The Wine & Whisky Thread

[rmcin626]

Another great Indy bottle from Living Soles

[Barry]

Château de Lussac 2004, Lussac Saint-Emilion AOC

Lussac is a satellite appellation of Saint-Emilion, renowned for its high-quality, good-value clarets. Château de Lussac is one of the best, this superb 2004 showing mature notes of mellow, toasty red fruit, with hints of cedar and spice box.

Built in 1876 by Gaston Montouroy, Château de Lussac is a picturesque estate featuring a distinctive blend of classical and Renaissance architecture. In 32 hectares of vines lie at the highest point in the village of Lussac, It is also bordered by two hectares of forest, enhancing the estate's natural charm. Made mostly from Merlot with a good dsh of Cabernet Franc, the 204 vintage is well structured, with abundant ripe black fruit, and notes of tobacco and saddle leather.

13.5% ABV. Drink by end of 2026. About £19 per bottle.

[Barry]

L'Épiphanie de Pauillac 2020, Pauillac AOC

We’d love to reveal the name of the illustrious château behind this fine claret, but we’re sworn to secrecy. We can reveal, though, that it’s made at a Premier Grand Cru Classé estate in Pauillac whose Grand Vin sells for sixteen times the price.


Epiphany: 'a moment of great or sudden revelation'.

L'Épiphanie wines are born of privilaged relationships with some of the world's greatest winemaking properties. This cuvée comes from one of Pauillac's most prestigious châteaux, a top Premier Grand Cru Classé known for its exceptional terroir and fine wines of great elegance. This expressive wine displays classic blackcurrant, black cherry and black plum characters, infused with subtle spice. cedar and cigar box notes. These classic aromas and flavours combine with firm, beautifully ripe tannins for a complex well-balanced wine with a long harmonious finish. By all means open a bottle on release, but cellaring this wine for a few years and decantering before serving, will pay dividends.

13% ABV. Drink by January 2035. £30 a bottle (it's that good!, so maybe save for a special occasion.)

[rmcin626]

L'Épiphanie de Pauillac 2020, Pauillac AOC

We’d love to reveal the name of the illustrious château behind this fine claret, but we’re sworn to secrecy. We can reveal, though, that it’s made at a Premier Grand Cru Classé estate in Pauillac whose Grand Vin sells for sixteen times the price.


Epiphany: 'a moment of great or sudden revelation'.

L'Épiphanie wines are born of privilaged relationships with some of the world's greatest winemaking properties. This cuvée comes from one of Pauillac's most prestigious châteaux, a top Premier Grand Cru Classé known for its exceptional terroir and fine wines of great elegance. This expressive wine displays classic blackcurrant, black cherry and black plum characters, infused with subtle spice. cedar and cigar box notes. These classic aromas and flavours combine with firm, beautifully ripe tannins for a complex well-balanced wine with a long harmonious finish. By all means open a bottle on release, but cellaring this wine for a few years and decantering before serving, will pay dividends.

13% ABV. Drink by January 2035. £30 a bottle (it's that good!, so maybe save for a special occasion.)

Birthday next month at my age they are all special

[Barry]

Château La Fleur Saint Bonnet 2023,Médoc AOC

This fine, young Médoc is from a small château in Saint-Christoly which prides itself on its approachable, great-tasting, and food-friendly claret.

With its bright ruby hue, the wine offers a delicate nose of black cherry and blueberry. On the palette, it's eligant and rounded, with silky tannins and a harmonious balance of flavours. Perfectly suited for dishes like duck breast with red fruits or a selection of aged cheeses, its refined character makes it ideal for special occasions and gourmet meals.

60% Merlot with 40%Cabernet Sauvignon blend, and aged 12 months in oak casks.

13% ABV. Drink by end of 2030. About £14 a bottle

[Barry]

Le Vieux Château Guibeau, Puisseguin Saint-Emilion AOC. 2020

Superb, Merlot-rich claret from an award-winning estate that Tony Laithwaite has bought from for years. Tony's first vintage of Le Vieux Château Guibeau was the 1966. Tony crashed into the vineyard on his first visit (not the best way to introduce himself) but the then owner, Henri Boulon, forgave him and they became great friends. This is the original label and the ethos of the Boulon family remains the same, although winemaking is now in the hands of Henri Bourlon's great grandaughter, Brigitte Bourlon. It's not only the soil, the grapes and the vintage, but the skill and dedication of the team that make Le Vieux Château Guibeau a gold medal winner nearly every vintage.

It’s from the Saint-Emilion satellite, Puisseguin, and offers class and value with its ample rich plum and cassis intensity. Cellar or enjoy now.

80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc.

Tasting notes:
Smooth, ample ripe plum and cassis, with firm tannins, tight oak spice.

Aroma:
Ripe plum, blackberry, herby leafy edge, cloves

14% ABV. Drink by end 2037. About £20 a bottle.

[Barry]

Château du Breuil, Haut-Médoc, 2016

Established in the 6th century, the Baronnie du Breuil is the oldest vineyard in the Médoc region. Clay and limestone predominate in the vineyards, which have an average vine age of over 20 years, and are managed with inter-row grass cover to best manage yield and quality. The blend is 54% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot; vinification is carried out in small tanks, allowing small plots to be worked upon separately. After a cool fermentation, the wine is aged for about a year in a mixture of French and American oak barrels, of which 10% are new. Recognised as a cru bourgeois in 1932, its status was confirmed in 2003.

The vineyards adjoin those of Château Cissac. They slope in the direction of the south-south-east, towards a stream with its precious "micro-climat" which, having watered the valley over-looked on one side by Château Lafite and on the other by Château Cos d'Estournel, flows into the Gironde below Pauillac.

13% ABV. About £22 a bottle, but can be cheaper if a half case is bought.

[Barry]

Fantini Edizione Cinque Autoctoni, No.23. 2021

www.fantiniwines.com

Many years ago, two masterminds of Italian winemaking, Filippo Baccalaro and Jean-Marco Sauboua chose five indigenous grape varieties from the thousand year old wine regions of Puglia and Abruzzo. The five grape varieties are: Montepulciano, Primitivo, Sangiovese, Negroarmano and Malvesia Nera, which are blended in different amounts.

Edizione has no vintage as the grapes originate from two different wine regions; for this reason the wine is named with the progressive number of the vintages produced.

14.5% ABV. About £32 a bottle.

[Barry]

Château la Tour Carnet 2020 - 4ème Cru Classé, 2020



Description
The typical of a Haut-Médoc red wine, signed by Bernard Magrez.

The estate
With origins dating back to the 12th century, Château La Tour Carnet is one of the oldest estates in the Médoc. The property takes its name from its tower, built in 1120 and surrounded by moats. In 1407, vines were planted at the estate. Owned by Bernard Magrez, this Classified Growth of 1855 belongs to the elite wine estates of the Haut-Médoc.

The vineyard
Situated in the commune of Saint-Laurent-Médoc, the Château La Tour Carnet vineyard covers 176 hectares of vines. Planted at a high density (8 to 10,000 feet per hectare), the vines are aged 32 years on average and planted in Gunzian gravel soils upon a mostly calcareous clay base. The vineyard of Château La Tour Carnet has achieved the label of High Environmental Value Level 3.

The vinification and ageing
Harvested manually, the grapes undergo an initial sorting in the vineyard, followed by manual sorting on a vibrating table, then de-stemming and optical sorting. Cooling of the harvested fruit using a cryogenic tunnel (by spraying liquid nitrogen). Vatting by gravity. Vinification in oak vats and small cement vats. Cold pre-fermentation maceration (8°C). Alcoholic fermentation at a low temperature (28°C). Maceration period of 25 to 32 days. Ageing lasts 16 months in barrels, 30% of which are new oak barrels.

The blend
The Château La Tour Carnet 2020 is made from a blend of Merlot (60%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (40%)

13.5% ABV. About £30 a bottle

[Barry]

Château Gromel Bel Air Cuvée Eva 2018, Bordeaux Supérieur AOC

This triple-Gold-medal claret is a special cuvée from a 150-year-old cellar situated just north of Fronsac on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, close to Pomerol. High altitude vineyards produce Merlot-rich wines, with Cabernet adding structure and freshness.

La cuvée Eva est le fruit d'une longue recherche cultivée sur un terroir sélectionné de 3 Ha dont les vignes sont âgées de 25 ans. Le produit mis en bouteilles affirme son charactère exceptionnel par la finesse d'un bouquet légèrement boisé, et une franche attaque en bouche où les fruits rouges dominent.

Deep scarlet hue, ripe red fruit with smoky tobacco notes and a hint of oak.

Merlot 70%, Cabernet Sauvignon 30%

13% ABV. Drink up by 28 August 2026. About £15 a bottle.