Clos Haut-Peyraguey 2010

We chanced upon this winery making our way to Sauternes to find the bed and breakfast we booked for our accidental side trip there. It was also a Magrez property, so ending the day as we started (as we visited Pape Clement that day).  Part of the original Chateau Peyraguey when it was classified Premier Grand Cru Classe in 1855, the estate was split in 1879 into two with the other half being Chateau Laufaurie-Peyraguey. It became a Magrez property in 2012.

This was the wine we tasted at the end of the flight that day. It was a nice yellow brass colour, with a sweet luscious acid and fruity nose.The palate was sweet acid and fruity with an acid sweet backbone extending into a long finish.

Ch La Tour Carnet 2010

This was one of the wine we tasted after the Chateau Pape Clement visit. A fourth growth estate from the Magrez stable, this is a wine with which I am less familiar. Tracing its history back to the Middle Ages (though details are sketchy), it was originally named Carnet at the time of the 1855 classification, being named after Jean Carnet, descended from Jean de Foix who is believed to have built the chateau on this estate. The estate is planted with both red and white grapes (of the latter, there are both the blanc and gris versions of Sauvignon but no Muscadelle).

As for this wine, it was a deep ruby, with a sweet berry nose spiced with a soupcon of acid and wood. The palate was sweet acid and fruity with some tannins, supported by a nice acid backbone.

Nectar des Bertrands 2010

We had this wine the other day. I had tried the white for the doctors association dinner last year and it was interesting, and I seemed to have skipped the red for this special cuvee. Owned by the same family for 3 centuries, the estate produces not only red and white wines, but also Bordeaux Clairette as well as Bordeaux Superieur Moelleux. The whites are Sauvignon domintaed (with varying amounts of Muscadelle) whilst reds are dominated by Merlot. From their Website, they also produce a wine without sulphites. This cuvee is 95% Merlot with the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, and spends 17 months in 100% new French oak barrels.

As for this wine, it was a deep ruby, with a sweet acid berry nose. The palate was soft savoury acid and slightly fruity  with  a hint of soy sauce, supported by a tannic acid backbone.

Ch Pape Clement 2004





We tasted this wine at lunch at the end of the Chateau Pape Clement visit.We had a platter of cheese and charcuterie at the wine bar of the souvenir shop where we were tasting the wines as we ended up in a hurry to get to Sauternes for a tasting in the afternoon. After finishing the wines we had for the tasting, we ordered two more glasses, one of which is this Chateau Pape Clement 2004

Th wine was a deep ruby with a dark core with a sweet savoury berry plummy fruity nose, spiced up by a touch of both wood and acid. The palate was sweet fruity woody and tannic with a touch of acid palate, well supported by an acid tannic backbone. We liked it, and with it on sale at a good price at the souvenir shop, we bought a bottle.

Sarget de Gruaud Larose 2006

This is the second wine of the St Julien second growth Chateau Gruaud Larose, with which I am less familiar than the Grand Vin. The estate had a convoluted history since it was founded in the 18th century, being divided into two in the mid 19th century and finally reunited under Cordier ownership in 1935. Its 82 hectares of vines include 2% Malbec.

This half bottle of the second wine was something I picked up at a local supermarket (at the same occasion I picked up a couple of half bottles of Sauternes). As for the wine, it was a deep ruby, with a sweet woody fruity acid nose accompanied by a hint of astringency. The palate was sweet acid and fruity, supported by an acid backbone with a touch of tannins.

An intersting sparkler

This is a sparkling wine made from grapes from the Domaine de Cinquau in Jurancon, but the rules of the appellation does not include sparkling wines.One reason they have this wine is that the Domaine also rents out a venue for weddings and other celebrations and making this wine means they have a sparkling wine to offer those who hire the venue. The label also says Methode Traditionelle, but they do not make the wine on site. Instead the base wine (made from Gros Manseng)  is bulked shipped to a Bordeaux wine maker who turns it into these sparklers.

As for the wine, it was yellow with gold hints and good streams of medium bubbles. There was a crisp acid nose, with an initial acid prickle followed by a crisp acid palate, with an acidic backbone for support.