Recent Releases from Bouvet-Ladubay
Updated: 2012-03-31 19:57:32
After last month's Bollinger tasting, which touched - rather tangentially, admittedly - on one of Saumur's leading sparkling wine houses Langlois-Chateau, it perhaps seems only fair to turn the spotlight the other way for a short moment to one of its leading contenders, in this case Bouvet-Ladubay. Here I taste three of this house's latest releases featuring the 2008 and 2009 vintages, including one cuvée with celebrity credentials.
Home Wine of the Week Royal Tokaji Wine Co . Tokaji Aszú 5 Putt . Birsalmás 1995 Royal Tokaji Wine Company Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos Birsalmás 1995 I had considered opening something from Domaine Huet this weekend , following the surprise news last Friday although as I was so busy all day and all evening , and all night that I only picked it up Saturday morning that Noël Pinguet is to part company with the domaine and its main backer Anthony Hwang . Although I know many long-standing fans of Vouvray and the domaine in question have met and tasted with the late Gaston Huet , Noël's father-in-law , for me it is Noël Pinguet who has always been the face of this remarkable Vouvray domaine . His departure will leave behind a great void that will be difficult to . fill But let me stop myself right
, : Home Vintages and Regions Bordeaux Experimental Margaux , 2012 : Part 2 Experimental Margaux , 2012 : Part 2 Experimental Margaux Introduction , Experiment 1 Experiments 2-4, 2011 This update relates to experimental wines from Château Margaux , tasted in February 2012. For more on this estate , including all my relevant tasting notes , see my Château Margaux . profile In February 2012 I attended a tasting hosted by Paul Pontallier and Aurélien Valance , the technical director and commercial manager respectively of Château Margaux and Richard Bampfield who was there to represent co-host Yvon Mau The purpose of the event was to give the assembled audience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to taste some of the wines made during a remarkable ten years of wine research at Château Margaux In
Home Producer Profiles Loire Profiles Domaine de l'Ecu Domaine de l'Ecu The process of discovery in the Loire will without doubt vary from one person to the next , but my personal wine history begins with Sancerre followed by the red wines of Saumur Chinon and Bourgueil and the other appellations of the central vineyards . Later came Vouvray and perhaps a rediscovery of Saumur , as I realised not only just how delicious these wines can be in warmer weather , but also that there are a few really top-drawer domaines turning out world class wines , such as Clos Rougeard and Château de Villeneuve Muscadet also came later , and for many years I held the mistaken view that this appellation provided only simple , painfully rustic wines which were of no structure or substance an appellation where
The story of 2007 in Bordeaux is one of sorry disappointment enhanced by overly exuberant pricing. At least, that is the case for the red wines. When it comes to the sweet white wines of Bordeaux, however, this is a very exciting vintage (this can also be said of the dry white wines by the way, although these were not put under the microscope during this tasting). In the case of Sauternes and Barsac, this has been apparent from the outset.
Home Wine Features Loire Stars 2012 Loire Stars 2012 As those who have been following my recent blog posts will know , the 2012 Salon des Vins de Loire has not been one that has gone completely smoothly . Poor communication with the organisers of the off-events , questionable decisions about timing and bad weather have all contributed towards reduced visitor numbers . A shoddily run bus service , with buses which failed to materialise on two of the three occasions I opted to use the service , only added to my frustration . And a close call making my travel connections on the way down to the Salon added a personal frisson of excitement having gone through my travel bookings from previous Salons I've realised this was because the train I caught was 40 minutes earlier than in previous years
, Home Vintages and Regions Loire Loire Valley Sweet Wines , 2007 Vintage Loire Valley Sweet Wines , 2007 Vintage The Loire is a multifaceted wine region , and many of these facets are unique . There is nothing else in the little world of wine quite like troisième niveau Muscadet aged sur lie for three years or even longer . There is nothing else quite like Savennières Roches-aux-Moines , demi-sec Vouvray from a dedicated grower , or Chinon from a limestone terroir But if there is one of these facets that really stands out as unique and capable of producing truly world-beating wines it must surely be one of the classic sweet wine appellations . Quarts de Chaume and Bonnezeaux are perhaps the obvious choices , but do not ignore the newly christened , re-christened and then reborn Chaume the
There are few more distinctive styles in Champagne than Bollinger. The wines are made in an oxidative style, by which I mean that throughout the process they are not a rigorously protected from oxygen as they might be in the cellars of some other Champagne houses; this lower level of protection is in part influenced by Bollinger's tendency to ferment in oak - perhaps 25% of the final blend of Bollinger's Special Cuvée will have been fermented in oak, and La Grand Année is fermented entirely in oak - as well as the use of cork to seal the bottles for the secondary fermentation, rather than crown cap. Neither oak nor cork are impermable to oxygen of course.
: , Home Vintages and Regions Loire Loire 2011 Touraine Centre , January 2012 Loire 2011 : Touraine Centre Loire 2011 Vintage Review First Taste , 2012 Nantais Anjou Touraine Centre As always the focus at Charles Sydney's tasting leans slightly more towards those styles which drink earlier , and so just as Muscadet is dominant over Anjou , in terms of number of samples at least , so the wines of the central vineyards Sancerre , Pouilly-Fumé , Menetou-Salon and so on feature more heavily than those from Touraine . Nevertheless , the Touraines did seem exceptionally thin on the ground this time compared to last year although I suspect this feeling was in part due to the fact that two Touraine estates Charles Joguet and La Taille aux Loups were each showing their wines in a separate line up ,
: Home Wine Guides Tuscany Wine Guide Other Wines of Tuscany Other Wines of Tuscany Tuscany Wine Guide Introduction Chianti Chianti Classico A Day Out in Chianti Country Other Wines Brunello di Montalcino Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Down on the Coast Other Wines of Tuscany Having spent paragraph after paragraph and page after page exploring the Tuscan wine universe , covering everything from Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino through to Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the wines of the Tuscan Coast most of which feature Sangiovese in one form or another , we might be forgiven for thinking that apart from a few Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vines planted around Bolgheri there is absolutely nothing to Tuscany beyond Sangiovese . On the one hand this is not entirely untrue there is no
The light was beginning to fade as I headed north out of Sauternes; fortunately the weather was good and skies overhead clear, and so I made good progress north for my last appointment of the day. It's not until you get behind the wheel in Bordeaux that you really begin to appreciate just how vast a region this is; journeys between even just the best known communes - St Emilion, Sauternes, St Estèphe and so on - can involve several hours behind the wheel. Once you start adding in the more peripheral appellations, the more northern reaches of the Médoc, Sainte-Foy de Bordeaux and similar to the east or Blaye and Bourg on the right bank, journey times soon become intolerable.
My wines of the week have been really Loire-heavy recently, with wines from Muscadet, Savennières, Vouvray, Quarts de Chaume, Bourgueil and Sancerre. Nothing wrong with that of course, but this week it's certainly time for a break. And with my departure for the 2011 Bordeaux primeur tastings imminent, meaning a strong weighting towards Bordeaux in my updates from next week, I think that region should be avoided also. And so this week I'm looking further afield, to Rioja.
Hushed silence is not that uncommon when Bordeaux acolytes gather together around a few bottles of a first growth. Indeed, I sometimes feel I could hear a pin drop when tasting the very latest vintage at some estates, such is the reverence with which the wines are held. So imagine the level of anticipation that might surround a tasting of wines from one of these estates never even seen before and which will, in some cases perhaps, never be seen again.
, Home Vintages and Regions Loire Loire Update : Château de Villeneuve Château de Villeneuve Update , 2012 Château de Villeneuve This update relates to wines tasted in February 2012 and January 2011. For more on this estate , including all my relevant tasting notes , see my Château de Villeneuve . profile It's been too long since I last reported on the wines of Jean-Pierre Chevallier and in fact it might be said that it is too long since I last reported on any wines at all from the Saumur and Saumur-Champigny appellations . This region of the Loire is too easy to overlook , its wines often good but rarely the best the white wines are often eclipsed by more focused and complex styles from Vouvray and these days Montlouis , the reds frequently paling into insignificance behind those from
. Friday March 30th Log in Register Contact About Search and find good red . wine Visit Winesworld.net the wine . database Home Wine Food Travel Recipes Reviews Book Reviews Prod . we don’t like Restaurants Wine Reviews Ebooks Archives Contributors Hrayr Berberoglu Morten Pedersen Hotel Professionals We are looking for advertisers . Advertise with us and get a good . deal mail winesworld.com Professor Hrayr Berberoglu Professor B offers seminars Greater Toronto Area to companies and interested parties at their residence on any category of wine , chocolates , chocolates and wine , olive oils , vinegars and dressings , at a reasonable cost . Please , contact him at hberbero ryerson.ca List of Professor B`s . books Professor Berberoglu accepts wines , liquors , liqueurs , and beers for
. Thursday March 29th Log in Register Contact About Search and find good red . wine Visit Winesworld.net the wine . database Home Wine Food Travel Recipes Reviews Book Reviews Prod . we don’t like Restaurants Wine Reviews Ebooks Archives Contributors Hrayr Berberoglu Morten Pedersen Hotel Professionals We are looking for advertisers . Advertise with us and get a good . deal mail winesworld.com Professor Hrayr Berberoglu Professor B offers seminars Greater Toronto Area to companies and interested parties at their residence on any category of wine , chocolates , chocolates and wine , olive oils , vinegars and dressings , at a reasonable cost . Please , contact him at hberbero ryerson.ca List of Professor B`s . books Professor Berberoglu accepts wines , liquors , liqueurs , and beers for
. Tuesday March 27th Log in Register Contact About Search and find good red . wine Visit Winesworld.net the wine . database Home Wine Food Travel Recipes Reviews Book Reviews Prod . we don’t like Restaurants Wine Reviews Ebooks Archives Contributors Hrayr Berberoglu Morten Pedersen Hotel Professionals We are looking for advertisers . Advertise with us and get a good . deal mail winesworld.com Professor Hrayr Berberoglu Professor B offers seminars Greater Toronto Area to companies and interested parties at their residence on any category of wine , chocolates , chocolates and wine , olive oils , vinegars and dressings , at a reasonable cost . Please , contact him at hberbero ryerson.ca List of Professor B`s . books Professor Berberoglu accepts wines , liquors , liqueurs , and beers for
The present article complements a post on reading labels of Portugal wines.
The Portuguese are a sea-faring nation – and accordingly, some of their most famous wines have been moulded by the tastes and demands of their export markets. That is the case with both Madeira and port, two of the greatest fortified wines in the [...]
April TXwine Twitter Tuesday Moved to Wednesday on Local Wine – April 4, 2012! Denise Clarke (@DeniseFraser), Jeff Cope (@TXwinelover) and I (@VintageTexas) hope you can join us for the next TXWine Twitter Tuesday chat – but again it will be on Wednesday, April 4th at 8 p.m. CT. We have changed to Wednesday for [...]
What Are Your Favorite Texas Wines of All Time? Here’s Mine! Chef Terry Thompson-Anderson asked me in an email yesterday to name my top ten Texas wines of all time. I don’t know exactly why this question came up, but it got me thinking about it for a while and then made this list (not [...]
Write Off the Vine: Texas Wine News – March 18, 2012 | Top Stories this Week Asador at Dallas Renaissance Hotel: Better Than Ever. Why Don’t Locals Eat There? Posted on March 13th, 2012 12:35pm by Andrew Chalk – Andy asks a good Question… One thing I would like them to revisit is their wine [...]
Another Wine Blog Because Another Wine , Food , Beer and Travel Blog would have been way too ing long Skip to content Home Best of AWB Reviews Food Cooking Recipes Contact Us Contact AWB Contact Amy Contact Joe Media PR Inquiries Links About About This Site About Amy About Joe RSS Feed Twitter StumbleUpon FaceBook This wine should be eaten , it is too good to be drunk . Jonathan Swift AWB Home » Is Wine Breathing Bunk Guest Post by Denman Moody March 17, 2012 Is Wine Breathing Bunk Guest Post by Denman Moody By Amy Corron Power Leave a comment Tweet Share W e first encountered Denman Moody , Jr . in 2009, at the inaugural Houston Wine Conference where he , along with Guy Stout and Gary Vaynerchuk , was a featured speaker . Now , we often join him at winemaker dinners in Houston ,
Lessons Learned for Local Wine Movements from Colorado and Texas: DrinkLocalWine.com Time While working on my recently released book, The Wineslinger Chronicles, I had a discussion with Bran Johnson. He was a geology professor at Texas A&M who started growing grapes in Texas. He has since been transplanted into Colorado where he is a commercial [...]
. Wednesday March 14th Log in Register Contact About Search and find good red . wine Visit Winesworld.net the wine . database Home Wine Food Travel Recipes Reviews Book Reviews Prod . we don’t like Restaurants Wine Reviews Ebooks Archives Contributors Hrayr Berberoglu Morten Pedersen Hotel Professionals We are looking for advertisers . Advertise with us and get a good . deal mail winesworld.com Professor Hrayr Berberoglu Professor B offers seminars Greater Toronto Area to companies and interested parties at their residence on any category of wine , chocolates , chocolates and wine , olive oils , vinegars and dressings , at a reasonable cost . Please , contact him at hberbero ryerson.ca List of Professor B`s . books Professor Berberoglu accepts wines , liquors , liqueurs , and beers for
Another Wine Blog Because Another Wine , Food , Beer and Travel Blog would have been way too ing long Skip to content Home Best of AWB Reviews Food Cooking Recipes Contact Us Contact AWB Contact Amy Contact Joe Media PR Inquiries Links About About This Site About Amy About Joe RSS Feed Twitter StumbleUpon FaceBook The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind . Humphrey Bogart AWB Home » Hospice du Rhône to Celebrate 20 Years in 2012 March 11, 2012 Hospice du Rhône to Celebrate 20 Years in 2012 By Amy Corron Power Leave a comment Tweet Share I t’s a wine event for Lovers of Rhône wines This year Hospice du Rhône will mark two decades of celebrating everything Rhône at an annual Spring event in Paso Robles , California , scheduled for April 26-28, 2012. The
Want to Know Everything about Viognier from Virginia, Texas, California and France? Viognier Symposium March 19, 2012 Brennan Vineyards Comanche TX Speakers include: – James Tidwell, Master Sommelier (Four Seasons Las Colinas) – John Delmare, Owner/Winmaker, Rappahannoch Cellars, Huntly, Virginia – Jim Evans, Winemaker, Lone Oak Winery, Burleson, Texas – Dr. Justin Scheiner, Grayson County [...]
Write Off the Vine: Texas Wine News – March 10, 2012 Winegrowing Regions of Texas Texas has eight officially recognized winegrowing regions; these are known as American Viticultural Areas (AVA). The most important features that characterize a winegrowing region are the interrelated factors of climate, soils, and topography. This website presents general descriptions and technical [...]
Pairings for Tex-Mex: Texas Wine…Why? Cause Locavore Meets Locapour Ray Isle (@islewine on Twitter) Food & Wine’s executive wine editor blogged Moday about pairing wines with Tex-Mex food. See: Pairings for Tex-Mex: Wine Not (http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2012/03/05/drinks-with-tex-mex-wine-not/) Ray featured exclusively non-Texas wines as his Tex-Mex food and wine pairings. Why bother featuring Texas wines? Texas is the [...]
Multitasking: Doc Russ, Texas Wineslinger Will Present #TXwines in the Champion Wine Garden On Tuesday, March 6 – Texas Trails, 6 – 7 p.m. and again at 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. me (Doc Russ, Texas Wineslinger) will present and discuss a flight of award winning Texas wines from the 2012 Houston Rodeo and Livestock Show [...]