Bordeaux

Awarded 90 points and Highly Recommended status by Decanter (www.decanter.com) in their January 2019 edition panel tasting review of Haut-Medoc Bordeaux 2010 (see blue link below). 

Chateau Bernadotte Cru Bourgeois 2010 - January 2019 Decanter review

Formerly known as Chateau Fournas, this estate was renamed Bernadotte in 1997 after a past owner, Marshal Bernadotte, who was the Sovereign Prince under the rule of Napoleon I.  Madame de Lencquesaing, owner of Chateau Pichon Lalande at the time, acquired Chateau Bernadotte in 1997 and proceeded to renovate every aspect of the estate.  

Classified as a fourth growth, Château Branaire-Ducru is located in the Saint-Julien appellation of Bordeaux. It was acquired by a family enterprise in 1988 and Patrick Maroteaux, who manages the estate, has made considerable improvements to the property. This has given the wine wonderfully consistent quality.

The wine is made in an innovative and practical winery that relies on gravity, eliminating the need to use pumps with the harvested fruit and wine. There is a wide range of tanks of different sizes, which makes it possible to carry out a considered and thorough selection based on the varying characteristics of the different vineyard plots. Around a third of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in new oak barrels. The wines are aged traditionally for between 18 and 24 months in barrels made from French oak (50% of which are new). They are always fined using egg white. 

Château Branaire Ducru is a wine with much complexity and it has the potential to age well over time. The 2008 has an attractive bouquet of ripe plums with densely packed red and black fruit aromas. The palate offers notes of forest, earth and cedar as well as tobacco and leafy notes. It has generous, dense tannins that will soften with age.

Château Brande Bergère is located in the north of Saint-Emilion on a hill with gravelly soil on clay subsoil. It is one of the highest points of the Bordeaux region, overlooking the Dronne valley for over 25 miles. The vineyard of Brande Bergère has been cultivated since the 18th century, and in the 19th century, it was given the designation of origin “North Saint Emilion”. The estate was bought in 1997 by the current owners, Edith and Denis Dalibot. Their winemakers help create powerful, yet elegant wines, with intense aromas and a generous bouquet. This richness allows for a long maturation in the cellar.

This wine is the signature of Château Brande Bergère, reflecting both their terroir and the hard work that is done in the vineyard as well as the cellar. Deep red in colour, this wine is well structured, round, and very elegant.

The winemaker's tasting note for this wine is as follows. "Clean and shiny ruby color. Cherry and violet aromas on the nose. Round and soft tannins make a voluptuous yet balanced wine. This wine delivers ample volume on the palate."

Please click on the blue link below to see some of the technical information for this wine.

Chateau Brande-Bergère 2015 - fiche technique

** ONLY AT EXEL WINES!! **

Awarded a Platinum Medal and 97 points at the 2018 Decanter World Wine Awards (click link for details).

For other 2018 DWWA winners, click here.

For recent 2019 press reviews of the Castera 2015, including from The Sunday Times and The Independent, plus independent feed from writers for the The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph, click here.

For our blog on the wine and the 2015 harvest, click here.

For a full description of this wine, we would direct you to the data sheet/fiche technique from Château Castera themselves (click blue link below). 

Château Castera Cru Bourgeois Medoc 2015 - fiche technique

A legendary terroir, prestigious neighbours, a providential encounter: the history and the success of Château Clerc Milon are summed up in these three words. The terroir is that of Pauillac, where some of the world’s finest wines are made. The neighbours are Château Mouton Rothschild and Château Lafite Rothschild, illustrious First Growths whose nearby vines can be seen from the terrace of the Château. The encounter was with Baron Philippe Rothschild, who in 1970 acquired the then badly neglected estate and decided to restore Château Clerc Milon to its status as a Classified Growth.

This wine is densely coloured, with a slightly brickish tint, while the particularly complex nose reveals scents of wilted flowers, incense and tobacco, mingled with more fleeting blackberry and humus aromas. There is sweetness on the palate which is perfectly combined with well-rounded tannins. The finely balanced, supple structure and the combination of smoky notes with wild berry fruit show that this Clerc Milon is now drinking well.

The call of faraway lands. As mysterious and intriguing as a lone adventurer returning from a solitary sail, Cos d’Estournel is slow to reveal itself. Little by little, it evokes stories of distant places, market stalls brimming with unfamiliar fruits, spices and wares, village festivities warmed by the joy of revelers and the setting sun, and sumptuous visions of ladies and their voluptuous curves. A myriad of scents, colors and tastes appeals to the senses. The Grand Vin of Cos d’Estournel is both demure and deliberately sensuous, a fascinating and elegant nectar.

Cos d’Estournel is ideally situated at the heart of an undulating landscape in the northern Médoc. The estate’s rolling contours served as inspiration for its name; cos is derived from the word for “hill of pebbles” in the old Gascon dialect. Keeping the oldest vine plants alive is crucial to perpetuating Cos d’Estournel’s rich heritage. Despite their low yield and the special care they require, these plants produce the grapes that shape the core identity of the estate’s wines.

The low yield of the vines promoted the ripening of the Cabernet Sauvignon, with stunning precision. It naturally blends with the roundness of the Merlot, to deliver a wine of classic style and elegant finesse. Cos d’Estournel 2008 has beautiful freshness and the powerful notes soften to allow the fruit flavours to appear.

"Ripe and generous with all the flavours quite open and accessible now even in its youth. This is a solid vintage for Cos but one that is an early drinking style. Tannins are firm and supple with the dark fruits and spices already at the fore." Jeannie Cho Lee

The call of faraway lands. As mysterious and intriguing as a lone adventurer returning from a solitary sail, Cos d’Estournel is slow to reveal itself. Little by little, it evokes stories of distant places, market stalls brimming with unfamiliar fruits, spices and wares, village festivities warmed by the joy of revelers and the setting sun, and sumptuous visions of ladies and their voluptuous curves. A myriad of scents, colors and tastes appeals to the senses. The Grand Vin of Cos d’Estournel is both demure and deliberately sensuous, a fascinating and elegant nectar.

Cos d’Estournel is ideally situated at the heart of an undulating landscape in the northern Médoc. The estate’s rolling contours served as inspiration for its name; ”cos” is derived from the word for “hill of pebbles” in the old Gascon dialect. Keeping the oldest vine plants alive is crucial to perpetuating Cos d’Estournel’s rich heritage. Despite their low yield and the special care they require, these plants produce the grapes that shape the core identity of the estate’s wines.

This wine, now slightly mature, offers a soft and velvety character and is a wine that deserves our full attention. The 2007 is now an elegant combination of sweet spices with smoky notes and grilled red fruit.

A concentrated deep red wine, with ripe red and black fruit flavours enhanced by spicy notes of cloves and subtle truffle flavours. Silky smooth on the palate with fine and elegant tannins and a long, succulent finish.

Awarded 88 points and Recommended status by Decanter (www.decanter.com) in their April 2018 edition review of the St-Emilion satellite appellations 2015 vintage (see blue link below).

Château La Fleur Grands-Landes Montagne St. Emilion 2015 - April 2018 Decanter review

The Durand family has owned the seven hectare estate in the Montagne district since the 18th century. In 1969, M. Carrère, Mme Durand's husband took over the estate, shaping it to its current form. Since 1997, his daughter Isabelle Carrère, oenologist from Michel Rolland's team, has been running the estate having taught viticulture and oenology for 10 years.

Generous flowering took place followed by a hot, dry early summer. August was slightly cooler and damper, followed by good weather in September enabling the grapes to reach full maturity. Generally the harvest took place earlier than the previous year. 2015 has been cited as a great modern Bordeaux vintage of excellent quality.

The vines are grown on slopes in clay soils. The vineyards are carefully managed throughout the year, with debudding, manual removal of the vine-shoots, leafthinning and green harvesting all being carefully performed. Chemical fertilisers are not used; instead vegetal based compost is added moderately to the soil having monitored its equilibrium. A manual harvest takes place when the grapes are slightly overripe to get a better phenolic maturity of the skins and the pips.

The grapes were carefully sorted by hand after a total destemming on the sorting table. 20% of the wine was bled off. A cold maceration took place prior to fermentation, which lasted three to four days. The fermentation was carried out in temperature controlled stainless steel vats, with daily pump-overs and lasted for three weeks. The wine was then matured, with 80% aged in vats and 20% in oak barrels.

A medium bodied Bordeaux , with spicy, dark fruits and herbal notes combined with earthy hints. A beautifully balanced wine with silky tannins and a light finish. A lovely match for beef wellington or barbequed chicken.

This wine is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Château Lamothe-Bouscaut is located in the village of Cadaujac and dates back to the 12th century. In 1999 it was acquired by its neighbour, Château Bouscaut, owned by Sophie Lurton and Laurent Cogombles. The Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines grown on the deep gravelly soils are on average 35 years old. The vineyards are sustainably managed and pruning is carried out by hand by five vineyard workers on the nine-hectare estate.

The rich, plush palate of Château Lamothe-Bouscaut is a result of a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and concrete tanks and then aged for 12 months in oak, 45% of which is new. Surprisingly approachable for its age, this Pessac-Léognan is ripe and generous and an excellent example of a fruit forward modern Bordeaux that is delicious to drink.

The stunning 18th century Château Puy Guilhem is located on the hills of Saillans, overlooking the appellations of Pomerol and Saint-Émilion. The vineyard covers 14.5 hectares and is situated at the highest elevation of the Fronsac appellation, where the quality soils produce rich, concentrated grapes. The vineyard is manually cultivated following a sustainable philosophy and renowned consultant oenologist Stéphane Derenoncourt vinifies by parcel, creating hand-crafted, fruit focused and beautifully balanced wines.

2009 is widely cited as an outstanding vintage. The growing season was almost perfect, with a long, fine, warm summer and crucially, cooler nights which helped to retain balancing acidity. The wines are intensely ripe and rich.

The appellation of Fronsac is on the right bank close to Saint Emilion. The wines are dominated by Merlot. Château Puy Guilhem’s vineyard is situated in an elevated position of the appellation, atop high quality soil composed of a mix of clay and silt, which imparts structure to the wine. The vineyard is managed sustainably without the use of herbicides. Cover crops of grass are grown between the vines and manged with light tilling.

Fermentation took place in temperature controlled vats and lasted for 24 to 48 hours. The fermenting must was manually pumped over, with daily observations to check the evolution of the skins. Maceration lasted between three to four weeks to extract the desired levels of colour, flavour and tannins. The wine was aged for 12 to 16 months in French oak barrels, of which 50% were new and 50% was of one year.

100% Merlot.

A mature and traditionally styled Bordeaux showing ripe and fleshy black berried fruits with a lovely savoury and earthy finish. A powerful yet elegant red with ripe berried fruits enhanced by a subtle note of oak spice. Full bodied, with juicy fruit and an attractive savoury note on the finish.

Ripe, friendly, plummy red with firm tannic backbone. Very well made and great to enjoy young. Medium bodied.

Ripe, friendly, plummy red with firm tannic backbone. Very well made and great to enjoy young. Medium bodied.