Tag: -30€

“Château de Reignac is a wine of great complexity, revealing subtle aromas of red and black fruit, liquorice and spice. On the palate it is ample and structured, with silky tannins and a lovely length on the finish.” – Robert Parker

Château Reignac is a château located in the Bordeaux Supérieur appellation, on the right bank of the Garonne, in the Gironde département of France.

The Château Reignac estate covers around 200 hectares, of which 65 hectares are vines planted on clay-limestone slopes. The varieties grown are mainly Merlot (75%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Cabernet Franc (3%), with Petit Verdot (2%) completing the blend. The vineyard is farmed using environmentally friendly methods and the production has been certified organic since 2010.

Château Reignac produces wines of great quality, often compared to grands crus classés.

One particularly remembers the tasting that caused a stir in 2009:

The wines are aged in French oak barrels for 12 to 18 months, depending on the vintage. Château Reignac’s reds are renowned for their balance, their aromatic complexity and their ageing potential.

Château Reignac also has a rich and fascinating history. The present château dates from the 18th century and was built on the ruins of a medieval fortress. The estate was bought in 1990 by Yves Vatelot, who undertook major renovation and modernisation work to restore the château and the vineyard to their full splendour.

Today, Château Reignac is open to visitors, who can explore the estate, tour the château and taste its wines.

On to the tasting:

A dark robe — it makes it clear that the tasting will be an interesting experience and that we should expect a strong wine.

On the nose it’s an explosion: spice and red fruit come pouring out.

On the palate the spices are well and truly present and, straight away, the roundness of the aromas floods the palate. The tannins are powerful — the robe and its scent had warned us, after all! There’s no little spike of acidity, which sometimes bothers me; the balance on the palate is all the more controlled, and I have the feeling this point has been worked on with particular care.

Spices and a characteristic length, all in perfectly mastered balance, undoubtedly make it a great wine. At under €30, this wine will surprise your friends.

“The Rupert and Rothschild Chardonnay is a wine of great elegance, combining the richness of Chardonnay with a lovely acidity, for a harmonious and balanced result.” – Wine Spectator

The Rupert & Rothschild Baroness Nadine Vintage is indeed a white wine produced from Chardonnay grapes grown in the Western Cape wine region of South Africa. It’s a very elegant white, and that rolled presentation sheet makes for a striking piece of theatre when you open the case.

It’s aged in French oak barrels for around 10 months, which gives it a unique texture and a long, persistent finish.

That robe of a mineral yellow, yet lightly brilliant as if to announce its noble origins, is itself very elegant. This robe has had every attention lavished on it — that much is obvious.

The nose is discreet, balanced. For my part I pick out a touch of hazelnut and walnut in a second wave.

It’s ample through its length, to which a touch of acidity is added — but the spices discreetly dominate the race and bring the whole thing nicely into balance.

Characteristic final aromas appear in a subtle blend of vanilla and wood. The oak barrels certainly have something to do with it.

Personally I love this wine as an aperitif, lightly chilled, but of course it can also accompany seafood in all its forms, or a fine poultry dish.

“Terras d’Alter is a wine that never stops impressing, with its depth, its complexity and its long finish. A wine that bears witness to the commitment and passion of the Alentejo’s winemakers.” – Wine & Spirits

Outeiro Terras d’Alter 2011 is a Portuguese red wine produced in the Alentejo region, in southern Portugal. This region is renowned for the quality of its red and white wines, as well as for its rolling landscapes and its olive groves.

This wine is made from the Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez, Trincadeira and Syrah varieties, grown in vineyards at an altitude of around 400 metres above sea level. The grapes are hand-harvested and carefully sorted so that only the best are selected.

The Outeiro Terras d’Alter 2011 is then aged in French oak barrels for 12 months, which gives it subtle notes of vanilla, cedar and spice.

The tasting:

I’ll be honest with you: I can’t quite remember this wine precisely. But it surprised me — all the more so as I tasted it back in 2015. I didn’t know Portuguese wines and, during a meal at a restaurant, having a Portuguese friend with me, I wanted to please her by ordering this wine.

What a slap in the face I took! Full-bodied, balanced, length, robe — every box ticked. As a Bordelais by blood, I could only concede defeat and award this wine a prize for excellence.

“Saint-Joseph is one of the finest jewels of the Rhône vineyard, a powerful and generous wine that expresses the richness of its terroir with great finesse.” – Robert Parker

The Guigal house is one of the most famous and respected producers in the Rhône Valley, in France. Founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal, the house is today run by his son, Marcel Guigal, and his grandson, Philippe Guigal.

The Guigal house produces a wide variety of Rhône Valley wines, from whites to reds, taking in rosés. Its vineyards are located in the most prestigious appellations of the Rhône Valley, notably Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Condrieu and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Today I’ve decided to tell you about the Saint-Joseph. But I’ll certainly tell you about many others, because this house is exceptional.

This Guigal is special because it was one of the first “Saint-Josephs” I had the chance to taste. Why is it so special? Certainly because that day I was surrounded by my loved ones around a good table. It took no more than that for it to stay etched in my memory forever.

I often say it to those who join me: “the best of wines is the one I drink with you”!

Off we go to the tasting

It’s produced from Syrah grapes and is characterised by its aromas of red fruit and spice.

Its robe is silky and elegant, with a delicate scent.

On the palate it’s very balanced, with a persistent length, for this 2019 that served as my benchmark. We’re going to let it age a little longer and we’ll see in a few years, but I’m not too worried about the outcome — it will wait for us too.

And for those who’ve read to the end: no, I haven’t made a mistake — I am indeed talking about the Saint-Joseph Rouge, because it also exists in white, made from Marsanne and Roussanne grapes. I hope to taste it soon and tell you about it.

Domaines Vinsmoselle is a wine producer located on the border between France, Luxembourg and Germany. The estate is on the Luxembourg side of the Moselle. Here we are again near Remich.

Domaines Vinsmoselle produce a wide variety of wines, from dry white to full-bodied red, taking in sparkling and dessert wines. The wines are produced from grapes grown on the steep slopes that line the Moselle river. The region’s unique terroir, characterised by slate-rich soils and optimal sun exposure, gives the wines a distinctive and complex character.

I’m always amazed by the richness of their catalogue: with some 200 winegrowers tending the vine along the Moselle between Wasserbillig and Schengen — on almost two-thirds of Luxembourg’s arable land — this cooperative is the Grand Duchy’s largest producer of wine and crémant.

The estate also offers guided tours of its cellars and vineyards, as well as wine tastings. You can learn more about the winemaking techniques used by the estate, and about the history of the Moselle wine region. Book here.

On to the tasting

What struck me about this wine was, above all, the first look. With this slender, elongated 50 cl bottle, the estate wants to impress us and assert its elegance. We’re dealing with an exceptional nectar, and we’re being told so.

The Pinot Gris Vendanges Tardives has a deep, brilliant golden robe; its colour is extraordinary, the gold shining a thousand lights.

With an intense, complex nose of honey and spice, you could smell it for hours; with that robe I didn’t want to deprive the glass of contents of such beauty.

On the palate, the wine is rich and round, with a perceptible sweetness well balanced by a lively acidity that brings lovely freshness. At a price of around €25 for 50 cl of this brew, every drop counts.

The Rothschild empire couldn’t resist the call of African soil — and I understand them.

It’s very surprising to see Listrac and South Africa on the same label; it’s a little disconcerting.

Label aside, you’ll have gathered that I enjoyed this wine — though make no mistake, there’s little of Listrac in this bottle.

A little history:

The Rupert & Rothschild vineyard was created in 1997 by two renowned families, the Ruperts of South Africa and the Rothschilds of France.

The Rupert & Rothschild vineyard covers 100 hectares of vines. The varieties grown are mainly Bordeaux ones, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

The estate is equipped with a modern cellar, where the grapes are vinified and aged for 18 months in French oak barrels before bottling.

Since its creation, the Rupert & Rothschild Classique has become one of the estate’s most famous wines, as well as a symbol of winemaking excellence in South Africa.

On to the tasting:

The nose is discreet and the robe fairly pronounced. On the palate it’s pleasant and, just as the nose had signalled, it’s light with barely pronounced tannins. It’s only after it has passed that this wine reminds you of its origins, leaving a stronger scent in the mouth. But you’ll have to be quick, because it slips away fast.

This 2018 will have to stay in the cellar a little longer, unfortunately, because its youth made itself known.