Wine Of The Month - September 2021

Our selections for September 2021 are:

R de Rieussec 2016, Sauternes Rated 88-90 (Lisa Perotti-Brown) - R de Rieussec is a dry white from the portfolio of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) you may have never heard of!  This stunning, crystalline expression of dry white wine from one of the world’s leading Sauternes producers, Château Rieussec, is an exceedingly rare find.  Though the world may be more familiar with the golden, honeyed Sauternes this Premier Cru Classé produces, R de Rieussec is a treasure in its own right.  For those who appreciate beautifully made dry white Bordeaux, R de Rieussec is a hidden gem of a wine, with very few bottles imported into the United States.  

Clos du Clocher 2016, Pomerol, Rated: 94 (Lisa Perotti-Brown) - Clos du Clocher is one of the best kept secrets in Pomerol.  A true insider’s wine, this small property is home to some extraordinary terroir with some of the best neighbors in the entire appellation! The cult producer Le Pin is down the same road as this 4.6-hectare property.  Château Trotanoy is a mere stone’s throw away as is Château Vieux Château Certan.  Not to mention, Clos du Clocher sits on some plots of blue clay, the type of soil that makes Petrus the unique wine it is today.  Yet with all the fanfare and luminous neighbors, Clos du Clocher remains one of the best values on the market.

Château Langoa Barton 2012, Saint-Julién, Rated 90 (Robert Parker Jr.) - For those who love the masculine, cedar characteristics of the finest Pauillac coupled with the graceful sensuality of a Saint-Julién, Château Langoa Barton is the perfect wine to discover.  The history of this estate is inextricably linked with the Super Second Château Léoville Barton, whose meteoric rise to fame was recently cemented by the 2016 vintage being crowned Wine Spectator’s # 1 Wine of 2019.  The connection between these two estates is strong, because the wine at Château Léoville Barton is made at Château Langoa Barton.  A guaranteed crowd pleaser!

Les Griffons de Pichon Baron 2016, Pauillac, Rated 93-95 (Neal Martin) - We wanted to end September’s Wine of the Month strong and figured what better wine to choose than Les Griffons de Pichon Baron? The second wine to the legendary Pauillac powerhouse, Château Pichon Baron, is as dynamic, vigorous and energetic as the grand vin. This wine is the perfect Summer grilling wine, and it practically begs to be paired with the richness of a juicy steak.  Les Griffons de Pichon Baron is a fabulous introduction to this incomparable property on the Left Bank.

Tasting Notes

R de Rieussec 2016 - "The 2016 R de Rieussec has a strict and quite stony bouquet with dew-speckled green apples and a touch of freshly sliced pear. The palate is well balanced with touches of peach skin and nectarine, a crisp line of acidity with pleasant salinity towards the finish. Drink this dry white from the Rieussec team over the next five or six years." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate, Rating: 88-90

Clos du Clocher 2016 - "The 2016 Clos du Clocher is medium to deep garnet-purple colored and very earthy on the nose with cigar box, forest floor, truffles and charcoal aromas with black cherries and baked red and black plums. Elegantly styled, the palate is medium-bodied with perfumed fruit, a fine-grained frame and a long refreshing finish." Lisa Perotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate: Interim End Of November 2018 (11/30/2018) Rating: 94 Drink: 2021-2039

Château Langoa Barton 2012 - "Plenty of juicy blackcurrant fruit and background oak are present in this plump, medium to full-bodied, ripe, well-made wine. Not nearly as tannic as I feared, this wine shows a forward plumpness, excellent purity, texture and length. Drink it over the next 15-20 years." Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate Issue 218, Rating: 90 Drink: 2015-2035

Les Griffons de Pichon Baron 2016 -"The 2016 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Merlot matured in 60% new oak. The harvest was between 26 September and 18 October, and it represents 30% of the total yield. It has a very pure and detailed bouquet with blackberry, briary, cold stone and graphite aromas. This seems to meliorate in glass. The palate is very well balanced with fine tannin, a Griffons that is nimble and agile, the finish very precise with an almost clinical graphite-tinged finish. This is superb." - Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate, Ratings: 93-95, Drink: 2021-2050