Bordeaux Bud Break

It seems that Virginia vines are not the only ones showing bud break. My good friends at Chateau Brane-Cantenac sent me some pictures of the buds starting to break on the vines.

The picture above is from the same vantage as the ones in this post, as you can there is already more green.

The two vines below are next to each other in the same row. Because of the chilly weather, vines are developing at different rates.

Contrast

These two photos were taken from roughly the same spot at Brane Cantenac. The first one was taken in early September about a month before the harvest.

The second photo was taken in early April during En Primeurs. The difference between the two is quite stark:

Margaux and Medoc Tasting

I've mentioned before that I think the 09s from the left bank were consistently excellent. Where I thought this particularly shined through was the Margaux/Medoc blind tasting at Chateau Chasse-Spleen. Part of this was due to familiarity, I like wines from the Margaux appellation, so I drink more of them and know more about them than I do other regions. But, it wasn't just me, most of the journalists I talked to noted the same thing about wines from left bank, in general, and Margaux in particular.

What makes the 2009 vintage so outstanding and why is almost everyone fawning over it? It started with the perfect weather. With the exception of some hailstorms early in the season, the weather in 2009 was perfect for producing quality Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, this allowed the winemakers, especially on the left bank, to produce the kind of wine they wanted. As I went through my tasting notes to write this post, I realized that I had written the phrase "classic Bordeaux" 12 times.

Classic Bordeaux, to me, refers to that combination elegance, structure, and aromas that can only come from a well-done Bordeaux. Almost all the wines in the Margaux/Medoc tasting seemed to have it. But there were a few that stood out, and those are below (these are only wines from the Margaux/Medoc blind tasting, there are others from that region that I will write about later).

Remember, the wines below are listed in order of tasting, not perceived score:



Chateau Malescot Saint Exupery: Very dark color, lots of green pepper and spices on the nose, well-structured tannins and very full body.

Chateau Dauzac: Black fruit and pepper aromas. Good fruit in the mouth, very subtle, slowly worked its way back nice tannins

Chateau Kirwan: Aromas of plum and black cherry. Very powerful wine, an interesting contrast to Chateau Dauzac. This one is has a full body with strong tannins and a lingering palate.

Chateau Lascombes: Lots of pepper on this wine, some hints of black fruit as well. Well-structured tannins with a medium body.

Chateau Marquis de Terme: Green pepper on the nose, surprisingly strong aromas. Good deep purple color with firm tannins and a full body.

Chateau Brane-Cantenac: This was an all-around elegant wine. It started with very refined green pepper and plum aromas. Then soft, lingering tannins, that slowly worked their way to the back of the mouth and lingered. Incredible body, a wine that feels like it will age extremely well.

Chateau Chasse-Spleen: Red fruit and some leather aromas. Very fruit forward wine with a medium body.

Chateau Fonreaud: Lots of red fruit with a little green pepper on the nose. Good structure, with a medium body.

Chateau La Tour de By: Deep purple color, the Petit Verdot really shines through. Good pepper on the nose. A complex wine with well-structured tannins and a medium body.

Brane-Cantenac on Pardon that Vine

I always worry that people will think I spend too much talking about how great Chateau Brane Cantenac is. But, I am not the only one. Chris Riccobono, from Pardon that Vine feels the same way. You can watch the video on his site

He even got to taste their 2009 vintage, which was recently blended.

Un week-end d'exception a Margaux

Maria, from Chateau Brane-Cantenac sent me a note about this event, hosted by Terre de Vins.

Un week-end d'exception a Margaux an incredible weekend-ish getaway to Margaux! The trip starts off on Friday with lunch at Chateau Brane-Cantenac, followed by a tasting at Chateau Margaux.

After the Margaux tasting, the next stop is Chateau Palmer for dinner. After dinner, guests will spend the night at the Relais de Margaux.

In the morning guests will do tastings at Chateau Kirwan and Chateau Rauzan-Segla. The weekend finishes up with a lunch and reception at Chateau Lascombes.

The best part, is that these are not the ordinary tastings, the Chateaux have really gone all out. Chateau Palmer is serving their 1998, 1990 and 1983 vintages and the 2000 vintage of their Alter Ego. Chateau Brane-Cantenac is serving their 2004, 2002 and 1996 vintages and Chateau Lascombes is serving their 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2001 vintages, plus the 2005 vintage of their second label.

The price is 1290 Euro per person and there is only space for 25 people. This is an incredible opportunity, one that I would take advantage of, if I wasn't already going out to Bordeaux in March/April.

Brane-Cantenac Part II

After my tour of the property, I was invited to have lunch at the Chateau. Keep in mind that (as I am sure you all are aware) I'm nobody. I am not a buyer and while I write about Bordeaux a lot on this site a good day for me is 100 visits, so I have no influence in the wine world whatsoever and yet Henri, Corinne and Maria took time out of their day to have lunch with me.

This is one thing that stood out during my trip to Bordeaux: just about everywhere I went I was met with warmth and openness. Everyone was friendly and accommodating - which was especially nice considering how bad/non-existent my French is. In America, we often see French people portrayed as snotty and stand-offish. That may be true in some parts of France, but it was definitely not true in Bordeaux and the surrounding regions.




Lunch started off with hours hors d'oeuvres served with Champagne. This was followed by a 4 course meal, each course paired with a vintage of Chateau Brane Cantenac, selected by Henri. It was excellent, and by far the best meal I had while I was in Bordeaux (i didn't have any bad meals while I was there, this was just the best :)).

Aside from the great food and superb wine what made the meal great was how quickly the conversation ramped up. Very quickly it felt like I had known these people for years and the two hours I had set aside for lunch passed so quickly that I almost missed my appointment at Chateau Margaux.

One of the advantages of being a blogger and not a wine journalist is that I get to show my love for wine properties that I think do everything right. You read that here in my constant posts about Breaux Vineyards, Fabbioli Cellars and when I write about Chateau Brane Cantenac. To me, these wineries not only make great wine but do a tremendous job of taking care of their fans and I have no problem repeatedly telling the world how great they are :).

Brane-Cantenac Part I

This is the first part of my last post about Chateau visits while I was in Bordeaux and the one that I am the most excited to write. Chateau Brane-Cantenac has long been one of my favorite wines. To me, it is the quintessential Bordeaux: complex and elegant, with well-structured tannins and a long finish. Plus, with most vintages in the $50-$70 range it is a wine that I can (and do) drink regularly.



The history of Chateau Brane-Cantenac dates back to at least the early 18th century when the property was known as Chateau Gorce. Even then it was recognized as a quality wine. The estate was purchased Baron Hector de Brane in 1833. Baron Hector de Brane -- a staunch advocate for making Cabernet Sauvignon the primary grape in the Medoc -- renamed the property to Brane-Cantenac in 1838 and that is the name that was used in the 1855 Classification.

Chateau Brane-Cantenac is classified as a second growth.




Like many properties in Bordeaux, the estate fell on hard times between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It changed owners several times before finally being sold to Leonce Recapet and Francois Lurton in 1925. The estate was passed to Francois' son Lucien Lurton (I have a couple of bottles of Brane that have L. Lurton etched into the wax covering on the bottle). In 1992 Lucien passed the property to his son, Henri Lurton. It is Henri who runs the Chateau today.



Henri Lurton is well-known for innovations in the wine making process. While I was visiting the Chateau I was fortunate enough to have him give me the tour, and I have to say it was a real honor talking to him about his winemaking process and philosophy.

There is an old adage that if you want to sculpt an elephant you simply get a block of marble and chip away anything that doesn’t look like an elephant. That appears to be Henri's philosophy when it comes to making wine: Because of Brane-Cantenac's terroir and the care he shows the vines there is great wine in the fruit, he just needs to chip away everything that is not great and the wine will manifest itself.

Of course it helps that Chateau Brane-Cantenac sits on one of the best spots in the Margaux region. Directly in front of the Chateau is the Plateau de Brane. The Plateau de Brane has an elevation, at its peak, of 22 meters above sea-level. It is comprised of large gravel that extends as deep as 10 meters. This is an ideal environment for Cabernet Sauvignon. The gravel improves the resilience of the vines and generates additional heat.




Harvesting and sorting are done by hand. Initial fermentation is done in temperature controlled steel, concrete and oak vats (Henri has a preference for oak). Malolactic fermentation is done inside the barrel, one of Henri's innovations. Racking is done every three months. To make that process easier Henri has begun using twist on bungs (see the last picture) in the barrels. Fining is done with egg whites and the wine is typically aged 18 months.

There are a total of 75 hectares under vine. 55% of those are Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and .5% Carmenere. The average age of the vines is 35 years.

Snow in Bordeaux

Based on all the Twitter and Facebook comments, I believe it is snowing in Bordeaux. Also, based on those comments, I gather the people of Bordeaux deal with snow about as well as people in the DC Metro area do. Yet another thing the two wine regions have in common :)

Update:: My friends at Brane Cantenac have some great pictures on their blog.

2008 Brane-Cantenac Futures

I think Gary Vaynerchuck is way off in his opinion of Bordeaux 2008 futures. I'll go into more detail in a later post, but 2008 looks to have a lot of bargains and, if you have patience, it might be a good year to collect.

I've mentioned before I had the opportunity to barrel taste the 2008 vintage and I thought it was fantastic, even at the young age I tried it. So, as a Christmas gift to myself I purchased a case of 2008 Brane-Cantenac, which is more than I have ever purchased before from the futures market, but at $37.99 a bottle I couldn't pass up the deal.

I want to commend the staff at J.J. Buckley for making the process incredibly easy. I've never ordered from them before, but I have been following Paige on Twitter, so when I was ready she passed me off to Chris who conducted the whole transaction in a matter of minutes.

And, the great thing about buying a case is that they are able to promise me the original wooden container in which the wine will ship!

Now, all I have to do is wait until 2011 to get my wine, and then wait until 2013 or so to drink it :). Good think I have lots of past vintages to help me bide the time. I've also been looking around at potentially picking up some some other deals as well, the problem is I will very quickly run out of space.

Hmmm...the nice people at Vintage Keeper have asked me before if I would be interested in accepting advertising from them, maybe I can trade them an ad for a VP 250 :).

Redesigned Brane-Cantenac Website

My friends at Chateau Brane-Cantenac have updated their website. While, I liked the previous design, this one is much cleaner and easier to follow. Two things of note, they have made it easier to get to their blog (which has some nice pictures from the recent Paris tasting) and the more prominent use of the "Just Brane" slogan.

How well do you know Terroir?

I've talked about the concept of terroir before. Terroir is a French term that describes how environmental factors -- such as climate, soil and methods of farming -- influence grapes and create a unique, regional, signature for different grapes. This translates to the same grape often producing very different wines depending on the region.

Here is a fun little game. Below are pictures of three different vines and their surrounding soil. One is from Brane Cantenac in Bordeaux, one is from Kunde winery in Sonoma and one is from North Gate Vineyard in Loudoun County

Can you determine which one is which? Leave your answer in the comments section.

The Tasting Room at Reston Town Center

I've written about the Boxwood Tasting Room in Middleburg. Now Boxwood has opened Tasting Rooms in Reston Town Center and in Chevy Chase.

I recently visited the one in Reston Town Center and had a great experience. The Tasting Room has a modern feel; it is sparsely decorated with lots of gray and black. I think this style works much better in Reston Town Center then it does in Middleburg. Middleburg tends to focus on the old and the cozy, so the Tasting Room there is slightly jarring in its contrast to the rest of the town.





The wine selection was great and they seem to have expanded from offering just the wines of Stephane Derenoncourt to offer a wide variety of Bordeaux wines. In fact, I was very excited to see that they are offering a Henri Lurton (owner of Brane Cantenac) wine!

They also offer light faire, such as olives and almonds and, of course, and excellent selection of cheeses.

Bordeaux Futures

Panos Kakaviatos has an article in Decanter about supposed American disillusionment with Bordeaux Futures:

Wine merchants will buy 2009 Bordeaux futures, but they say that previous vintages are unsold, the economy is uncertain, the exchange rate unfavourable – and they doubt Robert Parker can score it higher than 2008 anyway.

Michael Glasby of the American retailer Premier Cru in California predicts that 2009 Bordeaux wines will have to 'fight for their place more fiercely than all the previous "vintages of the century".'

I know I am not a typical wine consumer, but I like the futures system and usually try to take advantage of it. This is a great way to pick up deals on what will undoubtedly be good vintages. In particular, I think there are some really good deals amongst the 2008 futures.

Let me illustrate with one of my favorites, Chateau Brane Cantenac. The 2005 vintage is going for about $100 a bottle. The 2006 vintage, which has only recently started hitting stores in the United States goes for about $70 a bottle. This make sense as the 2006 vintage was not as good as the 2005.

I had the chance to do a barrel tasting of the 2008 vintage while I was in Bordeaux, and I agree with Parker that it is a very complex, classic Bordeaux. Right now, futures for the 2008 vintage are available for around $38. That is a great deal for a wine that will probably retail for double that.

Of course there is risk with futures, just as there is with any investment. You have to rely that the company you purchase your futures from to be around in 2011 when the wine is finally delivered and if you are investor, not a drinker, you have to hope that the wine does increase in value. But, Bordeaux futures have been a strong investment for many years, if you have the money, an investment in futures almost always pays off.

L'Intendant Wine Shop

I am going to try to get the posts from my Bordeaux trip out over the next week or so...I may not succeed, but I will try :). The posts will not necessarily be in chronological order.

One of the places that was on my must-visit list was the L'Intendant Wine Shop, located across from the Grand Theatre. Aside from the fact that they actually have really good prices, the L'Intendant wine shop is famous for its large spiral staircase in the center of the store.

The wine is shelved around the staircase, so as you walk up the stairs you are met with wines from just about every Chateaux in Bordeaux, and they only stock Bordeaux wine (more than 15,000 bottles). They also carry second and the third wines from most of the Chateaux.

At the top of the staircase you are greeted with a sign that reads "Les Incunables." In printing Les Incunables refers to anything that was printed (rather than being handwritten) prior to 1501 -- in other words, very rare documents.

The Les Incunables section of L'Intendant is filled with older, and rarer Bordeaux wines. For example, I found a 1969 Brane Cantenac that I brought back with me...a truly great find.

If you are in Bordeaux, definitely add L'Intendant to your list of places to see. Bordeaux makes the world's best wines, it is nice to see them displayed in a manner befitting their status.

Review: 2003 Chateau Bouscaut

Wine: 2003 Chateau Bouscaut



Review: The Bouscaut vineyards have been around since the 16th century, but it has only had the name Chateau Bouscaut since 1929. The Chateau is managed by Sophie Lurton (brother of Henri who, of course, oversees Chateau Brane-Cantenac). Chateau Bouscaut has carried the status of Grand Cru Classe de Graves since 1953, which is a recognition of the consistent quality of their winemaking.

Chateau Bouscaut is an excellent everyday Bordeaux. It is a blend of 53% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc. It is a complex wine with strong aromas of plum and cigar. The tannins were soft, it has mellowed well with age, but it had a nice long palate which made it a very enjoyable wine.

Price: $26

Grade: 95

Brane Cantenac Wine Dinner

A few days after the Heart's Delight tasting and auction Chef Marty hosted a Brane Cantenac wine dinner at Petits Plats which is a cool little French Restaurant in Woodley Park. Henri Lurton, owner and winemaker at Brane, was there to talk about the wine.

The food was excellent and Henri did a masterful job of explaining why he chose to pair different vintages with different foods. It was nice to get his insight into each vintage and to learn more about the different years and what to expect from Brane Cantenac wines for each year.

I've gone to several similar verticals at BBreaux Vineyards and it is always a fascinating experience. Learning about the different years and how that affects the wine is great...but then actually getting to taste the vintages for yourself really brings the experience home. It is a great way to educate your palate and a lot of fun :).

Heart's Delight Wine Dinner

The next two posts are ones I've been meaning to post for a while, but wanted to save before my trip.

Back in May, the American Heart Association hosted their annual Heart's Delight wine tasting and auction. This is an incredible event. Not only does it raise money for a good cause (a lot of money), but it gives its patrons a chance to taste some of the best wines in Bordeaux.

Over 30 Chateau participate in this event, and they don't just send along their wines, they also send along their owners and winemakers to talk about each wine. The tasted was refereed by Robert Parker, but each Chateau got to talk about their own wines.





One thing that really struck me while listening to the winemakers talk was their sense of appreciation for the land. Winemaker after winemaker referred to themselves as the caretaker of the land or talked about how much they limit production to preserve the land for future use. I guess when you are a winemaker in a region that has been making the world's greatest wines for over a 1000 years it can be a little humbling.

After the tasting we went down the auction room where many chefs, from all over the country, were gathered and offering up samples of some of their best dishes. Some of the best restaurants in DC were there, including Chef Geoff, as well as chefs from Chicago, New York, Los Angeles. Atlanta and more.




They also let us bring down any of the unused wine from the tasting. Naturally, I grabbed a couple of bottles of Brane Cantenac,

Overall, it was a great event for a great cause. If you are in the DC area I highly recommend that you go next year if you get a chance.

More on 2009 Bordeaux Harvest

According to Decanter, some producers are really excited about the 2009 vintage. This is in sharp contrast to what we were hearing in May after hail storms damaged many producers (including Brane Cantenac. If this turns out to be true it will be interesting to see if we get a really good, but rare, year.

The article quotes Emmanuel Cruise, from Chateau d'Issan, as saying the harvest may start as early as mid-September.

I'll be in Bordeaux next week, so it will be nice to get a first hand account of the quality of the fruit on the vines and the harvest.

Update: It looks like the white grape harvest is going to kick off even sooner.

2nd Update: More information on the harvest

DC Brane Cantenac Wine Dinner

Remember three posts again when I said I would stop talking about Brane. I lied :).

It turns out the Brane Cantenac winemaker will be hosting a wine dinner at Petit Plats in Woodley Park on Monday the 11th.

Details are here.

I'll be there!

2008 Brane Cantenac

I promise I'll pick on some other wines shortly, but I just wanted to post this tremendous review from Robert Parker for the 2008 vintage of Brane Cantenac:

This is one of the most complex wines of the appellation, exhibiting notes of underbrush, sweet currants, cherries, and subtle touches of roasted herbs, incense, and spice box. It does not possess the power or depth of the 2005, and may not even eclipse the 2006, but it is a beautiful, pure, mid-weight, well-balanced, impeccably pure Margaux that should drink well for 15+ years.

He rated it between a 90-93.

Brane Cantenac in Chicago

If you are going to be in Chicago on May 12th, you should definitely check this out:

Please join us for a very rare visit with Henri Lurton, proprietor and wine maker at Château Brane-Cantenac. It is an honor to have him in Chicago for this event and we hope you will join us on this special occasion. Chef Michael Kornick will prepare a special dinner paired to six outstanding recent vintages of Château Brane-Cantenac, and space is very limited.

Sadly, I will be nowhere near Chicago...but it should be a great dinner.

On the other hand, if you are in the DC area, Brane Cantenac will be one of 20+ Chateaus represented at the Heart's Delight wine tasting on May 9th.

Just Brane

While I am talking about them. If you speak French check out Just Brane the Brane Cantenac blog.

Blackjack Vertical

I've managed to acquire bottles of 1961 and 1982 Brane Cantenac. I already have a 2003 bottle, so I am planning a Blackjack Vertical (you know, because the vintages are 21 years apart :)) in the very near future.



The average age of the vines in the Brane Cantenac vineyard is 35 years, its strange to think that the vine that helped produce the 1982 vintage may also have contributed to the 2003 vintage.

Review: 2004 Brane-Cantenac

Wine: Brane-Cantenac 2004 Bordeaux



Review: The Brane-Cantenac Bordeaux is one of my favorite wines, so I am surprised I have only done one other review of it. This is a wine that has steadily improved over the years, and unfortunately, the price has increased in accordance with its quality.

This vintage has a typical Bordeaux feel to it. It was a ruby color with aromas of plum and vanilla. The oak really comes through in this wine, giving it a complex feel and a lingering palette. It is definately a wine to be savored and lingered over.

Price: $59

Grade: 95

Wine: 2003 Baron de Brane Bordeaux



Review: This is a double review. Last Wednesday the wine club met up at Dino's for their Wine Wednesday. Dino's is one of the wine bars that i have wanted to visit and I was really looking forward to it. As always, Leah has a great recap.

The wine flight that night was Rosso di Montalcino, Toscana all very good, light wines that were obviously designed to be paired with food. The bar was cozy and relaxed as was the upstairs dining area. Overall, a fantastic experience, and I cannot wait to go back.

One of the best features of Dino's Wine Wednesday is the fact that there is no corkage fee. Most members of the wine club brought bottle of wine. My choice for the evening was a bottle of Baron de Brane. If the label looks familiar it is probably because you asre familiar with its more famous cousin: Brane Cantentenac.

Baron de Brane is the second growth of the Brane Cantenac winery. It is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Unlike Brane Cantenac this wine is aged for 12 months, rather than 18. Don't let that dissuade you though, this is a good wine.

This is a very intense wine with strong aromas of chocolate and plums. its a very balanced, fully-bodied wine with strong tannins and a smooth finish. It was probably a little soon to open it, but just barely and it definitely was better as the evening progressed and it had a chance to decant.

Price: $26

Grade: 90

The second part of my trip to Indiana...

Saturday afternoon i visited Easley Winery in downtown Indianapolis (downtown being very loosely defined, it is about 10 blocks from the center of Indianapolis). Walking into a winery in the middle of Indianapolis was kind of strange. The building blended in with the other buildings in that part of town, if it weren't for the signage announcing the tastings I would have never known it was a winery.

The vineyards for Easley were first planted more than 35 years ago near the Ohio River in southern Indiana. The area where the grapes are grown appears to be conducive to a wide range of varietals. Easley offers a wide range of wines from Chardonnay and Vidal Blanc to Merlot and Concord.

There were a couple of standouts, their Reggae Red is made from Concord Grapes, which makes a sweet red that is easy to drink and very light. They also have a nice Chambourcin, a grape that I don't normally think of as a stand-alone wine, but this was pretty good.

The tasting room was nicely laid out and the people doing the pouring were very knowledgeable about their own wines as well as the local wine scene, which was nice.

That night we had dinner with my friend's parents where we shared a bottle of 2002 Brane Cantenac and a bottle of Christopher Creek Reserve Petite Sirah. I had not tried anything from Christopher Creek prior to this wine and I was very impressed. it was a fruity wine, slightly tannic with a long finish.

I tend to get confused by the Bordeaux classification system, and I am not always sure which classification is best...or how much that matters.

I tend to favor Bordeaux wines with the Margaux appellation and have found them to be remarkably consistent. I had a chance to put this to the test the other night. A friend came over for dinner and we had two bottles, the first was a 1983 Chateau Brane-Cantenac, the second was a 1993 Chateau Cantenac Brown:





Both wines were excellent, and have aged very nicely giving them a full-bodied, yet smooth taste and a medium finish. Both have received 90+ ratings, and who am I to argue with the "experts"

The Chateau Brane-Cantenac is considered second growth, and is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc.

The Chateau Cantenac Brown is a third growth and is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc.

We finished up the evening with Texas Chocolate cake served with Hope's Raspberry Merlot, which I have already reviewed.