June 29, 2011
Welcome to the G-1. No, this was not an economic summit. We wine journalists are a spoiled lot. For the fifth Vinexpo in a row, I was invited to the prestige first-growth dinner of St Emilion. Organised by the G-1, the clever new name for the Groupement de Premiers Grands Crus Classés de Saint Emilion, the […]
June 27, 2011
Château Haut Bailly is all about elegance. The chateau is for me one of the very best in Bordeaux, particularly for the Graves region. But prices are reaching the stratosphere – just a few years ago, one could buy a 2000 or 2001 for far less than the 2005, and then the 2010 is set at […]
June 18, 2011
19 June 2010 at Vinexpo, Bordeaux. Over the next few days, I will be posting notes on new and old vintages of great wines. Many from lunches and dinners: at Domaine de Chevalier, at Haut Brion, at Haut Bailly, at Cheval Blanc, at Lascombes. And from tastings, including Petrus, Beausejour DL, Pavie Macquin, Sociando Mallet. […]
June 18, 2011
Vinexpo minus 2 days and I find myself spending Friday late morning, 17 June, at Sociando Mallet. This estate is smart and delicious. Smart because the price for 2010 actually dropped a bit from 2009. Delicious because the wine is very well made. The terroir includes a fine gravely hilltop north of St Estephe, comparable […]