape which is a late maturing grape that generally is low in sugars which keeps the wine drier. The Apremont has a low 11.5% alcohol content which is typical for wines with Jacquere grapes. The color is a pale yellow with some greenish tints. The nose is pretty tight but I was able to pick up some citrus aromas along with some garden flowers. On the palate, it was a little more expressive with citrus, green apples, and a hint of summer peaches and grapefruit. There was no evidence of any oak. This could be enjoyed by itself or with an aperitif. I will also pair this with my wife's original Swiss fondue. Retails for $10-$12. If you like Chardonnay, give this a try.

Domaine De Fenouillet 2005

We had a bottle of the 2005 Cotes Du Ventoux from Domaine De Fenouillet recently and it received two thumbs down at our house. This French wine is a medium bodied Pinot Noir from the southeastern region of the Rhone that had a fresh berry nose but lacked taste and substance. Wouldn't even use it for cooking. Retails for about $10. PASS!!!!

Domaine d'Esperance Soleil Colombard 2007

This is a cheap ($10) white wine from South Western France that is made from 100% colombard grapes. This flowery grape is typically used for Cognac or for mixing with other varietals because of the high acidity. It was popular in CA prior to 1990 as the base grape for jug wines. Don't waste your money. PASS!!!

Dom. Brunet Pinot Noir 2007

This Pinot is from the Limoux area of Southern France. It had no nose with a bad grape juice taste. We gave this a 2 thumbs down rating. This is a quick pass!!!

Paul Jaboulet Aine Gigondas 2000

Recently we had a very nice wine from the Paul Jaboulet Aine winery in the Rhone region of France. This is a family winery that has been around since 1834. The wine was the Gigondas Pierre Aiguillo 2000 and is made from a mix of 80% grenache, 10% syrah and 10% mourvedre grapes. This is a medium-full bodied red with a pale red color and a nose of currants, chocolate and cherry. On the palate, I picked up some peppery yet sweet fruits and some tobacco with nice ripe tannins. This was rated 87 by Steven Tanzer (2003) and 88 by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2001). I would have to rate this more in the 88-90 point range. I wonder how they would rate it after another 6-8 years in the bottle?? Since it is not a big hearty wine, it can be served with just about any food. We served it with a pasta dish and it was a very good compliment to the meal. I highly recommend this wine.

Chateau La Clare 2003

This is a nice French Bordeaux that has a mix of 45% merlot, 35% cabernet sauvignon, 15% cabernet franc and 5% petite verdot. It has a nice aroma of raspberry and tastes of raspberry and black currant with a hint of vanilla. The tannins are nicely structured and ends with a nice long finish. We served it with a lamb tagine, an apricot couscous and a tabbouleh salad. Paired very nicely with the dish. It retails for about $25.