Wine of the Month - December 2023

- Wine Thoughts in the Winter

Besides terroir (the soil, the winemaker, the know-how), time is behind the magic we experience in a fine wine. For our Christmas selection, we wanted to showcase wines that have aged in the bottle for at least 5-8 years. Five years is normally considered short for a Left Bank Bordeaux to reach its peak, but for more approachable Right Bank wines, 5-8 years of aging often suffice to reveal how delightful the wine is. More aging is encouraged if you have the cellar space or patience to wait.

Horse racing is said to be a bet on the jockey as much as on the horse. Finding remarkable wine is the same. You look for terroir, but you also look for the talent behind the wine.

Another notable wine in this month's selection is Cheval des Andes. This is the Mendoza wine project by Château Cheval Blanc. The story of Cheval des Andes began exactly twenty years ago. At its origin is the Argentine winery Terrazas de los Andes, one of the pioneers in wine growing in Mendoza. Pierre Lurton, General Manager at Cheval Blanc, studied the "terroirs" of Las Compuertas with Roberto de la Mota and had the ingenious idea of blending the expertise of Cheval Blanc with the purest, Original expression of Malbec, king of the Argentine grape varieties.

In addition, we present Château Langoa Barton whose owners also produce the more luminous sister estate Château Leoville Barton, a favorite among Saint-Julien fans. The family has owned and managed the same properties for 10 generations, one of the rare families to have survived the upheaval of the French Revolution that saw many estates stripped of original owners and forcibly sold.

Last, we present Château Le Bon Pasteur, considered by Robert Parker Jr. as "one of the finest Pomerol." Mr. Parker fondly wrote in his tome on Bordeaux wine that "Irrespective of vintage conditions, (Le Bon Pasteur) is always seductive and characterized by a round, rich, generous, and ripe fruit and a close-to-perfect equilibrium." This estate was made famous by previous owners, Dany and Michel Rolland, two of Bordeaux's most famous oenologists. Michel Rolland also consulted for countless first-class Bordeaux and California wine estates. After nearly 40 years, in 2013, Michel Rolland sold his properties to an investment group that also owns the cult Rutherford, Napa property Sloan Estate.

Cheval des Andes 2016 - "The new vintage to be released in September 2019 is the 2016 Cheval des Andes, which was cropped from a completely unusual year—cooler than the average and with an exceptional amount of rain (around 600 liters), yet the wine has achieved exceptional freshness. It's 13.9% alcohol, and there's more red fruit on the nose, which is subtle and elegant, a little closed at first, shy and subtle. They have done great adjustments in the élevage, with the wine matured in 30% to 40% 400-liter barrels and only some 40% new wood. It's 58% Malbec (approximately 50/50 from Luján and Valle de Uco, where they have 15 hectares in Altamira), 37% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. This has less structure than the 2015, but there's more tension; this is a wine that should develop beautifully in bottle. This is a vintage of precision and with great aging potential. I think this wine is the most elegant produced so far. Bravo! 64,000 bottles produced." - Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (8/30/2019, Issue 244), Ratings: 97+, Drink: 2020-2036

Clos Romanile 2016 -  "Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Clos Romanile offers warm redcurrants, blackberry compote and stewed plums with hints of dried herbs, damp soil and underbrush. Medium-bodied, it has a nice core of vibrant black fruit with soft, rounded tannins and a lively backbone, finishing with an herbal lift." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (11/30/2018, Interim Issue), Rating: 90, Drink from: 2019-2030

"Valandraud’s winemaker’s wine. Only 2,000 bottles. Merlot with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Rich, ripe and modern. Suave attack but fresh and firmly structured. Needs time to open." - Decanter Magazine

Château Langoa Barton 2016 - "The 2016 Langoa Barton is medium to deep garnet-purple colored and opens with cedar, red and black currants, kirsch and menthol with smoked meats. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm, grainy and packed with youthful, energetic fruit, finishing long and perfumed." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2/21/2018, Interim Issue), Ratings: 90, Drink: 2019-2033

Château Le Bon Pasteur 2019 - "The 2019 Le Bon Pasteur is different in style to previous vintages, and I mean that in a positive sense. This is very elegant and classic in style, pure dark cherry and blueberry fruit entwined with a touch of truffle. The palate is well balanced with gentle grip, slightly chalky in texture with well judged acidity, harmonious with a creamier finish, a hint of salted licorice lingering on the aftertaste. Excellent. Tasted three times with consistent notes." - Neal Martin, Vinous, (June, 2020), Ratings: (94-96), Drink: 2024-2045

"The 2019 Bon Pasteur sports a deep garnet-purple color, charging out of the glass with bold blackberry pie, blueberry preserves and prunes notes followed by hints of cedar chest, Ceylon tea, Indian spices and licorice with a waft of violets. Full-bodied, the palate packs a wallop of black fruits, framed by rock-solid, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing with great length and depth." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, (6/17/2020, Bordeaux 2019 Issue), Ratings: (92-94)+