Chateau Rollan de By 2008

If you are looking for a very special (but affordable) red wine, read on! 

Chateau Rollan de By 2008 is one of our current favourites. Drinking superbly now but could repay several more years in your cellar.

Winner of the Best Sommelier in the World in 2007, Andreas Larsson, reviews the wine in this short video.




This red is  Cru Borgeois Bordeaux at its best. We think this is wine with a WOW factor for taste and value for money. Currently being served on Air France A380 Business Class. It received two stars in the French wine review bible, Guide Hachette and four stars in Decanter Magazine (UK).

More details here.

Crus Bourgoeis wines of 2012: more producers meet the standard

The Classification of Bordeaux wines can seem complex. Vineyards of the Médoc were classified in 1855 by the government of Napolean III, which was seeking to rank the best vineyards/producers for a trade exposition in Paris. Since then the structure of this system, with 5 levels of classified "grand cru" producers, has been more or less maintained.

However the classification of some Bordeaux wines is not based on historical quality but has to be earnt each vintage. "Cru Bourgoeis" represent the best quality, and often the best value, of the wines produced in the Médoc region of Bordeaux. Since 2009 the title of a cru bourgeois wines is based on a blind tasting of samples provided each vintage.

Right across Bordeaux, the vineyard practices and winemaking techniques have resulted in a vast improvement in quality across the region. High quality wines are produced by many more producers than ever before.  As a consequence these wines called Cru Bourgoeis consistently represent good value-for-money wines.

On September 19th 2014, the association for Cru Bourgoeis wines announced the wines that could be called Cru Bourgeois for the 2012 vintage. 267 wines were included- the highest number yet. These producers come from the many sub-regions of the Médoc eight prestigious AOCs : Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Listrac-Médoc, Moulis en Médoc, Margaux, Saint Julien, Pauillac and Saint Estèphe. The increase in numbers reflects the increase in quality of production methods.

We were pleased to see some of our favorite producers retained in the 2012 classification Chateau Rollan de By, Chateau Greysac, Chateau Tour Séran, Chateau Semeillan Mazeau. Click on these links to have a look at  the recent vintages of these producers that were given the classification of Cru Bourgeois. 

And if all of this still sounds complicated, don't worry! We only stock wine that we can vouch for, would happily buy for our own cellars and serve to our friends and family. At the end of the day we hope that you are able to trust us, or other wine merchants, to search for the best value wines of this fantastic region.

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