Bordeaux 2009's as seen in the NY Times Chateau Bernadotte and Cantemerle

We have for you two great Bordeaux 2009. We had sold out of our stock quickly after this Eric Asimov’s article in the NY Times came out. We were unfortunate enough to place another order with our supplier in Bordeaux. These wines are pre-arrivals and are set to arrive in May 2014.

These wines received outstanding scores from the critics:
Chateau Bernadotte receiving 90 points from Wine Advocate This blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the best wines to yet come from this estate, owned by the proprietors of Pichon Lalande in Pauillac. Juicy, succulent, cedary black currant fruit intermixed with licorice, herbs and spice box are very pure, authoritative and substantial. Dark ruby/purple, medium to full-bodied and delicious, this wine should be drunk over the next 10-15 years. A sleeper.

Chateau Cantemerle receiving 95 points from James Suckling: "Gorgeous ripe fruit character, with loads of blueberries, blackberries and flowers. Full body, with velvety tannins and a fruity, fresh, grapefruit aftertaste. Really beautiful. Best ever from here. Best after 2018."

And 91+ Points from Robert Parker of Wine Advocate: "Readers looking for the more ethereal, elegant side of Bordeaux need search no further than Cantemerle, one of the estates in the very southern end of the Medoc. Dense ruby/purple (nearly opaque), this wine offers up notes of lead pencil shavings, spring flowers, raspberries and black cherries. The wine is ethereal, medium-bodied, and by no means a blockbuster, but long and intellectual. However, the tannins are present, and the wine is certainly capable of putting on weight with time in the bottle. Give it 3-4 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 25+ years."

Eric Asimov's Ny Times: "Bordeaux has defined much of what we take for granted about fine wine today. Not so long ago, it was a place where those devoted to wine began their exploration and where they ended up. Nowadays, we have far more options, and Bordeaux in many ways has made itself far less accessible to many people. But I believe Bordeaux is at the very least worth the expense because it still has much to deliciously teach us. And at best, Bordeaux still offers soaring pleasures. As for the meal, I recommend simplicity. Lamb and beef are classic matches. Duck and even roast chicken would be good, too. But for these Bordeaux, try to avoid extravagant adornments." 

We did secure a limited amount from Bordeaux but they should go quickly. Free Shipping on All Orders of 4 Bottles or more of these great Bordeaux wines. Enjoy!

Chtaeau Bernadotte
The vineyard bears the name of Bernadotte, a tribute to Germaine Bernadotte who married Jouandou du Pouey in the year 1615. Their son Jean kept the name Bernadotte. He was the ancestor of Marshal Bernadotte who was elected by the people of Sweden to succeed King Charles XIII. The Château is a delightful residence built in 1860 and renovated in 1989. Purchased by Curt Eklund, a Swedish industrialist, in 1973, it is today the property of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande and joined the champagne house Louis Roederer group in 2007. Produced on a gravel soil, the wines of Château Bernadotte are endowed with a solid tannic structure. They are rich in colour, full-bodied yet delicate these wines have elegance and charm and a generous bouquet. Like the classified growths of the Médoc, they come from a vineyard of sufficient size and heterogeneity to allow for a rigorous selection, the guaranty of a quality beyond reproach. With this objective, a second selection is made at the time of blending creation Château Fournas Bernadotte/ This wine is less robust than the Château Bernadotte, with aromas of ripe fruit. It persists in the mouth with a long end delicate finish. This very pleasant wine is ready for early drinking.

Chateau Bernadotte Haut Medoc Bordeaux 2009
Wine Advocate 90 Points:
This blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the best wines to yet come from this estate, owned by the proprietors of Pichon Lalande in Pauillac. Juicy, succulent, cedary black currant fruit intermixed with licorice, herbs and spice box are very pure, authoritative and substantial. Dark ruby/purple, medium to full-bodied and delicious, this wine should be drunk over the next 10-15 years. A sleeper.

Chateau Cantemerle
Château Cantemerle's woodland setting is amongst the most beautiful of any château in the Médoc. It is located in the far south of the Médoc, almost on the outskirts of Bordeaux City. It is the first major property on the Médoc Route des Châteaux, north of Bordeaux.

Cantemerle has 67 hectares of vineyards, planted with Merlot (40%), Cabernet Sauvignon (35%), Cabernet Franc (23%) and Petit Verdot (2%). The wines ferment for 5 days in wooden vats, followed by 30 days maceration before 12 months' wood ageing, 30% new.

The Domaine de Cantemerle is long established, as historical references show (Féret 1893- Agricultural show: Paris 1900, Lille 1902, Amiens 1906). In the 19th century the owner of the Domaine de Cantemerle ordered extensive work, identical to that carried out in his estates in the Médoc, with the object of bringing his several vineyards up to the same standard. Since 1998, the Mabille family, descendants of a very ancient line of Bordeaux wine-growers, (as vouched for by Pierre Mabille in 1803), have taken over the Domaine and undertaken the restructuring not only of the vines but also of the buildings and equipmen     

It is composed of clay soils, molasse from the Fronsac region and of asteriated limestone hills (rocky particles). The average density of vines is 5,800 vines per hectare (like Saint-Emilion), which ensures a good competition among the vines. This density is essential to growing high quality berries.

Chateau Cantemelre Haut Medoc Bordeaux 2009
James Suckling 95 Points:
"Gorgeous ripe fruit character, with loads of blueberries, blackberries and flowers. Full body, with velvety tannins and a fruity, fresh, grapefruit aftertaste. Really beautiful. Best ever from here. Best after 2018."

Robert Parker of Wine Advocate 91+ Points:
"Readers looking for the more ethereal, elegant side of Bordeaux need search no further than Cantemerle, one of the estates in the very southern end of the Medoc. Dense ruby/purple (nearly opaque), this wine offers up notes of lead pencil shavings, spring flowers, raspberries and black cherries. The wine is ethereal, medium-bodied, and by no means a blockbuster, but long and intellectual. However, the tannins are present, and the wine is certainly capable of putting on weight with time in the bottle. Give it 3-4 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 25+ years."

Wine Spectator 91 Points:
"This broad, fleshy style delivers toasty spice and tobacco notes up front, followed by dark cocoa, crushed plum and mulled blackberry fruit flavors. This really stretches out nicely in the glass, with alluring dark fruit and a velvety feel. Drink now through 2017."