Chateau Haut-Peyrous, Rouge. 2009 Vintage now available

Hard work in the vineyard at Chateau Haut Peyrous in 2014 now leads to work in the cellar.

While vintage 2014 is almost complete at Chateau-Haut Peyrous in Graves, DiscoverVin are excited about the arrival of the 2009 vintage on Australian shores.

The 2009 Chateau Haut-Peyrous rouge, Retours de Palombières is available on line for $39.90.

 

2009 was a great year in Bordeaux and the red wine, Retours de Palombières from Chateau Haut-Peyrous is a great example of this vintage.

Chateau Haut-Peyrous is a biodynamic and organic producer, with all work since 2008 carried out in accordance with organic production criteria.  The soil is worked mechanically with grass left to grow between rows to encourage microbial activity.

Retours de Palombières is Merlot based (65%)  with Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Cabernet Franc (20%) and small amounts of Petit Verdot and Malbec.

DiscoverVin have sold out of

2008 but now have 2009 in stock

On opening,  immediate complexity on the nose is evident with red fruits and violets. Great mouth feel.  It is round, complex and gorgeous. The tannins are restrained, but add structure. It has lovely minerals and the spice typical of good Graves red wine.

Rich and soft now we think the wine will continue to improve with cellaring for the next two to five years.

Wine Enthusiast Reviewer, Roger Voss, described the 2009 wine as "A powerful yet youthful wine.  It balances blackberry fruit character with smoky tannins and delicious , bright and juicy acidity."

New wine: Chateau Rollan de By 2008

Our new wine from Bordeaux Chateau Rollan de By 2008 has attracted some attention this week being named wine of the week by wine writer Winsor Dobbin.  He wrote....

"The price of some the more prestigious Bordeauxs has put them beyond the reach of mortals with budgets; but there is still some great "claret" available to those without a black American Express card. This is a case in point, a very impressive Cru Bourgeois from the ever-growing stable of Jean Guyon, who also owns the renowned Chateau Greysac. This Medoc blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot is soft and understated without any hints of greenness. There are moccha and ripe fruit aromas while the medium-bodied palate is blessed with an appealing structure with dark blackcurrant and restrained oak to the fore. Perfumed and elegant, it was an excellent match for a beef casserole. I liked this a lot. $59. Imported by DiscoverVin " ...

This wine has won many other awards including 2 stars in the French wine review bible The Guide Hachette and a Gold Medal at the Paris wine show.

All published scores for this wine are here on wine-searcher 

Wine Enthusiast	90/100
Wine Spectator	90/100
CellarTracker	87/100
Jean-Marc Quarin	85/100
Decanter	16.7/20
Gault & Millau	15/20
Jancis Robinson	15/20
Vinum Wine Magazine	14.5/20

Jean Guyon is the owner of Château Rollan de By. Twenty years ago, when he purchased this domain, he began to improve quality and extended the vineyard.  Traditional vine growing systems were adopted.  Vines were replanted and natural fertilizers used to support the recovery of the natural ecosystem.  On an impressive deep soil of gravel, Jean Guyon produces wines that were every bit as good as the classified-growths.  The vines on the 45 hectare vineyard have an average age of 35 years.

Berry Brothers in London describe this Chateau as "a very reliable source of good value Medoc"

Region/Terroir:  Médoc –Cru bourgeois

Grapes:  Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Merlot (70%), Petit Verdot (10%).

Soil:  Clayey-chalky gravel hills.

Alcohol:  13% VOL

Wine making: Grapes picked by hand.  Fermentation occurs at low temperatures in stainless steel, temperature controlled vats.  Malolactic fermentation occurs partially in new oak barrels.  The wine is aged in oak for 16 months.

Cellaring potential:  A wine that will achieve full maturity a decade from the vintage, but which enjoys such balance that it can be enjoyed in its youth.  Parker suggest drinking over the next decade (see below)

Our Tasting notes:  This wine had a WOW factor in a large line up of wines from the Médoc.  Lifted nose with some floral (violet) notes and blackcurrant/cassis.  Gorgeous mouth feel,soft, round and long with great balance.  Complex palate , blackcurrants, liquorice notes and tobacco.  As good as many classified growths.

It is a pleasure for DiscoverVin to bring this wine to Australia. It can be found on our website by clicking here. Trade prices on application 0260206016 or info@discovervin.com.au

Chateau Laroche Joubert 2010

Introducing our new delicious red wine from Chateau Laroche Joubert from the Cotes du Bourg appellation in Bordeaux. This wine had a wow factor in a series of tastings on a recent buying trip to France. 

This wine won a Silver medal in the Paris and Aquitaine wine shows (the proportion of wines receiving medals in French wine shows is lower than Australia so this signifies a very good wine). 

It is an easy drinking merlot blend from the Bordeaux Cotes de Bourg appellation. The vineyards of Bourg face Margaux across the Gironde estuary and offer exceptional quality and excellent value for money.

Château Laroche Joubert, Cotes du Bourg

Year: 2010

Size: 750ml

Located on the heights of the hills of the Cotes du Bourg appellation, the 15 hectares of Laroche Joubert are planted with a majority of merlot vines. The same family has owned the estate since 1795. In 1998 a new manager set about modernising production. Since then it has consistently received awards at various shows and mentions in the Guide Hachette (the French wine review bible).

Terroir:  The vineyards of Laroche Joubert face the Margaux vineyards across the Gironde estuary and produce very good merlot based wines at an excellent price.

Grapes: 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec

Wine making: Long maceration for 3-4 weeks in small temperature controlled vats. Aged for 12 months in oak

Our tasting notes: The expressive nose presents notes of red fruits and plums.

This is a delicious wine, with lovely, plummy fruit and minerality, a good balance and nice tannins. 

Alcohol: 13%

Ready to drink now but will improve with one-three years cellaring.

This is a good value for money Bordeaux wine. It is a good example of what the small producers in Bordeaux can do, especially in good years (such as the 2010 vintage).

More information here online. Trade prices on application. 

Chateau Rollan de By 2006 served at Autumn French Dinner

Chateau Rollan de By was the feature wine at the Autumn French Dinner in Sydney.  

Chateau Rollan de By 2006 the perfect Bordeaux red served at the Autumn French Dinner

The wine was served with Rangers Valley Beef Tenderloin, field mushrooms, spinach, Paris Match, jus gras.

Staff from Cordon Bleu cooking school work to present Rangers Valley Beef Tenderloin.

Dinners thought the wine a perfect match for chef Guillaume Brahimi's tender beef.  
Robert Parker's review of the 2006 Chateau Rollan de By provides an evocative description of the wine.
"Sweet cassis fruit, cedar, tobacco leaf, licorice, and subtle smoke aromas are followed by a wine with impressive ripeness, medium body, and a long, lush, evolved, richly fruity finish. Consume this charming, sensual 2006 over the next decade. Good value." Available online.

The secret revealed.  The mystery venue for the Sydney Autumn French dinner was the dining hall at Saint Andrew's College, University of Sydney

Bloggers and Wine Writers Admire Chateau Haut Peyrous Rouge

DiscoverVin have had three recent reviews by Australian wine bloggers.  

Chateau Haut Peyrous-Retour de Palombières  Rouge 2008 from Graves in Bordeaux has received positive accolades from three popular writers.

 

Jesse Lewis from Perth writes about music, photography and "booze" including wine in his blog  Sealed with Wax.

Companion to the Graves Blanc reviewed last week. 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Cabernet Franc. Those figures must be rounded up because there’s a tiny amount of Malbec and Petit Verdot as well.

Laid back and confident, it sports aromas of red plum, pencil shavings, redcurrant jelly and a light touch of gravy/meat juices. Again, restrained on the palate. This is not overripe or a concentrated wine. Not lacking in flavour either. There’s a minerality which leans towards ironstone and a coffee & tobacco-like finish that’s structured with enough tannins to support short-mid term cellaring.

Just what I felt like drinking tonight – nothing too bold or weak. A solid mid-weight red.

Very Good / 89 points

Closure: Cork

Source: Sample

Price: $38.50

Sean Mitchell writes independent wine reviews on his blog The Grape Observer.

Image from The Grape Observer

Chateau Haut-Peyrous is a blend of 65% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon and 15% cabernet franc rounded out with dashes of petit verdot and malbec.  It presents as a classic left bank style of Bordeaux, with aromatics of cedar, cigar box and tobacco.  Dry and balanced, the palate initially showed a firm, almost minerally acid line, and settled to nuanced expressions of red and black fruits, tobacco and cigar box.  This is a well made Graves wine with a medium to long finish that will reward drinking now, and over the next five years.  Good

Abv: 13%
Price: $38.50
Source: sample
Vendors: Check http://www.discovervin.com.au/
Website: http://vinsdegraves.com/chateau/château-haut-peyrous
Tasted: 2013

1st July

Gary Walsh writes for the independent review site The Wine Front.

Posted on 03 July 2013.

Merlot (65%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Cabernet Franc (15%) and small amount Petit Verdot and Malbec. Importer: DiscoverVin

Malty and meaty, plum and redcurrant, some earth and cedar. Medium bodied, gravelly and earthy with well rounded tannin, though they’re on the edge of being too drying for the volume of fruit. Glassy acidity on the finish. Pretty good.  

A pigeonnier - Retour de Palombiéres

Rated : 89 Points
Tasted : Jul13
Alcohol : 13%
Price : $38
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2013 - 2016+

Retour de Palombières refers to pigeons returning to the vineyard.  Many vineyards in Graves will have pigeonniers built in the middle of the vineyards.  The pigeons return here and help fertilize the vineyard and prey on insects.

Bordeaux DInner in Brisbane

Following on the heels of successful dinners in Adelaide and Melbourne it was a great pleasure to hold a Bordeaux dinner in Brisbane on October 25th. This time we went to local favourite and award winning French restaurant C'est Bon in Wollongabba. Part of the charm of this restaurant, apart from the great food and wine, is the friendly and quintessentially professional front of house staff led by Celine Damour. As usual they made everyone welcome and the evening ran like clockwork. Thanks to Celine, Anthony, Sandrine and the team!

The evening kicked off with an amuse-bouche of salmon and goat cheese "tartare" which was a perfect foil with our favorite  cru classé  dry rosé from Provence- Domaine de la Croix 2010.Following that the dinner followed the theme of New Bordeaux showcasing 2 fabulous whites matched to a classic dish of monk fish in a white wine sauce. The soft acidity of the Chateau Haut-Peyrous Graves 2009 and rich complexity of the Tour des Gendres Moulin des Dames Blanc 2009 (both semillon/sav blancs) were great matches. There was a lot of discussion about which one people preferred and it seemed to be a split decision. Both are drinking beautifully well. Several people made comments like "the best semillon/ sauvignon blancs that I have tried".

Then onto a great main course of rack of lamb moist and just pink in a red wine sauce, matched with spaetzle (to soak up the delicious sauce!) and some beautifully presented seasonal vegetables. We enjoyed 3 red wines which showed off the Merlot based wines of the right bank versus the Cabernet based wines of the red bank. Chateau D'Aiguilhe 2008 one of the "rising stars of Bordeaux" (and recently shown on the cover of Decanter magazine) is a great example of the opulence of the right bank Merlot based wines. Tourelles de Longueville 2007 is a great example of a "second label". A wine made from the younger vines to at Pichon-Longueville Baron to the same exacting standards as the "first label", intended to drink young and representing great value for money. The third red was from the ever reliable Chateau Lanessan. From the 2004 vintage it is starting to show some integration of the fruit and tannins and is a great example of how the reds of the left bank can develop with a few years of clearing. These 3 red wines all impressed for their purity of flavours, class and finesse.

Desert was a pear poached in red wine served with  a lovely calvados sabayon and cinnamon ice cream matched with the incredible Chateau Le Pradey Sainte-Croix-de-Mont 2008. This is a lovely dessert wine. Luscious fruit (stone fruits, tropical fruits and and some citrus notes,) excellent mouth feel and sweetness but a lovely non-cloying dry finish. Lots of excitement amongst the diners who had not previously had a Saint-Croix de Mont wine before. This is an excellent appellation facing the famous vineyards of Sauternes and Barsac just across the Garonne river.

To finish some excellent cannelles de Bordeaux. Crunchy on the outside, moist and gooey in the middle. Not easy to get right. Well done Anthony!

All in all DiscoverVin had a great night. and it was a pleasure to collaborate with Celine and her team. There was a real "buzz' and energy in the room.  It was a pleasure to meet some new customers and to see them enjoying the food and wines and see their excitement and pleasure form enjoying good food, great new wines and great conversation. 

Next up it will be Sydney's turn to enjoy the wines of New Bordeaux, matched to the cuisine of Fix St James in Sydney and hosted by another consummate professional- Stuart Knox Sydney Morning Herald Somelier of the Year 2012- to look after us. Details of the dinner can be found here.

WIne reviews - Chateau Moulin Pey Labrie from Canon Fronsac

The team at DiscoverVin is very pleased to see 2 new reviews in the Australian media for one of our favorite Bordeaux reds- Chateau Moulin Pey-Labrie 2006.

From the appellation of Canon-Fronsac on the right bank of Bordeaux, adjacent to Pomerol and Saint-Emillon. This is an appellation recently highlighted in an article in Decanter magazine by Oz Clarke. He wrote about how he was "excited" by the quality of wines being produced in Canon-Fronsac and other right bank appellations. 

Chateau Moulin-Pey Labrie is one of the best producers in this appellation. 

Benedicte and Gregoire Hubau made their first vintage in the Bordeaux commune of Fronsac at Chateau Moulin Pey-Labrie in 1988.

Their philosophy is to produce wine that is an expression of the ‘terroir” of their 6.75 hectare vineyard. They work with influential Bordeaux based oenologist Michel Rolland to make wines with finesse, elegance and balance.

So here are the 2 reviews-the first by Kerry Skinner in Quench in the Illawarra Mercury in  July 2012 and the second by John Lewis in the Newcastle Herald August 2012

Go to www.discovervin.com.au for more information or to purchase this wine.

Bordeaux Dinner at Bistro Vue

DiscoverVin hosted a wonderful Bordeaux Wine Dinner in partnership with Bistro Vue in Melbourne on Tuesday 14 August. A selection of our Bordeaux wines were expertly matched to a divine menu prepared by the uber-professional but relaxed and skilled team at Bistro Vue.

Smoked eel and an Oyster. Delightful Amuse Bouche served with Chateau Haut Peyrous Bordeaux Blanc

The first wine: Chateau Haut-Peyrous Peche au Carrelet 2009 was a lovely Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blend from the appellation of Graves. The winemaker is Mark Darroze who purchased this property and modernised it, introducing organic production methods in 2008. The Peche au Carrelet refers to the fishing nets used in the nearby Garonne river to catch local crustaceans fish and eels. So this was an inspired match by chef Chris Bonello and sommelier Maurizio Severgnini to serve this wine with a fresh oyster and some smoked eel.

The Haut-Peyrous was continued and served with the first entrée - crispy prawns, warm lettuce and wild garlic. The body/tail of the prawns were separated from the heads which were also fried and so could be popped into the mouth to savour the intensity of flavour! The Haut-Peyrous was a great foil with enough body and acid to stand up to the slight oiliness of this dish.

Next a look at an older right bank wine: Chateau Lanessan 2004 from the Haut-Medoc. This is a classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. It is an interesting producer, held in the same family for seven generations but recently modernising production methods and bringing in young, highly skilled winemaking team to rejuvenate the wines. This one is now drinking beautifully. It still has lots of lovely fruit but the tannins are softening and integrating with the fruit. A classic "claret" style, ready to drink. It matched a delightfully subtle terrine of ox tail - served in thin slices like a carpaccio and served with some cornichons and leaves. Delightful pairing of the older left bank Bordeaux and this dish - a modern twist on a Bistro classic.

We then had a spectacular main course of Flinders Island milk-fed lamb served with beetroot, the leaves of the beetroot and mash. The photos above show a before and after shot of the lamb! The lamb had been cooked sous-vide to maintain its tenderness. Wow! Rich flavours and very tender without  disintegrating into a grey mush. To accompany, 2 younger but very special wines Fleur de Clinet 2008 (Pomerol) and Clés du Pape Clémont 2008 (Pessac-Leognan). Both of these showed the power but restraint of good Bordeaux. They also demonstrated the quality and value for money of the second label wines of these famous producers - Chateau Clinet and Chateau Pape Clémont - usually made from younger vines and designed to be more approachable in their youth. Beautiful fruit, nice tannin and structure but balanced - and approachable now. Another inspired match with the lamb.

Cannelé Cannelé- A deconstructed approach to a Bordeaux classic. Served with Chateau Le Pradey St Croix de Mont, delicious dessert wine.

An then an amazing finale of Cannelé Cannelé - using all the elements of cannele (custard, rum, cinnamon) in a spectacular looking and tasting dessert. Each element had taken considerable time an skill and when reconstructed the whole was a crowd-pleasing triumph. And alongside it Château La Pradey Saint Croix de Mont 2009. This is a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, affected by botrytis and lusciously sweet but not cloying on the finish. And then coffee, tea and a cannelé those crisp on the outside, moist and gooey on the inside petits cakes much loved by the Bordelaise. A delightful end to a memorable meal.

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The atmospheric dining room, set up for 30 guests for DiscoverVin's Bordeaux Dinner at Bistro Vue.

The Wines of Bordeaux

Tuesday 14^th August 2012

Amuse bouche

Smoked eel & oyster

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1ère entrée

Crispy prawns, warm lettuce, wild garlic

2009 Château Haut-Peyrous Blanc, Graves

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2ème entrée

Oxtail terrine

2004 Château Lanessan, Haut-Médoc

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Plat principal

Flinders Island milk fed lamb

slow cooked in Claret

2008 Les Clés de Pape Clément, Pessac-Léognan

2008 Fleur de Clinet, Pomerol

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Dessert

Cannelé, Cannelé

2008 Château la Pradey, Sainte-Croix-du-Mont