Bordeaux Archives

Chateau Margaux Palmer 2001 Bordeaux Review

Medium-garnet colour. The nose is youthful with notes of cassis, black cherries, cloves, some cedar with a touch of mint. Deep, sweet, and rich with a length and breadth that is captivating. I kept coming back to the glass for another sip – this Palmer is a classic Margaux!

93 points
Liz Palmer
December 25, 2018

Awards
International Wine Challenge, 2011: Gold
Le Guide Hachette des Vins, 2005: 2 Stars
San Francisco International Wine Competition, 2003: Bronze

Wine Spectator: 94 Points
Extremely pretty, with flowers, berries, chocolate and spices. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit and ripe, silky tannins; long and caressing. Beautiful. Palmer shows wonderful refinement. Best after 2009. –JS

Wine Advocate: 93 Points
“Fairly deep color. Another lovely, elegant Palmer nose. It offers richness, but stays pure and delicate. (There’s almost as much Merlot (44%) in the blend as Cabernet Sauvignon (51%), one reason it’s less powerful than other vintages.) The 2001 offers scents of red fruit, blackberry, sandalwood, spice, and mocha. Follows through in a similar fashion on the palate; same delicacy and precision. It’s subtle yet graceful, nicely balanced, still needing a few more years to reach peak, although it’s most of the way there. Overall, a very strong showing.”

Wine Enthusiast: 93 Points
As with so many other wines from the 2001 vintage, this Palmer is classic Margaux. It has delicacy and elegance, but it also packs power, concentration and dark, dry flavors. Intense and concentrated, the richness of the high proportion of Merlot in Palmer?s blend shows through, while the Cabernet Sauvignon gives a fresh lift at the end.

Stephen Tanzer: 90 Points
“Dark red. Expressive aromas of redcurrant, raspberry, dark plum, tobacco, graphite, minerals and flowers. Very suave and smooth on entry, then a bit closed in the middle palate. But this very young, firm Palmer boasts harmonious acidity, very good cut and excellent balance. Finishes with rather tight tannins that will need six or seven years to soften.”

WINE IS THE MOST POPULAR CHRISTMAS GIFT, BUT ONE-THIRD WILL REGIFT

Wine remains the most popular alcoholic beverage to take to a Christmas/holiday party, with 59% citing it as their 1st choice, but 1/3rd that receive a bottle admit to “regifting” it to another, a survey by BIVB has found.

The average person receives four bottles of wine throughout the Christmas or holiday period and gives away an average of three bottles, yet more than three in ten of us (31%) often ‘re-gift’ a bottle wine that we receive.

But over a quarter (26%) admit to not knowing a lot about wine when purchasing wines, with price the deciding factor in most instances, with just over a fifth (21%) saying they buy whatever’s on special offer.

26% of respondents said it was the price that they looked at first, followed by style or grape variety (17%) and country or region (11%).

However, we are more likely to trade up at this time of year. According to a WSTA market report, outside of Christmas.

There is definitely something for every budget and occasion – I suggest you have a price range in mind before you go wine shopping – do your research.

Bordeaux Wines commissioned the research, which was carried out online by Opinion Matters in November and resulted in responses from 2,046 people aged over 18 in the UK.

Sources: Drinks Business and BIVB, WSAT

Emmanuel Macron Opens Presidential Wine Cellar to Public

France’s Elysée Palace has officially opened its doors to its wine cellar first time

France’s Elysée Palace has officially opened its doors to its wine cellar first time this past weekend as part of a bid by President Emmanuel Macron to promote national heritage.

There were 350 members of the public who toured the cavernous cellar which houses 14,000 bottles, from all the wine growing regions of France.

“This is the first time we’ve opened the cellar to the public,” Virginie Routis, the Elysée’s sommelier for the past 11 years, told Europe 1 radio.

The three-meter high vaulted cellar is two floors below ground level and keeps a plethora of fine wines and spirits, from cognac to top champagnes, at an ideal temperature of 13 degrees Celsius.

The also cellar contains prestigious vintages such as Cheval Blanc, Latour, and Puligny-Montrachet. Its oldest bottle is said to be a 1906 Sauternes.

“The wine is chosen according to the menu. I make a selection…Madame and Monsieur Macron also get to approve the choice. We really have to represent French gastronomy, so you have to choose wines that speak to a given foreign delegation,” she said.

The cellar was designed in 1947. During Jacques Chirac’s presidency in 2013, some 1,200 bottles were auctioned off as the quantities were too small to serve at official dinners.

Unlike his teetotal predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, Mr. Macron is quite knowledgeable on French wines and has confessed to drinking a glass of wine at lunch and dinner.

He has chosen to open the cellars as part of France’s annual Heritage Days, where numerous state and listed buildings are exceptionally opened to the public.

Liv-ex top 50 most-searched wines in 2018

Each year around the summer season, Liv-ex examines the top 50

Each year around the summer season, Liv-ex examines the top 50 most-viewed wines, based on visits to their website from January to July. The search-data acts as a barometer for the interests of fine wine merchants, showing where there have been changes in the trade’s interests each year.

Firsts still first

The Bordeaux First Growths continue to occupy the top five spots in the table, with Lafite Rothschild holding its position as the most viewed wine by Liv-ex members. The only difference from last year is Margaux has leapfrogged Haut Brion into third place, helped along by this year’s most searched wine, Margaux 2015.

Risers

Brands on the move such as new entrant Carmes Haut Brion (+34) have been the winners so far this year. However, trade is yet to catch up with interest, as the wine ranks a lowly 141^st in terms of trade by value. Canon has had another strong year. It has climbed 23 places into the 20^th spot, after climbing 24 places in 2017.

Opus One is the largest non-Bordeaux riser, jumping 24 places. Louis Roederer, Cristal has also done well, jumping 18 places. Trade has also seen a corresponding increase in 2018, placing the champagne as the 9^th most traded brand on Liv-ex.

Fallers

For some to rise, others must fall. Traders appear to be losing interest in Super seconds as, amongst others, Ducru Beaucaillou (-8), Leoville Barton (-6), Leoville Poyferre (-5), Montrose (-4) and Pichon Baron (-2) have all subsided in the ranking.

Vieux Chateau Certan was the biggest faller, down 15 places.

This year’s top 50 are shown in the table in full.

Sources:

Liv-ex

Fine Wine Market

Wine Review: Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1989

Wine Review: Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1989
First Growth. Premier Grand Cru Classe in 1973

Special Occasion – celebrating a family member’s one-year anniversary. It’s a lovely Pauillac that has reached its plateau of maturity; notably dark ruby in colour; It has an engaging cedar and tobacco bouquet with hints of mint; not much fruit concentration; the palate follows suit – is medium-bodied and continues the aromatic theme of cedar and tobacco; demonstrates great persistence; well-defined – ‘old school’.

Drink now – 2030.

Tasted June 23, 2018.

95/100

Purchased Toronto LCBO Wine Auction 2011