Chateau Laroche Joubert 2011. An example, par excellence, of a good value wine from Bordeaux

One of our favourite red wines at the moment is Chateau Laroche Joubert 2011.

We sent a sample to our friends at The Wine Wankers, one of the wine blog/social media sensations of 2014. They have over 120k twitter followers and are rated by Klout and others as one of the most influential in our industry. You can read about their amazing journey here.

This story about this wine review began when we met Conrad from The Wine Wankers at a trade tasting in November 2014.

There are some total @winewankers at this tasting !

A photo posted by discovervinwines (@discovervinwines) on Nov 11, 2014 at 5:33pm PST

He challenged us to prove that good value wines existed in Bordeaux. So we showed him some wines at the tasting and then sent him a sample of this wine. We thought that this wine could help prove the point about good value wines and Bordeaux.


You can see for yourself what the team thought ...

This was a cracker of a Bordeaux sent to us by @discovervinwines! Really good value and shows that enjoyable Bordeaux doesn't have to be expensive.

A photo posted by The Wine Wankers (@winewankers) on Jan 1, 2015 at 8:31pm PST

Nice! We'd like to thank The Wine Wankers for trying the wine and for taking the time to let us know their thoughts. 

For more information on this (and other) good value wine from Bordeaux, click here. 

A tradition of unique grapes add flavor to South West vintages

Dave de Simone writes about wine for Trib Total media out of Pennslyvania in USA.

He recently wrote about the wines of South West France.  In the article he describes the wonderful food and wines of Gaillac and Fronton.  Two areas we love.

"Never heard of négrette, fer servadou, duras and gros manseng , let alone prunelart, ondenc and loin de l'œil ?

Not to worry.

These wine grapes represent just a smattering of more than 130 varieties scattered across the storied vineyards of South West France. The region's viticulture blossomed during the Roman era. In the Middle Ages, industrious monks produced wines to quench thirsty pilgrims traversing the region on the way to St. Jacques de Compostela in northwestern Spain.

Later, the tumultuous French Revolution, the devastating 19th-century phylloxera infestation and economically disruptive wars sorely challenged the region's wine culture. Through it all, generations of undaunted South West wine growers persevered and, somehow, preserved the region's unique traditions and wines. Today, a new, well-travelled and outward-looking generation of vignerons — and female vigneronnes — has emerged poised to share their diverse wines with a wider audience.

Faubourg 73, a charming, hip bistro in the town of Montauban, embodies the region's confident, vibrant spirit. With a musical backdrop ranging from the Doors' “Soul Kitchen” to Frank Sinatra's “Fly Me to the Moon,” engaging proprietor Pierre Cantagel efficiently serves “bistronomie” cuisine. The fun, laid-back approach incorporates fresh, local ingredients served in delicious small plates.

Thin slices of jambon noire de Bigorre — ham made from local black pigs — precede small cups of cream of pumpkin soup, mussels Basquaise with fresh chorizo sausage, Vietnamese venison eggrolls and braised duck pieces with caramelized shallot in a rich red wine sauce. Winegrower Frédéric Ribes matches each successive dish with whites and reds from Fronton, a 5,000-acre appellation making terrific wines seldom known in America.

Ribes, along with his brother Jean-Luc and the polyglot jack-of-all-trades Pierre Salama, specializes in négrette, a grape also known as folle noire (“crazy black”). The vines grow in Boulbènes, soils of silt and clay mixed with quartz and oxidized red stones called rougets .

Nearby Gaillac (pronounced guy-ack ) producers offer a glittering galaxy of dry sparklers, crisp, exotic whites, fruity rosés, earthy reds and luscious, sweet dessert wines. The Romans planted vineyards here as part of their Mediterranean Narbonne province. Monks at Abbey-Saint Michel solidified Gaillac's winemaking traditions and prosperity for centuries. English kings long preferred the wines.

Today, vibrant producers such as Domaine Plageoles, Domaine Causse Marines, and L'Enclos des Braves have embraced Gaillac's traditional varieties to export hand-crafted, attractively priced, terroir- driven wines.

Read more: http://triblive.com/lifestyles/davedesimone/7279732-74/wine-wines-black#ixzz3LbIsnlxf
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

Lesser Known Grape Varieties- The Daily Telegraph Discover the Next Big Thing -

In the article below,  from the UK's Daily Telegraph of Tuesday 14 October, 2014,  Producteurs Plaimont from Gascony in South West of France are referred to as producers of excellent wine from unusual grape varieties.

 DiscoverVin imports and distributes wines from authentic producers such as  Domaine du Crampilh annd Producteurs Plaimont, made from the unusual grape variety Tannat.   The Chateau St Go Rouge  has been one of best selling wines, particularly at the City Wine Shop in Spring Street Melbourne.



 In February 2013 Sean Mitchell from The Grape Observer wrote "Aromatically, the Chateau Saint-Go 2007 has pronounced notes of blackberries, supplemented by the scent of sweet cloves, dark plum skins and dark cherries, and is generally rather opulent in expression.  On the palate, the wine is dry, with medium acid, fine grained tannins and medium to long length.  Blackberries abound, and the finish is balanced.  I found myself drinking this wine rather effortlessly, enjoying its nuances of length, grip and blackberry flavours.  I would suggest that it is fully developed and provides excellent drinking right now.  Good"

"Nero d’avola. Tannat.  Picpoul. Manseng Teroldego.  Furmin,  Carmenère. Cortese. Arrufiac.  These are the names of just some of the lesser-known grapes you can find on our supermarket shelves. As I wrote earlier this summer, big retailers have been growing increasingly adventurous over the past few years, supplementing the usual mass-produced brands with interesting grapes, partly to satisfy curious appetites, and partly because supermarket wine buyers love wine, too, and want to share the fun.

It was a chat with Olivier Bourdet-Pees, managing director of the excellent Plaimont Producteurs cooperative in deepest Gascony, that made me realise how extreme the effects of the globalisation – or Starbucksisation, as I sometimes think of it – of the wine market since the end of the Second World War have been. 

“In 1950 in France,” said Bourdet-Pees, “the most popular 20 grapes – merlot, cabernet, syrah, chardonnay and so on – made up only 50 per cent of the vineyard. Now those same 20 varieties account for 93 per cent. It’s a motorway of taste. It’s difficult to explain, and difficult to show.”

Data from the Wine Economics Research Centre in Adelaide demonstrates that this is not just a post-war phenomenon: grape diversity is still in decline in the 21st century, not just in France but globally: in 2010 significantly more of the world vineyard was accounted for by the same grapes as in 2000. Or, to look at it another way, 12 of the 44 countries studied had more than one-third of their vineyards covered with just one – very popular – grape variety. 

Plaimont Producteurs runs a conservation project to rescue forgotten local grapes from obscurity, searching for and propagating the vines and carrying out experimental micro-vinifications on its fruit. Its nursery includes 12 varieties whose identities are completely unknown. It also works with non-mainstream varieties, and does it well.
Plaimont Producteurs is far from being the only growers labouring to maintain a ranger network of winding lanes and overgrown byways as an alternative to the international merlot superhighway.
Across Europe other small and dedicated resistance fighters, like Walter Massa in Piemonte, are engaged in the campaign to restore grape diversity.

The distinctiveness that different grape varieties – and geography, too – can offer is not just important in Europe, with its richness of indigenous grape varieties, but in the New World, too. It is thrilling to see Australians making fiano, Uruguayans growing albariño and New Zealanders vinifying gamay. One of my favourite eccentric vineyards in Marlborough belongs to the Swiss Hans Herzog, who is borderline-obsessed with cultivating varieties not usually found in this land of sauvignon blanc. He has arneis, zweigelt, nebbiolo, barbera… the rows of unexpected vines stretch on. 

But why, even as there is an increase of choice on our shelves, do the popular grapes grow ever more popular? Sales of the top white grape, sauvignon blanc, have increased by 13 per cent in the last year even as overall sales of wine remained flat. It might simply be a consequence of being bewildered by choice. Studies have shown that the more options people are given, the more likely they are to make a conservative selection. Perhaps it’s the same with grapes: offer drinkers three possible glasses (or bottles) of white and maybe they will curiously pick the verdicchio. Over-face them with a menu of 20 and – oh goodness, sauvignon blanc please. 

Of course, this is why local grapes were more popular when they were local grapes, available in certain patches of the country, before globalisation took a hold and simultaneously made everything more available and everything less. It’s a classic Catch-22 situation. Happily, we can solve it with a glass of wine. The right glass of wine."

most popular wines of 2013

Here is a look at our most popular wines of 2013. 

The following makes some interesting reading, none the least for the prominence of rosé. Two rosé wines have made the top 10! Once considered sweet and uninteresting, dry rosé certainly appears to be making a resurgence in Australia as it is in Europe. In France in 2013 rosé sales exceeded white wine sales. Similarly we appear to be in the middle of a rosé revolution ! If you have never had a french rosé try one of these wines.

Here are the first 5 of our top 10 wines for 2013. We will blog about wines 6-10 next week!

1. Chateau de La Bouyere Bordeaux Blanc 2012 $21.50

We are thrilled to see this lovely easy drinking white wine making the it to the top of our list in 2013 . (It was number 5 in 2012).  It has struck a chord as a good value easy going alternative to NZ savvy blanc. It was a big hit when served cold and crisp on a hot week-end at the Paris to Provence Festival in Melbourne in November. Sommeliers are reporting customers coming in and asking for "that" French white.

The Queyrans family has owned Chateau de la Bouyere for more than a century.  The vineyard is located at the top of Donzac, 45 km to the south of Bordeaux.  Grape production, wine making and ageing all take place on the family estate.  Vines have an average age of 30 years.

Region/Terroir:  AOC Bordeaux Blanc
Grapes:  Semillon (80%), Sauvignon Blanc (20%).
Ageing:  Drink now.  Serve at a cool temperature around 12°C.
Our Tasting notes:  Lovely pale golden colour with little hints of green. An expressive nose with fragrances of citrus fruits that evolve towards nuances of tropical fruits.  The mouth is harmonious and fruity with a great round, rich mouth feel due to the ageing on fine lees.  Delicate and balanced.  A lovely wine at this price.

A stylish wine.  Crisp and refreshing, perfect on its own , with nibbles with salads or seafood.

2. Domaine de la Croix Irresistible AOC Cotes de Provence 2012 $29.90

Number 3 last year and just short of number one this year. 

The name says it all.  Irresisitible!  An irresistible rosé from Provence, the home of rosé.

Domaine de La Croix, created in 1882, is situated near the village of La Croix Valmer with an outlook to the beaches of St Tropez. It has the classification of cru class. Very few Provençal producers are given the cru classé classification, denoting an exceptional winery.

In 2011 Vigneron magazine named this as one of the three best producers in Provence.

Here is a testomonial from a happy customer.."the domaine de la croix is the ‘winner’. Although we thought all three rose that we sampled were incredibly drinkable the domaine de la croix was even more so – truly delicious." David Sydney 

Madison magazine says " if decadence is what you’re after, then you won’t be able to resist La Croix, Irrésistible Rosé" 

This wine has been featured in the Rose Revolution activities during the last 2 summers.

For more information in general on rosé and its rising popularity here's a link to an article on rosé that we wrote for French Living magazine in January 2014. 

For more technical details etc quick here.

3. Chateau La Rayre Bergerac Rose 2010 $24.90

Wow! A second rose as our best seller for 2013. This rosé was our number one wine in 2012 and just beaten this year into third position.

This rosé seems to appeal to wine lovers who would not normally look at rosé. It is darker in colour and has more body than other styles of rosé (this is achieved by a pressing of the skins with the juice which otherwise would be clear).

Try some and you will see what all the hype about rosé (and in particular French rosé) is all about. 

This wine has featured in Rosé Revolution promotions in the last 2 summers. 

It was also selected by French wine critics and consumers in the Guide "Un vin presque parfait" (an almost perfect wine). A panel of critics and consumers selected 400 french wines from several thousand to be given this accolade.

From Sean Mitchell  Grape Observer ...regarding the 2009.."I enjoyed drinking this rosé from Bergerac situated to the east of Bordeaux, a blend of two thirds cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon and one third merlot.  A deeper hue of salmon pink in colour, the aroma is of crisp and crunchy peaches.  The palate reveals spices, nectar and a savoury balance.  Good drinking and well priced."

More details can be found here

4. Chateau Jolys Jurançon sec 2011 $27.75

Also in fourth position in 2012. A delightful, complex, fruity but dry and great value for money wine. From the excellent 2011 vintage and from one of the most beautiful and under rated regions in France.

This Jurançon Sec represents great value for money. If you are looking for something other than chardonnay or sauvignon blanc this summer, but don’t want to pay a fortune, this is pretty hard to beat!

Huon Hooke gave it 92 points and named it "Best Import" in Sydney Morning Herald June 2013 ."The colour is medium to full yellow and the bouquet evokes citrus blossom, honeysuckle and many other appealing fragrances. The palate is delicate, seamless and gently fruity, with a trace of sweetness early, then a clean, dry finish, with balanced acidity. It’s a lovely wine but drink it soon because the synthetic stopper is not designed for cellaring. 13 per cent alcohol. 92/100 Food: pre-dinner nibbles "

Sommelier Peter Healy in his blog George the Grape wrote: "I think Petit Manseng in particular is an exciting grape. Capable of developing high sugar levels without losing its crisp, refreshing acidity. When in balance it gives you a refreshing drink that ‘moves’ in your mouth like a spinning dancer.  With an initial boof of amazing sweet tropical fruits counter balanced by a late flick of dry extract that keeps your palate on its toes.  This wine offers such a diverse array of uses- great aperitif, wraps itself all over rich runny Brie style cheeses or keeps good pace with lightly spiced foods- Chicken Larb comes to mind."

In the Canadian press in January 2014, Michael Godel named this as one of his best wines of the New Year, and urged readers to try something different in 2014. "Shake it up with this delicious if slightly unusual, tangy, edgy stuff. Out there and beyond your average French sipper, shaped by lemon curd and zest, tangy grapefruit and lengthened by rubber-legged dancing elasticity. May drive its car under the influence but it’s not warm and fat. Busts the move ”  88  Tasted December 2013

Other media reviews are listed here

5. Chateau Lagarde (Saint Émilion) SOLD OUT

Saint Émilion is one of the most famous Bordeaux regions.  It is on the Right Bank of the Dordogne River where Merlot and Cabernet Franc are the predominant varieties. 

This wine from 2009 is a good example of how good value can be found in unclassified producers (petits chateaux) in the good years. 2009 was a good year right across the region , so good value can be found in many chateaux.

This wine proved so popular that it sold out. It is no longer being produced! The property was purchased by another producer and the grapes go into the production of a different producer. 

We have replaced the Lagarde with another excellent St Émilion from a small producer, called Chateau Truquet. This château borders the fabled Chateau Figeac, one of the best (and most expensive) producers in Saint Émilion. We have only been selling it for about on e month and we expect it will be in the top 10 for 2014 if current sales/feedback are anything to go by.

If you are a fan of Saint Émilion or Merlot, or just looking for a good wine at a great price, it’s pretty hard to go past these wines!

So that's the first 5 of the top 10.

Wines 6-10 include 4 reds (Chateau Fontblanche and Chateau Haut-Belian from Bordeaux, Chateau de Saurs from Gaillac ) a great Graves white from a famous French wine and food family (Ch Haut Peyrous)  and our top selling dessert wine (Chateau Jolys Cuvée Jean). 

More on these next week.

DiscoverVin top 10 wines of 2012 (part 2)

Here is a look at our most popular wines of 2012, based on volume of sales. (Where we have clicked over to a new vintage during the year we have counted all the sales of that wine together, regardless of the vintage.)

The following makes some interesting reading, none the least for the prominence of rosé. Two rosé wines have made the top 10! Once considered sweet and uninteresting, dry rosé certainly appears to be making a resurgence in Australia as it is in Europe. In France in 2012 rosé sales have exceeded white wine sales. Similarly we appear to be in the middle of a rosé revolution !

Here are the wines 6-10 . Last week we blogged on the Top 5 which we will recap and then focus on wines 6-10. Wines 6-10 includes 3 reds (Chateau Lagarde  from Saint Emilion, Chateau Haut-Belian from Bordeaux, Chateau de Saurs from Gaillac ) a great Graves white from a famous French wine and food family (Ch Haut Peyrous)  and our top selling dessert wine (Chateau Jolys Cuvée Jean

1. Chateau La Rayre Bergerac Rose 2010 $17.99

Wow! A rose as our best seller for 2012.

This rosé seems to appeal to wine lovers who would not normally look at rosé. It is darker in colour and has more body than other styles of rosé (this is achieved by a pressing of the skins with the juice which otherwise would be clear).

More details can be found here

2. Domaine de l'Ancienne Cure Bergerac Rouge 2008

A complex and elegant red wine. It is typical of the good value wines that DiscoverVin is bringing to wine lovers in Australia.

You won't find this on our website as we are currently sold out! But we have managed to secure a small parcel that is "on the water" at the time of writing- please call 0260206018 or email info@discovervin.com.au for details and to pre-order

A lovely complex red and great value at the price.

3. Domaine de la Croix Irresistible AOC Cotes de Provence 2010 $25

The name says it all.  Irresisitible!  An irresistible rosé from Provence, the home of rosé. What a great looking bottle and a great tasting wine! Very few Provençal producers are given the cru classé classification, denoting an exceptional winery.

Reviewed by Max Crus, The Daily Examiner Saturday March 17 2012 “A friend once said that she didn’t like rose until she had had one in Provence. I now understand the fuss. The real de la McCoy 8.8/10”. Other reviews on this wine can be accessed on our media reviews page.

This wine is being featured in this summer's Rose Revolution activities. For more technical details etc quick here

4. Chateau Jolys Jurançon sec 2010 $19.90

This Jurançon Sec represents great value for money. If you are looking for something other than chardonnay or sauvignon blanc this summer, but don’t want to pay a fortune, this is pretty hard to beat!

This wine has received a great review by Sean Mitchell of the Grape Observer. "This wine is a winner......The 2010 vintage of Chateau Joly's Jurançon Sec is a very attractive wine indeed ‐ almost like a better version of a sauvignon blanc..... At $18.99 a bottle for this good level of quality, this wine deserves to fly off the shelves. 89 points(very good)"

5. Chateau de La Bouyere Bordeaux Blanc 2010 $18.90

We are thrilled to see this lovely easy drinking white make the top 5. It was a big hit when served cold and crisp on a very hot week-end at the Paris to Provence Festival in Melbourne in November.

Region/Terroir:  AOC Bordeaux Blanc

Grapes:  Semillon (80%), Sauvignon Blanc (20%).

Ageing:  Drink now.  Serve at a cool temperature around 12°C.

Our Tasting notes:  Lovely pale golden colour with little hints of green. An expressive nose with fragrances of citrus fruits that evolve towards nuances of tropical fruits.  The mouth is harmonious and fruity with a great round, rich mouth feel due to the ageing on fine lees.  Delicate and balanced.  

A stylish wine at this price.  Crisp and refreshing, perfect with salads.

6. Chateau Lagarde (Saint Émilion)

Saint Émilion is one of the most famous Bordeaux regions.  It is on the Right Bank of the Dordogne River where Merlot and Cabernet Franc are the predominant varieties. Château Lagarde is made by the owner of Château Tour Grand Faurie, a famous Saint Émilion Grand Cru. In recent vintages this producer has started to produce some very good wines

This wine from 2009 is a good example of how good value can be found in unclassified producers (petits chateaux) in the good years. 2009 was a good year right across the region , so good value can be found in many chateaux

Grapes:  Merlot (73%), Cabernet Franc (25%), Malbec (2%).

Soil:  Eastern flanks of Saint Émilion - consisting of very small pebbles.

Alcohol:  13% VOL

Wine making:  Grapes are harvested by hand and made using traditional Saint Émilion winemaking methods in temperature-controlled vats. 

Cellaring potential:  Already drinking nicely, however will develop and repay cellaring over several years.

Our Tasting notes:  Beautiful red colour.  A fruit driven nose with a touch of strawberry and vanilla.  The taste delicious, supple, delicate and fruity.  A seductive wine with ripe tannins, considerable elegance and lovely mouth feel.  Gorgeous! Great value.

If you are a fan of Saint Émilion or Merlot, or just looking for a good wine at a great price, it’s pretty hard to go past this wine!

7. Chateau Haut Belian

A drinkable, affordable Bordeaux red/claret from a great vintage.  Easy drinking wine for all occasions. Another good example of a good value wine from a great year (2009)- where the value in those years can be found in the smaller estates ("petit chateaux")

Château Haut Belian is an 86-hectare estate on the hills between the Dordogne and Garonne Rivers. The vineyards are at one of the highest points of the region.

Region/Terroir:  Bordeaux AOC

Grapes:  Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), Merlot (45%), Cabernet Franc (25%).

Soil:  Clay and limestone.

Alcohol: 13.5% VOL

Wine making: Grapes are slowly and softly harvested by machine. Traditional wine making methods are used, with fermentation occurring at 28°C and with a long maceration.  Malolactic fermentation and ageing are conducted in thermo-regulated stainless steel vats.

Cellaring potential:  Can age 3-4 years, however approachable now.

Our Tasting notes:  Big rich nose.  A good weight with fruit and tannins in balance.  Tannins are smooth and velvety.  A pleasant, round, fruity wine, with some chocolaty notes.  Long and balanced.

8. Chateau de Saurs

From an ancient vineyard in the region of Gaillac that has been producing quality grapes for many centuries, premium grapes are now being made into modern and clean wines while retaining characteristics typical of the terroir. Great value for money!

Terroir:  Galliac is a small appellation north of Toulouse ( map ). It is at the confluence of influences from the Atlantic ocean and the Meditarean sea. It is considered a rapidly improving region, driven by small independant producers such as Chateau de Saurs.

Grapes:   A blend with  Merlot, Syrah and Braucol in equal measure

Winemaking:  Traditional methods of harvesting and destemming. Harvested by parcels of vines which are pressed in separate vats, and vinified for 8 to 10 days at a maximum 30°C. Regular rotation for optimum extraction of colour, while at the same time preserving aromas. Fermentation takes place over 6 to 8 months in vats, then bottled.

Tasting notes : Chateau de Saurs Rouge Tradition AOC Gaillac red has a deep red ruby-garnet colour, and has a very attractive bouquet of cherries, blackcurrants, with discreet hints of aniseed and cinnamon which are more present at the finish. A balanced, round, elegant wine revealing subtle soft tannins, it charms the palate and would be a good accompaniment to meat and cheese. Great to drink now but would improve with a year or two of cellaring. 

Alcohol: 13.5%

Perhaps a little lighter in style than some of our other reds. This is a wine of tremendous quality at this price.
This wine was awarded a Silver medal at the Concours National des Vignerons Independants 2010.

9. Chateau Haut Peyrous- Pêche au Carrelet Graves Blanc

The Haut Peyrous estate is owned by Marc Darroze from the famous Darroze family of Gascony. Since June 2008, all work on the estate (soil, treatments) has been carried out in accordance with organic production criteria.

Any possible deficiencies in the soil are rectified gently and naturally, the vines are treated with products authorised by organic farming criteria.

This vintage has received one review to date in the local media from Dr Plonk in the Grape Hunter Reviews 5th June 2012;

"This wine is from Graves, a sub-region of Bordeaux that is known for its gravel soils and Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Mark Darroze, the vigneron, has aimed for organic production with full certification in 2003. The colour is of a deep straw with a nose of lemons, cashews and toasty oak. The palate is a soft anterior effect a balanced acid backbone. Whilst showing some ageing characteristics it will cellar for another 2-3 years and would be well matched with a Rabbit terrine."

Region/Terroir:  Graves

Grapes:  Semillon (75%), Sauvignon Blanc (25%).

Alcohol: 13.5% VOL

Soil:  The surface soil is made up of clay and loamy sand covered with pebbles, typical of this part of the appellation. The subsoil is also composed of sand with clays more or less deep, depending on the parcels.

Wine making:  Yields limited by frost and cool summer days maintained the freshness and elegance in the white grapes in 2009. The warm sunny autumn finished the job. This wine is made from a blend of Sémillon (75%) and Sauvignon (25%), a portion of which was matured in one-year-old barrels.

Cellaring Potential:  Drink now.

Our Tasting notes:  Lively nose with spice and mineral notes and vanilla from the oak.  Lovely soft and round mouth feel.  Richness and complexity on the back palate and a lovely soft acid backbone.

The square shaped net (carrelet) that the fisherman has just hauled out of the Garonne is teeming with shad, lamprey and eels …tasty fish, which need to be cooked slowly and gently.  Fish like this need complex and generous wines to pair with! 

10. Chateau Jolys Cuvée Jean 

This is a great, value-for-money example of the sweet wines of Jurançon-delicious fruit and sweetness but perfectly balanced and without being cloying. The sweet wines of Jurançon are amongst the great sweet/dessert wines of the world at a great price.

Grapes: Cuvee Jean is made from 100% Petit Manseng grapes.

Region/Terroir: Château Jolys, the largest estate in the Jurançon AOC with its 36 hectares, nestles on the superb hills of Chapelle de Rousse village.
The gentle slopes are exposed South / South-West and form amphitheatres facing the Pyrenees mountains. Soils are chalky and clayey.

The grapes are late harvested using the passerillage method, and the resulting concentration of sugar gives for perfectly healthy, golden and extremely ripe grapes.

Wine making: After total destemming and maceration before fermentation, we keep only the free-run juice to make this wine (juice obtained before pressing), in order to obtain the best of the richness and the aromas of the Petit Manseng grapes. After cold settling, alcoholic fermentation is carried out in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks (at around 20°C so as to preserve the aromas).
Barrel ageing for 9 months in French oak barrels.

Alcohol:13%

Our tasting notes: The nose presents notes of honey, acacia, apricot and peaches. On the palate, after a fresh and round attack, we find the same aromas and complexity as with the nose. The palate is powerful yet smooth - Petit Manseng at it's very best. Fabulous length and balance. This wine, like many from Jurançon, is pleasantly sweet without a cloying finish.
Cuvée Jean can be drunk young or cellared for up 10 years.
It's best served as an aperitif, with foie gras/pate or smoked salmon, and also pairs perfectly with creamy fish and poultry dishes as well as cheese.

The next best sellers outside of the top 10 were: 

Chateau Lannesan 2004  (our best selling bordeaux red wine)

Domaine Bellegarde Jurançon Sec Selection DB 2008 (a classy, minerally dry white)

Domaine Crampilh Madiran Vielle Vignes 2006 (red wine from one of the oldest wines growing regions in France)

Domaine Bellegarde Jurançon Sec "La Pierre Blanche" 2006 -crisp dry white wine- great price.

Chateau Le Pradey Sainte-Croix-de-Mont 2008 - Great value botrytised dessert wine.  Produced just across the river from the famous vineyards of Sauternes and Barsac.

So there you have our top wines for 2012. A few surprises perhaps- 2 rosé in the top 10 perhaps reflects rapidly changing tastes/trends. 

For more information on these wines go to www.discovervin.com.au