LeDomduVin

LeDomduVin: Dinner at Chouchou Restaurant - Hong Kong

2026-02-03T04:12:15.031-05:00

DINNER AT CHOUCHOU RESTAURANT - HONG KONG

Very nice dinner at the pre-opening night of Chouchou restaurant (@chouchou.hkg), a new modern French restaurant in the J Residence building in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.

In very good company with Daan (@daanbeirnaert1), enjoying the succulent food from Chef extraordinaire Cedric Tsia (@cedric.tsia) and great service from his team, led by Remi Brunet (@remibrnt) and Clement Jacquel (@clement.hongkong) (all above in the picture above).

Chouchou officially opened on January 26th, but Daan received an invitation to the pre-opening night on January 23rd. He invited me to come along. It was a delightful experience from start to finish.

Pesto Butter and Sourdough Bread

Amongst the many dishes on the menu, we chose:

1. Crab rolls (simple but very nice)

2. Croque Monsieur (highly recommended)

3. Œufs Mayonnaise (a classic not to be missed)

4. Feuilleté aux Champignons (really nice)

5. Tournedos Rossini (perfectly cooked, a delight)

6. Chocolate Tart (very elegant taste)

Accompanied by a wine from China that was really good. After all, why not? We are in Hong Kong.

2018 Puchang Vineyard Beichun, Puchang Red, Xinjiang, China

A cocktail for Daan and a Maury (@mas_amiel) for me with the dessert.

Mas Amiel Maury Vintage 2023

Languedoc-Roussillon, France (@mas_amiel)

served by Anna, Chouchou's Sommelier

We had the pleasure of bumping into Victor Petiot (@victorpetiot - Director of Caprice & Wine at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts) who generously offered us a few glasses of Nicolas Rossignol Bourgogne 2015 in magnum (@domaine.nicolas_rossignol). Excellent choice.

Domaine Nicolas Rossignol Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2015 (Magnum)

Left to right: Ledomduvin (me, Dominique Noel), Victor Petiot, and Daan Beirnaert

It was a very pleasurable experience, great company, food, wine, and service. Definitely a night to remember. Great space too, good vibes and good music. What else to ask for?

Thank you for inviting me to come along, Daan Beirnaert

Thank you to Daan for the invitation. Thank you to Cedric and his chefs for the excellent food. Thank you to Remi, Clément, and their team for the excellent service. And thank you to Victor for his generosity and friendliness.

We will definitely be back.

From left to right: Clement Jacquel, Remi Brunet, Victor Petiot, Cedric Tsia,

me (Dominique Noël), and my colleague and friend Daan Beirnaert

Cheers! Santé! And again, thank you all for this lovely evening.

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Elegance & Minerality

2026-02-03T03:55:37.474-05:00

Elegance & Minerality

Opened recently for a private dinner, I love these wines for their elegance and minerality.

2016 Pierre Peters Cuvée Spéciale 'Les Chétillons' Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne Brut

It was my first time trying this cuvee in the 2016 vintage, and it was delightful. This 100% Chardonnay was disgorged in 2023, with a gentle dosage of 4 g/L. The result is beautifully crafted champagne, pure and mineral, offering delightful, fresh notes of chalky minerality, citrus fruits, and lemon. The palate is sharp, focused, and smooth, with lively acidity. The finish is quite long, with a lovely mineral expression. In fact, it drinks more like a wine rather than a champagne. A refined and enjoyable experience. Kudos to #rodolphepeters!

2020 Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru Burgundy

I know this bottle well, as I have opened quite a few bottles of this wine lately. Beyond its pale-yellow hue, the nose was light, fresh, and refined, with notable minerality, yellow stone fruits, and zesty citrus notes. Initially slightly restrained, the palate gradually opened, showcasing a fresh, dry, mineral texture with good density, abundant lemon flavors, sharp acidity, and subtle buttery, toasted oak nuances. Although somewhat light for a Batard-Montrachet compared with some of its peers, it was very pleasant, more mineral, fresh, elegant, and subtle than rich or powerful, without shading its complexity. Nicely done!

2020 Domaine Pierre Girardin Echezeaux Grand Cru Burgundy

Son of Vincent Girardin, Pierre Girardin, a 13th-generation winemaker, established his own Domaine in 2017 and quickly became one of the rising stars of the Côte de Nuits, focusing on sustainable viticulture and capturing precise terroir expression in his wines. That’s exactly what this Echezeaux 2020 is all about: a stylish wine with aromas of dark cherry, blackberry, violet, and spice, along with earthy notes, a velvety texture, and refined tannins. The wine is elegant and finely structured rather than purely powerful, with high cellaring potential. It is surely too young to be opened now, but for a Sommelier, it is important to taste wine at various stages of its life to be able to follow its evolution and convey the right message to his or her customers. Lovely!

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: An earthy and mineral combination!

2026-01-22T05:34:14.437-05:00

An earthy and mineral combination!

Henri Giraud Aÿ Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Champagne Brut 2013

I love Henri Giraud's champagnes, and this Blanc de Blancs 2013 was delightful. In the glass, it displayed a pale golden color with fine bubbles. Although slightly timid at first, the nose showed nutty and stone-fruit aromas, along with toasted, oaky, salty, and savory notes. The palate boasted ample richness and complexity, with excellent balance and freshness, featuring the same flavors as on the nose, enhanced by a lovely minerality from the attack through the long finish. Nicely done!

Philippe Colin Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru Burgundy 2019

Philippe Colin is a classic in my book. I have always loved his wines and cannot get enough of them, and this 2019 Chevalier-Montrachet was stunning! What struck me most about this wine was its minerality and sense of purity. I often describe minerality as fresh water flowing over a rock, like a waterfall or a gentle stream, and that’s precisely the image I had in mind when I tasted this wine. It combines freshness, minerality, purity, ripeness, and complexity exquisitely. It offers aromas of yellow fruits and citrus zest with buttery and mineral nuances. Focused, tense, and sharp, yet so suave, coating and gracious from beginning to the seamless, lingering finish. Gorgeous wine!

Domaine Trapet Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru Burgundy 2005

Formerly named Domaine Louis Trapet, the estate split in 1993, creating two separate entities: Domaine Rossignol-Trapet and the renamed Domaine Trapet Père et Fils, now run by Jean-Louis Trapet, son of Jean, and his wife. The domaine became known for pioneering biodynamic farming in the mid-1990s. This wine comes from a single parcel with some of the oldest vines on the property, planted in 1938. From an outstanding Burgundy vintage, this 2005 Latricieres-Chambertin shows ripeness, power, and richness, yet remains very elegant, offering black fruits and berries mingling with mineral, spicy, and earthy nuances. Despite its velvety texture, the tannins are present yet integrated, and the finish is earthy, a signature of most Trapet wines (in my opinion), meaning well-crafted, harmonious, and clean, yet always with that touch of terroir-driven earthiness. Lovely wine.

Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac Bordeaux 1990

I was really pleased to open this bottle because I had not tried the 1990 vintage in the past 5-6 years and did not know what to expect. It showed beautifully. I did not decant it, and it was fine that way. 1990 is a Bordeaux vintage I really like. I have been opening countless bottles of various Bordeaux from this vintage over the past 30 years, and most of them aged and evolved gracefully. Lynch Bages 1990 is definitely one of them.

In the glass, it displayed a dark, intense color with a light brownish hue. The nose was fragrant with attractive secondary and tertiary aromas of black currants, cedarwood, mocha, and underbrush combined with earthy and spicy notes. The palate is rich and complex, quite ample and voluptuous, harmonious and fully integrated, with good structure and texture, leading to a seamless finish with this soil-oriented earthiness so characteristic of Lynch-Bages. Excellent wine!

Some may argue it will last for years to come (which is likely true), but, in my opinion, it has reached its full potential and is now in a perfect window of drinkability. I do not believe that it will get better than it is now with a few more years in the bottle, but that's just me.

Life is too short to drink bad wine!

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Casual Night

2026-01-21T03:16:00.005-05:00

Casual Night

Champagne Pascal Agrapart "Minéral" Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut 2017

"Minéral" is probably my favorite cuvee from Pascal Agrapart. It is friendly and so satisfying. It is a highly regarded, terroir-driven Chardonnay Champagne from Grand Cru vineyards in Avize, renowned for its purity and complexity. Crafted from old-vine fruit, barrel-fermented, and aged on lees for extended periods, it is a perfect representation of the essence of the Côte des Blancs. The 2017 vintage was excellent. On the nose and palate, it displayed fresh, zesty citrus and chalky notes, with intense minerality and saline depth. The palate is lively and vibrant, with great structure and balance, leading to a long finish. Loved it!

Domaine de la Vougeraie Vougeot Premier Cru "Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot" Monopole 2021

It had been a while since I tasted "Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot" Monopole from Domaine de la Vougeraie. Made from biodynamic farming, whole-cluster pressing, fermentation in stainless-steel tanks and oak barrels, and aged 16-20 months in oak (around 20-23% new), it is a rare Chardonnay (around 13,000 bottles), from a historic 3-hectare monopole vineyard in the middle of the Vougeot vineyards, planted predominantly with Pinot Noir. This 2021 vintage was very fragrant on the nose, boasting aromas of pear, peach, citrus, and beeswax, with buttery and smoky minerality. Rich, complex, and finely structured, the palate offered more buttery and mineral flavors, vibrant acidity, and a lingering finish. Really nice!

Château Léoville-Las-Cases Saint-Julien Bordeaux 2006

Coming after the 2009 vintage that I recently tasted (see my previous post), which was rich and opulent, and in its ideal drinking window, the 2006 vintage was lighter, fresher, yet slightly closed and tighter. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, complemented by Merlot and Cab Franc, it is a structured, elegant, classic Bordeaux, offering aromas of blackcurrant, cassis, blackberry, blueberry, graphite, cedar, spice, and earthy notes. The palate is quite dense and juicy, if somewhat subdued, with good acidity and present yet integrated tannins, but firmer than the 2009. I like it, but I much preferred the 2009

Life is too short to drink bad wine!

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Champagne Jacquesson Dizy Corne Bautray Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs 2012

2026-01-13T03:33:35.633-05:00

Champagne Jacquesson Dizy Corne Bautray Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs 2012

Crafted from a single 1-ha vineyard in the “lieu-dit” of “Corne Bautray” within the commune of Dizy (Vallée de la Marne), planted exclusively with old Chardonnay vines (planted in 1960) and ranked as “Premier Cru,” Dizy Corne Bautray 2012 is an exceptional Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne.

An appealing nose with scents of hazelnuts, apricots, peach pits, walnuts, lemons, and pie crust. Crisp and tangy flavors complemented by a smooth, expansive mousse. Fresh, well-balanced, and structured. Finishes with saline notes, long-lasting and mineral.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Ideal drinking window

2026-01-13T03:07:55.856-05:00

Ideal drinking window

Recently opened and served for a private dinner, these wines were stunning, showing their full potential and in the ideal window for drinking.

Most wines have opening and closing periods, and it can be difficult to predict their ideal drinking windows.

All wine professionals usually speculate about when it could happen, but this is just a lucky guess, an estimate without really knowing when it will be for sure.

But when you've been waiting for the right time to come, and right at opening, you realize the wine is fully open, displaying all its complexity and potential, having reached its ideal drinking window. It is an incredibly satisfying reward for your taste buds.

Jacquesson Dizy Corne Bautray Extra-Brut Champagne 2009

Jacquesson has been one of my favorite champagne houses for the past 3 decades. It is also sentimental, as "Jacques" is my son's name, which gives me a good excuse to open a bottle now and then. The champagnes of Jacquesson have been the subject of many posts on my blog, and it is always a pleasure to pop the cork of these beautifully crafted champagnes.

Crafted from a single 1-ha vineyard in the “lieu-dit” of “Corne Bautray” within the commune of Dizy (Vallée de la Marne), planted exclusively with old Chardonnay vines (planted in 1960) and ranked as “Premier Cru,” Dizy Corne Bautray 2009 is an exceptional Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne.

The 2009 Jacquesson Dizy Corne Bautray Extra-Brut is a gentle, round, and delicate Champagne that is also rich and complex. The nose offers discreet yet expressive aromas of wild, fresh almonds and yellow stone fruit, mingling with toasted brioche and mineral notes. The palate is warm, round, generous, and ample, incredibly balanced (even if some of you would want a little more acidity), focused, with a gentle texture and refined structure. The finish is long and immediately calls for another glass (like all the wines tasted that day). Gorgeous Champagne!

NB: The recently tasted 2012 vintage was fresher, zestier, and sharper than this 2009 vintage. And yet, 2009 is so complex, yet elegant and aristocratic in its own way; it is too difficult and maybe unfair to compare them, as both offer a tremendous experience for the palate.

Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru "Boudriotte" Burgundy 2018

Located in Chassagne-Montrachet, Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet is one of the leading producers of Burgundy and probably the most famous in Chassagne-Montrachet.

Today, third-generation winemaker Jean-Claude Ramonet leads the domaine, while his brother Noël manages the family vines. The next generation is now engaged in the business: Jean-Claude's daughters, Anne-France and Clarisse, assist in the cellar and office, whereas Noël's sons, Michael and Pierre, work with him in the vineyards and develop their own winemaking ventures.

Ramonet cultivates vines across a prestigious 17-hectare mosaic, showcasing appellation levels from Bourgogne to Grand Cru. Premier Crus like Les Ruchottes and Clos de la Boudriotte, along with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that historically defined the domaine, receive similar recognition as their top-tier counterparts. Other distinguished vineyards include Bâtard-Montrachet, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet, Cailleret, and Chaumées. In the traditional Burgundian style, Ramonet also produces small quantities of Aligoté and Gamay.

The house is celebrated for its pure, complex, and age-worthy white wines, produced from low-yielding, old vines, especially those in the renowned Grand Cru vineyards, with Montrachet as its flagship.

Domaine Ramonet's iconic status, high quality, and limited production (around 100,000 bottles annually) make its wines among the most sought-after Burgundies among international collectors.

Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Boudriotte 2018 was also very nice. The nose displayed floral and mineral aromas, combined with yellow-fruit and buttery, oaky nuances. The palate was almost like drinking a soft, buttery juice, but in a good way. It was soft, creamy, silky, coating, concentrated, and harmonious, with great minerality and zestiness, leading to an even more coating finish, with lots of buttery flavors all the way through. What a lovely wine!

Château Léoville-Las-Cases Saint-Julien Bordeaux 2009

When discussing wines that go through opening and closing periods, Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases, considered a rather classic Bordeaux style (rather than a modern one), is definitely a great example.

Having tasted this wine countless times over the past 34 years, En primeur, at the barrel, and in all the bottles I opened in my long career, I can tell you that it is a rather capricious wine that goes through up-and-down phases.

I was a little skeptical at first, having not tried the 2009 in a long time, about whether it would be open or closed. And yet it was so perfect and opened, it inspired the title of this post, as I truly believe it is now in one of these ideal drinking windows, as it showed fantastically well.

Dense and opaque, with an attractive color in the glass. The nose is expressive and charming, ripe yet fresh, with dark berries, cassis, tobacco, and mocha aromas, along with spicy, earthy, and oaky notes. The palate is gorgeously harmonious and integrated, rich and complex yet round and suave, nearly flawless, offering similar flavors as on the nose but with more depth, excellent texture and structure enhanced by great freshness (surprising for a 2009 vintage), no angularities, no edges, from the attack to the long, lingering, seamless finish. Stunning wine! So fresh, complex, sophisticated, and youthful! To be enjoyed now before it closes down again for a period of time.

NB: The guests and I compared this Leoville-Las-Cases 2009 with the following wine, Mouton-Rothschild 2009, and we all found that LLC was showing so much better than its First Growth counterpart.

Chateau Mouton-Rothschild Pauillac Bordeaux 2009

This bottle was brought by one of the guests. And it was also very good, but coming after such an incredible Leoville-Las-Cases 2009, it seemed to lack freshness, substance, and integration. And as both reds were from the same vintage, we thought it would be a great experience to compare them. Let me explain.

Although Mouton-Rothschild 2009 is also rich, complex, and concentrated, and seductive in its own style, it tasted less friendly and showed less harmony and integration, with more roughness and earthiness than Leoville-Las-Cases 2009. And more particularly, it definitely lacked the freshness and fruitiness that the Saint-Julien offered.

Mouton showed more of the characteristics of the hot 2009 vintage, riper and darker fruits, opulence, and a more full-bodied palate, yet less fresh and less sexy than the LLC 2009. Opaque color in the glass, too. On the nose, it revealed aromas of plum and cassis, licorice, coffee, and chocolate, with some earthy, oaky, and smoky nuances. The palate is also rich and complex, but, as mentioned earlier, less harmonious, less fruity, less integrated, and definitely less fresh and less together than LLC.

Does that make it a bad wine? No, absolutely not. Mouton 2009 is also a gorgeous wine in its own way, with the potential to age for years to come. And yet, compared to LCC, it didn't offer the freshness, purity of fruit, or seamless integration. Maybe Mouton 2009 is not yet in its ideal drinking window.

To conclude: Maybe we shouldn't have compared them; maybe we should have tasted and enjoyed each wine for what it is and how it is. Yet, being from the same vintage, with one a first growth and the other a second growth, it was too tempting not to do so, and by doing so, it was also too tempting not to revive the eternal debate (often discussed here on my blog) about how some second and third growths often outrank some first growths, showing how obsolete and in need of a total revision the 1855 classification really is.

That's all, folks, for today, but stay tuned for more posts to come!

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Château Pontet-Canet Pauillac 2006

2026-01-12T05:13:43.073-05:00

Château Pontet-Canet Pauillac 2006

Pontet-Canet is one of my favorite Pauillac wines. I have been buying this wine for 34 years and have never been disappointed. I visited the chateau numerous times in the 2000s, and it was always a pleasure to taste their wines during the En Primeur campaigns.

It is a classic in my book and surely one of the best values in the Haut-Médoc and Pauillac appellations.

Why? Because it is a Fifth Growth that tastes like and can easily compete with the Third and Second growths (even First), in terms of quality and consistency, and comes at a fifth of the price of a First growth.

Moreover, Chateau Pontet-Canet is a powerful, pure, and terroir-driven wine crafted using biodynamic viticulture (horse-drawn plowing and minimal intervention) and innovative winemaking (concrete amphorae and partial destemming). So, what's not to like?

Opened recently, the 2006 Pontet-Canet was a delight! Extremely dense and dark in the glass (as always). The nose offered beautiful aromas of red and dark berries mingling with floral and earthy notes, tertiary hints, and oaky nuances. The palate is rich, complex, generous, and voluptuous, with a velvety texture enhanced by enough freshness to keep it balanced, round, earthy, and present yet integrated tannins make up for a great structure. The finish is long, chewy, and earthy. What a lovely wine!

Even if I did not do that that day, it would probably have benefited from being decanted about 45 minutes before serving. Despite its age, it remains youthful, so you can wait a few more years for it to reach its full potential.

Kudos to the Tesseron Family!

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Karaoke Night

2026-01-07T03:29:23.186-05:00

Karaoke Night

During the year-end festivities, I selected, opened, and served these bottles at a private dinner, where guests sang karaoke while enjoying a luxurious buffet. And fortunately, I wasn't invited to sing, as it is the last thing you want to hear. 😂😂😂

Served from left to right:

Champagne Agrapart & Fils "Terroirs" Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra-Brut NV

Located in the commune of AVIZE (Marne department) in the Champagne region of the Côte des Blancs (between Epernay and le-Mesnil-sur-Oger), Pascal Agrapart is a vigneron (grape grower) and winemaker who does not purchase grapes and crafts his Champagnes with a natural and terroir-oriented approach.

Agrapart spans 12 hectares of vineyards, primarily in Grand Cru villages, planted with Chardonnay. The vineyard soils have always been maintained through ploughing, and each year, compost made from local ingredients is added to enrich the soil and support the vineyard's health and productivity.

The cuvée "Terroirs" is an Extra Brut champagne, 100% chardonnay, Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru, which represents the encounter of several Grand Crus, hence its name. It is usually a blend of 2 vintages from specifically chosen vineyard blocks in AVIZE, CRAMANT, OIRY, and OGER.

Both primary vintage base wines often spend one year in large oak barrels (demi-muids) before blending. The wines are neither fined nor filtered. After blending and bottling, the wine is aged on its lees (sur latte) for a minimum of around 4 years, sometimes longer, to develop depth and texture (the duration varies slightly by release). The riddling is done by hand (remuage -rotation). Once ready, it is disgorged 2 months before the release date, and the sugar dosage is limited to 5 grams per liter. This cuvee is available in bottles, magnums, and jeroboams.

The resulting Champagne cuvée "Terroirs" is medium-bodied yet rich, fresh, and unctuous, with complex aromas and flavors of citrus, nuts, apple, and pear, complemented by chalky, mineral notes. The palate offers bright lemon zest mingling with toasted pastry and minerality, with a light yet refined, elegant texture and structure leading to a gentle finish. Lovely Champagne!

Champagne Krug Vintage Brut 2000

Krug is surely one of my favorite Champagne houses. The quality and consistency of its champagnes are undoubtedly among the best in the Champagne region. And this Krug Vintage 2000 is a perfect example. Despite its age, it tastes astonishingly young, fresh, zesty, and very much alive. Offering great richness and complexity on the nose and palate, where flavors of yellow stone fruits, hazelnut, and freshly baked pastries mingle with lime, citrus, and mineral notes. It has excellent balance, solid structure, refined texture, and focus, and a lingering savory finish with saline and mineral notes.

A blend of 43% Chardonnay, 42% Pinot Noir (42%), and 15% Meunier, this Krug 2000 vintage Champagne is a true masterpiece, aged for more than 10 years in the underground cellar of the house. It is characterized by its generosity, precision, elegance, and depth. The extreme and chaotic weather conditions of vintage 2000, characterized by heat, rain, and storms, produced a champagne of great intensity. A testament to this exciting yet challenging year, Krug 2000 was nicknamed "Stormy Delight" by the House's tasting committee.

The year 2000 is among the warmest years in which Krug has produced vintages, and all those vintages—such as 1947, 1959, 1976, 1982, and 1989—have delivered exceptional Champagne. A must try!

Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2020

Fontaine-Gagnard is a classic Burgundy Domaine in my book. I have opened several bottles of this wine on several occasions over the past few months, and I am consistently impressed by its quality. The nose is fresh and delicate, almost fragile, with zesty, floral aromas and prominent mineral notes. The palate is gorgeously generous, ample, and coating, with a silky, suave texture and focused structure, beautifully balanced by refreshing acidity, revealing creamy butter, honey, and dried-fruit flavors, enhanced by a good dose of zesty citrus notes and intense minerality. Delightful wine!

Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 2019

The recipient of many posts on my blog, Domaine Ponsot, is a staple of Burgundy wine in my book.

Opened, tasted, and served many times over the past 3 years, Ponsot Clos de La Roche VV 2019 remains a very young wine (too young, maybe? perhaps) that has gone through “open and closed” phases during that period. Yet again, it has started to open up and is now more approachable and more harmonious. That is surely the reason I opened 3 bottles that night.

Right after opening, the bottle released attractive, exuberant scents. A dense, bright ruby color filled the glass. Beautiful aromas of wild red and dark cherries, floral and spicy notes, and lightly oaky nuances filled the room, complemented by mineral and earthy undertones.

Light to medium-bodied, the palate is bright, juicy, complex, layered, rich yet delicate, elegant, sophisticated, and superbly balanced among the fruit, acidity, and integrated tannins. The structured, textured mid-palate leads to a seamless, lingering finish that immediately calls for another glass. I personally love this wine.

Some of you may find it a bit tight, lean with high acidity, and yet, it is the opposite of a Burgundian powerhouse. I find it elegant and refined, finely chiseled, precise, and focused, and charmingly versatile.

I usually suggest opening it 30 to 45 minutes before serving, but for those who can wait, it will benefit from a few more years in the cellar to reach its full potential.

Chateau Margaux Margaux 2003

I was in Bordeaux in late March and early April 2004 to taste the 2003 En primeur vintage, one of the worst and least homogeneous vintages I have tasted en primeur in my 34-year career. Why? This is a recurring topic I have discussed many times on my blog, as it concerns me greatly.

The 2003 vintage in Bordeaux was characterized by the first extreme, record-breaking heatwave and drought of the 21st century, resulting in inconsistent, atypical wines that often lacked the classic freshness and elegance of great Bordeaux.

I remember my boss at the time (I was working at one of New York's most prominent Wine & Spirit retail shops back then), with whom I was traveling to Bordeaux to taste these wines, was very enthusiastic about this vintage, as wine critics such as Robert Parker Jr., James Suckling, and many others gave them high scores calling it one of the "hottest' vintages of Bordeaux literally and figuratively (until Jancis Robinson, MW, cried foul).

As we tasted the wine at the barrel in the Chateaux, with the negociants, and during various large tastings organized by the Union des Grands Crus and other wine organizations across multiple regions of Bordeaux, I could not understand why wine critics and my Boss were so excited about this vintage.

The problem with this extreme heat wave that occurred in the summer months before the harvest is that it was unprecedented. I mean, Bordeaux had already experienced and dealt with "hot" vintages such as 1982, 1989, 1990, and 2000, but never to the extent of the scorching heat and drought of 2003.

Lacking guidance on how to proceed in such conditions, some producers harvested too early to preserve freshness, some harvested too late to take advantage of ripeness, and some did both and then blended them.

The resulting wines were inconsistent and atypical, with some showing poor fruit, sourness, and herbaceous notes, high acidity, unripe, green tannins, and excessive bitterness. While some were overripe, even cooked, showing a lot of alcohol, others showed both sides of these flaws, overripe with weird acidity, high alcohol, and bitterness.

My boss wanted to order many of these wines in large quantities, but I was more cautious and advised against it, as we would have difficulty selling them. Of course, he did not listen.

And a very peculiar thing (yet anticipated on my part) happened. In 2005, as the 2003 Bordeaux were about to be released, wine critics, likely after realizing the vintage quality was not as good as they had thought during the En Primeur Tasting, revised their scores downward for most wines.

It turned out to be one of the worst En Primeur campaigns I've run in my career. Many customers in the US quickly became aware of the lower scores and the vintage's questionable quality and called us to request reductions or even cancellations of their orders. It was a disaster. My boss ordered far too many cases of these wines, and due to canceled orders, it took us more than 2 years to deplete the stock.

NB: Aside from the topic, I also had several major phone arguments with the director of Chateau Mouton Rothschild at the time, as we faced a quality issue with the 2003 labels. I remember well, my boss ordered 150 or even 200 cases of 12 bottles, and when we received them, we opened one of the cases to check the conditions of the bottles and the labels were all wrinkled or "wavy" if you prefer (irregularly deformed, curved or bulging) partly due to humidity or heat, but more specifically due to the awkward shape and design of the label itself (it is longer than usual, and slightly conic and therefore did not stick properly to the bottle, forming wrinkles) and the glue they used for that particular vintage. A label quality unworthy of a first growth, and the price asked per bottle, released at 120 Euros a bottle back then (in 2004). We opened a few more cases, and all the labels were wrinkled and in poor condition, clearly unsellable to our customers. Mouton Rothschild did not care and offered only to send us new labels to affix to the bottles after we removed the ones we received. Unbelievable. Hence, my negative attitude toward the 2003 Bordeaux vintage.

Fortunately, not all the châteaux produced bad wines, and some of the best Bordeaux appellations of this vintage are Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe, and Pessac-Léognan. With a few exceptions, such as Château Margaux in Margaux, and Château Figeac, Château Ausone, and Château Angelus, which produced an exceptional vintage despite the difficulties encountered, the left bank did better overall than the right bank in terms of quality. Montrose 2003 was one of my favorites during the En primeur tasting.

In fact, unsurprisingly (as it was one of the best of the vintage), after 20 years, the 2003 Chateau Margaux has evolved quite nicely and showed very well that night. It was fragrant at the opening, offering ripe, dark-red and blue-fruit aromas mingling with toasted, earthy, and mineral notes. An intriguing yet attractive bouquet. Medium-bodied, the palate was quite elegant, fine, harmonious, and balanced, with more bright red and fresh blue fruit, complemented by mocha and earthy notes. No over-ripeness or burnt sensation, and well-integrated tannins, with enough acidity to keep it balanced and fresh, gently leading to a quite long finish. I found subtle bottle variation between the two bottles I opened that night, with one being more expressive despite their same provenance and storage conditions. A very nice surprise, especially given my skepticism about the 2003 Bordeaux vintage.

Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2003

Brought by a guest, this bottle was a highlight of the night. It is not every day I get to open, taste, and serve such a cult wine as "Screaming Eagle", a bottle that easily fetches between US$3,200 and US$4,000.

Located in Oakville within Napa Valley, Screaming Eagle produces wines that express their terroir, lovingly nurtured through skilled vineyard management and meticulous, attentive work in the cellar.

The 2003 vintage is a Bordeaux-style red blend, primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with some Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The winemaker at the time was Heidi Peterson Barrett, the first winemaker for Screaming Eagle. Michel Rolland was a consulting winemaker. The vinification process involved meticulous selection, small fermentation lots, and prolonged aging to ensure high quality. The resulting wine had one of the highest alcohol levels for the winery during that period, at 14.6% (primarily due to hot weather during the growing season).

The 2003 Napa Valley vintage was defined by extremes, featuring a warm, sometimes hot, growing season with significant temperature swings, due to cooler nights, leading to ripe fruit but challenging conditions for winemakers, resulting in complex wines with rich fruit, dark notes (blackberry, plum), and structured tannins, with top producers achieving elegance and depth despite the inconsistent weather, ultimately producing wines known for their power, concentration, and complexity.

And this Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 is a great example. In the glass, the color is dark and intense. The nose offers captivating aromas of black currants and dark forest fruit, complemented by cedarwood, vanilla, chocolate, and espresso, with mineral notes that elegantly introduce the wine and highlight its quality. The palate is intensely concentrated and full-bodied, yet suave, showing remarkable depth, richness, and sophistication, a characteristic of the producer's renowned style. The finish is long and chewy, with supple tannins. A wine with an alluring elegance!

The 2003 vintage of Screaming Eagle had a production of approximately 500 cases, which equates to around 6,000 standard 750ml bottles. The production is intentionally limited, contributing to its cult status and high market value.

Backup wines:

Domaine Blain-Gagnard Volnay 1er Cru "Les Pitures" 2019

Domaine Blain-Gagnard is a family-run estate in Chassagne-Montrachet that owns about 9 hectares of vineyards and produces both red and white Chassagne-Montrachet wines. They also make a white in Puligny-Montrachet and some reds in Volnay and Pommard. The vineyards are planted with 60% white / 40% red, and their production represents about 70% white / 30% red.

Domaine Blain-Gagnard was founded in 1980 when Jean-Marc Blain (a Sancerrois) married Claudine Gagnard, the youngest daughter of Jacques and Marie-Josèphe Gagnard of Domaine Gagnard-Delagrange. The couple runs the venerable domaine with the help of their son, Marc-Antonin. Jean-Marc Blain and Claudine Gagnard met while studying oenology at Dijon.

The estate's vineyards primarily originate from Claudine's grandparents and other relatives, supplemented by a few purchases. The vines are mainly planted in Chardonnay (55%), with the remainder in Pinot Noir and a small parcel of Passetoutgrain. Currently, they manage 20.5 acres (about 8.5 hectares) of vineyards in Chassagne-Montrachet, including holdings in three grands crus: Le Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet.

In addition to the Grand Crus, Blain-Gagnard’s holdings in Chassagne-Montrachet include the red premier crus of Clos Saint Jean and Morgeot, and the white premier crus of Morgeot, Boudriotte, and Cailleret. Additionally, the domaine holds premier cru parcels in Volnay Chanlin, Volnay Pitures, and in the Pommard lieu-dit La Croix Planet les Combes.

In addition to the Grand Crus Bâtard-Montrachet and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet, in 1999, they received a parcel of Le Montrachet from Jacques Gagnard. Since 2000, Le Montrachet from this parcel has been vinified and bottled under the Domaine Blain-Gagnard label. The vineyards are farmed using lutte raisonée (sustainable viticulture).

For the whites, after pressing, Chardonnay is inoculated with selected cultured yeast and fermentation occurs in barrel. The lees are stirred once a week until late December or, in some vintages, until February. White wines are aged in varying percentages of new oak, with 10-20% new oak for the village wines and up to 30% new oak for the premier and grands crus.

For the reds, Pinot Noir is de-stemmed and cold-soaked for three to four days, then fermented with native yeasts. Red wines are typically aged for 18 months in used barrels.

Served as a post-dinner wine while guests sang karaoke, the Domaine Blain-Gagnard Volnay 1er Cru "Les Pitures" 2019 was really enjoyable. On the nose, it offered aromas of ripe red fruits (cherry, raspberry, currant), dark berries, spice, vanilla, forest floor, and mushroom, with earthy notes and oaky nuances. Light to medium bodied, the palate showed elegance and structure, with good depth and freshness. It showcased classic Volnay finesse and complexity, reflecting the character of its limestone-rich terroir, with present yet integrated tannins and aging potential. Lovely wine!

Château Beychevelle "Aspirant de Beychevelle" Saint-Julien 2019

Although I was familiar with the name, it was my first time trying this wine. Not to be confused with "Amiral de Beychevelle," the 2nd wine of Chateau Beychevelle, "Aspirant de Beychevelle" is the chateau's 4th wine (*) and its latest on-trade exclusive release (meaning restaurant-only) (since 2016). It was created by Château Beychevelle in collaboration with Castel Grands Crus and is made primarily from Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon. The idea was to make an approachable, fruit-forward, ready-to-drink wine that can be enjoyed young, while also revealing the elegance of the great Saint Julien terroir.

And that is exactly how it showed that night, offering black fruit (currant, blackberry) and spicy notes on the nose. The lively palate displayed a silky texture, good structure, fruitiness, and elegance, reflecting the excellent concentration and freshness of the 2019 vintage. A quaffable wine and a great value for money!

NB: Do you know the origin of the name "Beychevelle"? I did not know either and stumbled upon this answer: "Beychevelle" comes from the Gascon phrase "Bêcha vela" (meaning "lower sail"), a tribute to a former owner, the Duke of Epernon (also known as Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette (1554–1642)), who required boats passing by his estate to lower their sails in respect. The ship on the chateau's label thus became a prominent symbol.

(*) "Brulières de Beychevelle" is the 3rd wine of Château Beychevelle, even if technically it is made from a vineyard located five kilometers from Château Beychevelle, and is vinified and matured in a dedicated cellar (not at the château), to the same high standards as the Château’s other wines (since 2015).

That's all, folks, for today, but stay tuned for more posts coming soon.

Life is too short to open, serve, and drink bad wine!

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Jeaunaux Robin "Éclats de Meulière" Champagne Brut Nature NV

2026-01-07T02:45:40.760-05:00

Jeaunaux Robin "Éclats de Meulière" Champagne Brut Nature NV

A blend of 60% Pinot Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir, and 10% Chardonnay, this Artisan Vigneron champagne is a delight for your taste buds: light, easygoing, crisp, fresh, dry, and not pretending to be anything other than a clean, zesty, well-crafted champagne.

Perfect as an apéritif with some oysters, fishy bites, and appetizers.

Some of you may find it lacks body, weight, or complexity, yet at this price (around 46 euros), this Champagne is a steal, offering plenty of juice, balance, texture, and substance in a subtle, elegant way.

A friendly and enjoyable champagne!

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Back in the days!

2026-01-06T01:23:36.093-05:00

BACK IN THE DAYS

December has been busy, and I just realized I have not posted on my blog since last November. While searching my phone for the latest pictures of the wines I served at recent private and corporate dinners, I came across these 2 photos (from November 2015) that reminded me of how many good bottles I used to select, prepare, open, taste, and serve in my previous job.

My old boss was a drinker, a connoisseur, a collector, and an investor. I worked for him for 9 years, during which I opened some of the greatest bottles in the world. These bottles were mainly white and red Grands Crus from Bordeaux and Burgundy, with Champagne often served as an aperitif; white paired with the first and second appetizers, and followed by sweet wines for dessert.

You might think that it is pretty common for most Sommeliers to open bottles like these regularly, and I agree. Except that I wasn't opening this many bottles occasionally; I was opening them 4 or 5 times a week. My old boss used to throw parties for 10-20 people a few times a week, and not only did he know his wines, but he also liked to drink them and share them with his management team and his friends.

It was a blast for a wine enthusiast, a sommelier, and a wine buyer like me. I surely opened, tasted, and served some of the best wines in my career during these 9 years working for him.

With Chris Lee, Maître D' extraordinaire, with whom I used to work, in 2015.

These pictures are just one example among many of these wine dinners. And as you can see, the featured wines need no introduction. The labels speak for themselves.

From left to right (even you can't see the vintages, I think I remember most of them as they were mainly from the 1990s)

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 1993
Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 1995
Château Leoville-Las-Cases Saint-Julien 1990
Château Cos d'Estournel Saint-Estèphe 1990
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou Saint-Julien 1990
Château Margaux Margaux 1995
Château Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan / Graves 1990
Château Latour Pauillac 2000
Château Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan / Graves 1978 or 79
SLOAN Rutherford Napa Valley 2000 or 2003

These were the days, 4 or 5 times a week, between 8 and 12 bottles per dinner. A sommelier's paradise!

These were pre-COVID years, meaning before 2020, when the world was still drinking and knew how and what to drink. What has happened since has left me bewildered. The world changed; views on drinking wine (and alcohol in general) shifted, and consumer habits changed.

Suddenly, drinking wine became "cringe," especially among the newest generations, Millennials and Gen Z.

Geopolitical and political uncertainties have created doubt about future political, economic, and social conditions, affecting everything from supply chains to financial markets. The addition of health concerns and financial struggles, due to inflation, cost of living, conflicts, political tensions, policy shifts, terrorism, taxes, tariffs, and trade wars around the world, have shifted people's priorities. And wine is no longer one of them.

Wine has long been considered a luxury, and this perception has been reinforced in the last two decades as fine wine has become a significant financial investment and status symbol. The market for high-end wines had experienced substantial growth, outperforming other traditional luxury assets such as art and jewelry in investment returns.

But those days are gone. Over the past 2-3 years, top-tier wines have experienced a significant price decline. The price decline for top-tier wine brands is driven primarily by a post-pandemic market correction, global economic pressures, and oversupply of certain vintages, especially in Bordeaux.

Global economic instability is undoubtedly the main factor. Ongoing economic uncertainty, inflation, and rising interest rates have reduced the spending power of many luxury buyers, prompting them to cut back on discretionary purchases. The global economic climate has shifted consumer behavior, with many opting for less expensive bottles or focusing on value-driven purchases.

The second factor is the market correction after the pandemic boom. The fine wine market experienced an unprecedented boom between 2020 and 2022, with prices surging amid low interest rates and high demand due to increased at-home consumption. The current price decrease is primarily seen as a natural correction, bringing prices back to pre-2022 levels.

The third and most significant factor hurting the wine industry is oversupply and inventory management. Several regions, particularly Bordeaux, are facing oversupply, with negociants and retailers struggling with high inventories of unsold wines spanning several vintages, partly driven by price surges in the late 2010s and early 2020s and by shifts in consumer habits. This has forced some producers and merchants to offer discounts or price new releases below comparable older vintages, devaluing existing stock and putting downward pressure on overall prices.

This brings us to the fourth factor, the shift in consumer habits and demands. A growing trend among wealthy wine buyers is to buy wine for immediate consumption rather than long-term investment, which reduces the perceived value of young, unaged wines. Buyers are increasingly interested in older, critically acclaimed "back vintages" that offer better value and are ready to drink now, rather than speculating on new releases, especially with Bordeaux, where vintages such as 2000, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2016 can still be found at lower prices than 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022.

It is also a generational shift. Younger consumers tend to drink less alcohol overall. While they may spend more per bottle (a "premiumization" trend), they are less swayed by traditional origin stories and more interested in sustainable and organic options, as well as a wider variety of global wines beyond traditional powerhouses like Bordeaux. Also, because of taste differences and the image of red wine as now old-fashioned, younger consumers have turned to white and rosé wines and beers, which are usually far less expensive than red wine.

Recent geopolitical tensions and trade wars also play a significant role in the decline in wine consumption and prices. The economic slowdown in China, once a significant growth market for top-tier wines (especially before Xi Jinping's anti-corruption law in 2013), has significantly reduced demand for European wines.

The combination of these factors has weakened the wine industry worldwide and, in turn, all the people who work directly and indirectly within it. The past 2-3 years have been tremendously challenging, with wine sales and consumption declining and prices falling as the market tried to reinvigorate itself.

But the real questions are:

How do you sell wine in a chaotic world that is increasingly less interested in it?
How do you sell wine when people are already struggling to make ends meet?
How do you sell wine when people no longer enjoy it over a meal or at a gathering?
How do you sell wine when it is no longer on their grocery list?
How do you sell wine to younger generations that view it as part of older habits and no longer relate to it?

This list is non-exhaustive, of course, and there are so many more questions to ask. However, I will let you ponder these questions; if you have a solution, feel free to share it in the comments.

In the meantime, I'm really hoping for better days ahead. For a grandson of a winemaker, a wine enthusiast, a sommelier, and a wine buyer like me, with a 34-year career in the wine industry, the present we are living in has nothing to do with the days in the 80s, 90s, 2000s, and early 2010s, when wine was thriving and the world seemed to be a better place. I'm not necessarily one of those who say it was better before, but I have to admit I would love to be back in those days!

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: When wine friends meet (part 2)

2025-11-24T02:26:31.898-05:00

When wine friends meet (part 2)

The day after the UGCB, we decided to meet again for dinner at Nissa la Bella (@nissalabellahk).

A French bistro in Sheung Wan, where Olivier Bollenbach (@olivierboll) and the team took really good care of us. Really lovely food and wines!

Left to right: François, Jerry, Minnie, Dom, Benoît, Olivier, Kim, Ophelia, and Martin.

We had an excellent time, having fun, sharing, and cheering. A great occasion to meet old friends, new people, discover a new place, and drink great wines, too.

Everyone brought some great bottles, and these are the wines we drank for dinner.

Wines of the Dinner, from Left to right (on the picture above):

Yann Durieux - Love and Pif - Bourgogne Aligoté (2023 ?)

Even though we were all working in the wine industry, directly or indirectly, at that dinner, I was surprised that some of us did not know Yann Durieux.

Yann Durieux is a respected figure in the traditional and natural wine worlds, known for his biodynamic and natural winemaking practices, with a focus on minimal intervention, which allows his wines to express greater purity and terroir.

Yann has been the vineyard manager at Domaine Prieuré Roch since 2008. Prieuré Roch, which has a "cult-like following" among fine wine collectors and connoisseurs, is considered a significant producer in Burgundy.

Then, in 2010, he founded his own domain, "Recrue des Sens," and vinified his first three vintages in the cellars at Prieuré Roch, which attracted the press and critics and brought significant attention to his name, reputation, and wines.

He now owns a few vineyards and makes white wines from Aligoté, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc, as well as various red wines from Pinot Noir, all aged in old or new barrels. He also makes an ‘orange’ wine from Aligoté (also from Pinot Gris, available on request)

Unfortunately, since he produces only 3,000-5,000 bottles per vintage, his wines are rare and highly sought after. They often do not receive formal notes or scores from the press or critics because, with such low production, it’s understandable that he cannot send samples to all international critics.

Although more popular now and even trendy in some parts of the world (France, USA, etc.), some people still remain skeptical of natural wines because they often have funky, even faulty, aromas and flavors, along with flaws like a cloudy appearance, effervescence, "funky" or "barnyard" aromas, an unbalanced or unharmonious palate, and possible inconsistency between bottles.

Even at that dinner, two winemakers attended and shared their concerns about the wine. But that was before tasting it; in the end, even they were pleasantly surprised, as Yann Durieux's wines are not like other Natural wines — they are clean, precise, and focused, with a lot to offer and to like.

This wine is crafted with a focus on natural winemaking, including spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts and aging in steel and wooden barrels. It is typically bottled without fining or filtration, and with minimal or no added sulfites.

The resulting wine is a vibrant Bourgogne Aligoté—fresh, clean, zesty, yet generous and complex, with lots of minerality, bright fruit notes, and a long finish. One of the best Bourgogne Aligotés I have tasted in a long time.

Thank you, Martin, for bringing this bottle to dinner. First, because I am a big fan of Yann Durieux's wines, and it was nice to refresh my memory since I hadn't tasted his Bourgogne Aligoté in a long time. Second, it allowed some people to discover it for the first time. Good choice!

Louis-Benjamin - Didier Dagueneau Pur Sang 2019 (Magnum)

This is one of the bottles I brought to dinner. The night before, I had dinner with Martin, Ophelia, and Minnie, and Martin and Ophelia treated us to some nice Pouilly Fumé, which inspired me to bring a magnum of this legendary wine, or should I say "this mythic cuvée" from Pouilly Fumé in the Loire (France).

Didier Dagueneau, a pioneering winegrower in the Loire, was a renowned expert in the Sauvignon Blanc variety and one of the first to apply biodynamic farming on his 11 hectares in the AOC Pouilly Fumé.

I had the chance to meet Didier Dagueneau twice in the mid-90s, and even then, his wines were seen as revolutionary and unusual for the appellation because of their richness, concentration, and complexity, providing a sharp contrast to the typically light, grassy Sauvignon Blancs of that time.

Didier Dagueneau challenged convention by adopting meticulous viticulture—including biodynamic practices starting in 1993—and barrel fermentation, which was uncommon for the region at the time. This led to wines with a distinct, fuller-bodied profile—much richer, more complex, and dense—along with higher aging potential than their peers within the appellation.

Starting in the 1990s, Dagueneau wines gained a cult following, commanding prices similar to those of top Burgundy wines and becoming harder to find due to high demand and limited production.

After Didier passed away in 2008, his son, Louis Benjamin Dagueneau, took over and continued his father's philosophy by crafting complex, layered Pouilly Fumé wines in a very Burgundian style (see this video interview of Didier Dagueneau, courtesy of "Le Média Vin").

Didier Dagueneau's "Pur Sang" is made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc from old-vine vines aged 25 to 60 years, planted in limestone, clay, and flint soils. It is considered one of the best crus in the AOC Pouilly Fumé. The vines are farmed using biodynamic practices with organic and ecological methods. The grapes are hand-harvested at peak ripeness. They are then gently pressed, and the must ferments spontaneously with native yeasts for 3 months. The wine then ages on lees for 11 months in oak barrels.

The Didier Dagueneau winery is famous for its relentless pursuit of quality, and the cuvée "Pur Sang" is the perfect example; its name, “Pure Sang”, reflects its purity and unique character.

I arrived at the restaurant about 30 minutes before everyone else and immediately opened the wine, knowing it would benefit from a bit of air to fully express itself. If it had been a younger vintage, I would definitely have decanted it, but for this 2019 vintage, 30-45 minutes of opening time before serving was plenty to let it open up nicely.

This "Pure Sang" 2019 in magnum is a perfect example of concentration and precision, freshness and structure, and reveals the surprising complexity and depth Dagueneau's wines develop with some age.

In the glass, it displayed a bright, pale yellow color. There is a liveliness in the nose enhanced by yellow fruits and citrus aromas blending with floral and mineral notes. The attack is stunning, clean, fresh, focused, precise, mineral, and zesty. The palate is elegant, chiseled, refined, yet complex and layered, gently coating the mouth, balanced, well-structured, and generously textured, with minerality and freshness that extend the aromatic and flavor profile. The finish is intense, prolonged, and immediately inviting for another glass. This is a magnificent, youthful wine with the potential to age gracefully for many more years (the magnum size likely helps). Gorgeous! And definitely in the Top 3 of the wines drank that night.

NB: Last, but not least, all Dagueneau wines, including "Pur Sang," have been sold under the label "Vin de France" since 2017. Louis Benjamin Dagueneau decided to move his wines out of the "Pouilly Fumé" appellation due to criticism that his wines did not meet the traditional standards of Pouilly-Fumé. Fortunately, this decision did not affect the wine's reputation or quality.

Le Guishu - French Saké Sec/Dry

Following the two previous stunning white wines, Minnie brought us something rather intriguing and unexpected: a French Saké!

I had heard and read about some of these "Sake made in France" brands, such as

"Le Guishu": a collection of “Provence style French Sake” created in 2016, by Olivier Sublett (of Chateau Beausejour, Saint-Emilion), in parts imported in Hong Kong by "Wine to Love"

"Wakaze": first created in Japan in 2016 by Takuma, Founder and CEO of Wakaze Sakagura, who opened a second brewery in the suburbs of Paris to share Wakaze with the world.

"Les Larmes du Levant": the project of its founder, Gregoire Boeuf, supposedly the first French Sakagura entirely dedicated to the production of Sake, yet also created in 2016 (same year as the other Sakagura)

However, I had never heard of the brand "French Saké". Minnie (Wong) imports and distributes it to Hong Kong via her company "Wine to Love", as it is made by "Le Guishu" (it took me a minute to realize it after looking at the capsule, as I was focused on the front label, where "Le Guishu" is not mentioned).

They make 2 or 3 different versions of it: Sec (Dry), Demi-Sec (Semi-Dry), and Semi-Sweet, using French ingredients, like rice from the Camargue region, and blend Japanese brewing traditions with French terroirs to create distinct flavor profiles.

And the one Minnie brought that night was the "French Sake Sec/Dry". Frankly, I did not know what to think or what to expect. But I was really pleasantly surprised. Not too dry, not too sweet either, expressive but not extravagant either, just a gentle, quaffable, agreeable, soft Sake that tasted more like a wine compared to a Japanese Sake, for example. It went really well with the oysters.

Jaffelin Fixin 1er Cru Hervelets 2020

This was the 2nd bottle Minnie brought for this dinner. I had heard of "Maison Jaffelin" but had never had the chance to taste their wine.

Located in the heart of Beaune, Maison Jaffelin has a rich winemaking history spanning over eight centuries. It was formerly known as "Maison du Chapitre" ('house of the Chapter' in English), and its history is closely connected to that of the Collégiale Notre-Dame de Beaune (the Notre-Dame collegiate church in Beaune). Over the years, their cellars have stored the wines of the Collégiale and the Cardinals.

In 1816, "Maison du Chapitre" was renamed "Maison Jaffelin" after being purchased by the Jaffelin brothers, who established their "Maison de Négoce" (Negociant House) to trade wine. Their wines are crafted, aged, and stored in the monastic tranquility of the Chapiter's cellars as they did eight centuries ago.

Fixin is a small village located in the northern part of the Côte de Nuits, just south of Dijon, between Marsannay and Gevrey-Chambertin. The climat "1er Cru Hervelets" sits at the top of an east-facing slope, mainly on chalky-brown soil with hints of marl. This climat is situated next to the lieu-dit "Les Arvelets." The area used to be just fields. « Hervelet », like « Arvelet », is a diminutive of « Arve » in Old French and « Arva » in Vulgar Latin, meaning « fields ».

This Fixin 1er Cru Hervelets is made from handpicked and hand-sorted Pinot Noir grapes. The maceration usually lasts 3-4 weeks, typically with 40-50% of the grapes whole. The wines are then aged for 16-18 months in French oak barrels, about 50% of which are new.

The wine initially seemed a bit closed, but it quickly opened up in the glass. It revealed lovely aromas of ripe, dark cherries and black fruits, such as blackberries and morello cherries, along with earthy and floral notes, and hints of pepper. The palate is juicy and medium-bodied, offering generous black fruit flavors and additional earthy notes. This 2020 vintage is a fresh, vivid, friendly, and juicy wine that is easy to drink, with good balance and freshness, a lovely texture, and an integrated tannic structure. Gouleyant as we say in French!

Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle 1990

Now, this bottle was the highlight of the night! The treat of the evening, brought by Jerry, Martin's friend, and clearly an avid fine wine expert. What a fantastic wine! No wonder it has been scored 100 points by many critics and journalists multiple times over the past 30 years.

Furthermore, Paul Jaboulet's Hermitage La Chapelle is often recognized as one of the top 100 greatest wines in the world, with its 1961, 1978, and 1990 vintages frequently noted as especially outstanding examples. It is a legendary Syrah from the Northern Rhône Valley that has appeared on many "best wines" lists and is celebrated for its longevity and rich, savory character.

Despite a production of about 7000 cases for the 1990 vintage compared to today's 2,000 cases, there aren't many bottles of La Chapelle 1990 left on the market, as many were drunk in the past 30 years, and the rest are primarily kept in private collections or occasionally sold at auction houses.

The wine currently fetches around 660 Euros on average in retail stores. In auctions, bidding prices start around 500 Euros a bottle, but can go up to 700+ euros if the bottles are from the original release, have good levels and labels, and are still in their original cartons, which are increasingly difficult to find.

Paul Jaboulet Aîné was founded in 1834 by Antoine Jaboulet (1807-1864) in Tain l'Hermitage. It has been part of the Rhône Valley wine industry for nearly two centuries, starting with a small plot of land on the hills of Hermitage before expanding throughout the region. Today, it covers more than 100 hectares (250 acres) of vineyards producing wines from the Northern and Southern Rhône, including Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Condrieu, and Cornas.

In 1834, Antoine Jaboulet started working the hills of Hermitage, growing and cultivating the vines that would shape the future of the estate. When he died, the estate was inherited by his sons Henri and Paul, with the latter eventually lending his name to wines and the company. Maison Jaboulet remained in the Jaboulet family until it was purchased by the Frey family in 2006.

Paul Jaboulet-Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle is the estate's flagship wine and one of the most popular wines from the Rhône, commanding high prices at auction. "La Chapelle" is not the name of the vineyard; it is a trademark named after a 13th-century church built on top of Hermitage, which became the company's property in 1919.

The La Chapelle vineyard is part of the AOP "L'Hermite," located around the small chapel (La Chapelle) at the top of Hermitage Hill, planted with 80-year-old Syrah vines growing mostly in granite soil.

However, the Syrah grapes used to make Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle do not come from the La Chapelle vineyard, but from some of the top vineyards on the hill, including the famous "Les Bessards," "Le Meal," and "Les Rocoules." (see picture/map below, courtesy of https://www.tenzingws.com/)

Map of The Hermitage Hill and all of its lieux-dits - courtesy of Tenzingws.com blog

It was thoughtful of Jerry to bring such an extraordinary bottle. He told me he bought it at auction a few years ago. The bottle was in pristine condition. However, I borrowed Olivier's "Durand" to open the bottle, since after removing the capsule, I noticed the cork showed a slight sign of seepage and was probably wet. And I was right to do so, as even with the Durand, the cork broke and crumbled, and I had to fetch a piece of it left in the neck. Fortunately, I removed it with a bit of patience and skill.

Despite the cork incident, this 1990 La Chapelle was still in perfect condition. Even the dark and intense color still showed some youth. The nose was stunning, expressive, youthful, and sexy, offering attractive aromas of blackberries and dark ripe fruits, mingling with coffee, mocha, earthy, and spicy hints. The palate was smooth, velvety, rich, opulent, and generously suave, with great freshness and fleshy texture, enhanced by present yet integrated tannins, leading to a seamless, long-lasting chewy finish. What a magnificent wine! Definitely the wine of the night!

Château La Cabanne Pomerol 2022

This bottle was brought by François Estager himself (the first person on the left in the header picture), owner and winemaker of this delightful Pomerol. Some of us had already tasted it the day before, during the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) tasting featuring wines from the 2022 vintage at the Regent Hotel, Hong Kong. However, it was great to taste it again with François sitting with us at the table.

Owned by the Estager family since 1952, Château La Cabanne is a historic Pomerol red wine estate situated on the western slope of the Pomerol plateau in the Bordeaux region of France. The estate features a 10-hectare vineyard primarily planted with Merlot (94%) and Cabernet Franc (6%), grown on clay and gravel soils.

La Cabanne is known for producing well-balanced wines with fruity and sometimes earthy, savory notes. The estate underwent extensive renovations after a fire in 2010. The winemaking process includes aging the wine for 15-18 months in partly new oak barrels and involves sulfur-free vinification from a vineyard in conversion to organic farming.

The 2022 Château La Cabanne is composed of about 94% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, aged in about 55% French oak barrels for about 15 to 18 months. In the glass, it displays a dark ruby color. The nose is fragrant and youthful, with aromas of black fruit, chocolate, and earthy notes. The palate is rich, full-bodied, layered, earthy, and savory, with a lush yet fleshy texture, good acidity, fine tannins, and a long, chewy finish. Although very drinkable now, it will benefit from a few more years in the cellar to fully develop, as it is pretty powerful at the moment and will continue to improve with additional aging. Nicely done, François!

Château Le Bon Pasteur Pomerol 2022

Opening bottles of Chateau Le Bon Pasteur and spending time with Benoit Prévot always feels nostalgic for me because, in 2013, I worked for Goldin, the company that acquired the Chateau from Michel Rolland. I was part of a small team that spent about five months living at the Chateau in Pomerol (Bordeaux, France) to manage the transition.

As a result, I grew very fond of the Chateau, the wines, and the people working there, including Benoit, who has been the winemaker at Bon Pasteur for the past 30 years. Although I left Goldin more than 4 years ago, Benoit and I remained good friends, and the UGCB tasting is always a good occasion to spend a little time together when he comes to Hong Kong.

For those unfamiliar with this wine, Château Le Bon Pasteur is a Pomerol estate in Bordeaux, France, known as the original family vineyard of renowned oenologist Michel Rolland. It is celebrated for producing elegant, refined red wines from a 6.7-hectare vineyard spread across 21 plots, combining the softness of Pomerol with hints of Saint-Émilion's strength.

The chateau is owned by the Goldin Group, headed by Mr. Pan Sutong, who bought the property from the Rolland Family in 2013. The property management and winemaking are insured by Benoit Prévot, with Michel (and Dany) Rolland as consultants. The estate mainly cultivates Merlot (80%) and Cabernet Franc (20%), and makes two wines: Chateau Le Bon Pasteur (grand vin) and L'Étoile de Bon Pasteur (2nd wine).

This bottle was brought by Benoit Prévot himself (the person on the right at the end of the table in the header picture above), the winemaker of this illustrious Pomerol. Some of us had already tasted it the day before, during the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) tasting featuring wines from the 2022 vintage at the Regent Hotel, Hong Kong. However, it was great to taste it again with Benoit sitting with us at the table.

Chateau Le Bon Pasteur is typically a blend of approximately 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, sourced from vineyards surrounding the Chateau. These vineyards are mainly planted on gravel-clay soils, with an average vine age of 40 years, and are certified sustainable viticulture (HVE Level 3). The grapes are hand-harvested and double-sorted before and after destemming. The vinification process involves cold maceration for 5 to 7 days before fermentation. All vinification occurs in French oak barrels, and the wine is typically aged for about 15 months, with 50% new barrels.

Château Le Bon Pasteur 2022 displays a very dark, dense color in the glass. The nose is fragrant and vivid, with aromas of black fruits and berries (like raspberry and blackcurrant), combined with hints of violet, licorice, and spices. The palate is rich, creamy, and full-bodied, with a silky texture and refined tannins that provide a solid structure and ample ageing potential. The finish is long, persistent, and elegant. Although very enjoyable now, it will definitely benefit from a few more years in the cellar to reach its full potential. Well done, Benoit! A beautiful wine!

Château Troplong Mondot Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 1988

This old bottle of Troplong Mondot 1988 was a birthday gift from a colleague two or three years ago. I kept it at home, but since I don't have a wine fridge (I usually drink my bottles too quickly 😅), the storage conditions weren't ideal. So, I thought bringing it to a dinner with winemakers, experts, and connoisseurs would be a perfect opportunity to taste it and see if it had been affected by poor storage.

I didn't know what to expect from a 37-year-old bottle stored in questionable conditions. Furthermore, 1988 is a vintage rated as "excellent," especially for sweet wines from Sauternes and Barsac, but only "good" for the reds of the Right Bank, like Pomerol and Saint-Émilion. It’s a vintage often overshadowed by the more celebrated 1989 and 1990 vintages, which overall produced much better Bordeaux wines.

One of the friends at the table reminded us that back then, wine had more tannins and chateaux like Troplong Mondot were often austere when young and needed time to open up, so it should be fine. And I couldn't agree more with that statement, having experienced it myself by tasting many 80s wines over my 33 years in the wine industry.

Both the capsule and label were in good condition, and, surprisingly, the long cork was as well (estimated at 5.4 mm by Benoit). Maybe a later release from the Chateau.

Troplong Mondot 1988 is a blend of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Cabernet Franc. It displayed a relatively young color for its age, of medium intensity, with light brown hints. The nose was subdued at first, but then opened nicely in the glass. I could have decanted it as soon as I arrived at the restaurant, but I chose not to, fearing that too much air might oxidize it. Secondary and tertiary aromas of black currant, leafy tobacco, underbrush, and spice, mingling with floral and earthy nuances, emerged on the nose. The palate was smooth and silky, medium-bodied and somewhat one-dimensional, yet with good freshness, concentration, and balance from start to finish. Surprisingly, this wine is still very much alive and kicking, with enough texture, structure, and balance between the fruit, acidity, and tannins to remain enjoyable now and even age for a few more years, despite having passed its prime. Not bad at all for a 37-year-old wine kept in poor conditions! Loved it!

Bussola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Vigneto Alto (1999 or 2009 ?)

This bottle was brought by Jerry, Martin's friend. And although I usually like Amarone, especially those from such a legendary winemaker as Tommaso Bussola, I must admit that this was my least favorite wine of the dinner. I have opened countless bottles of this wine in my career, and that is the first time I did not like it.

The Amarone Classico "Vigneto Alto" is a limited selection sourced primarily from the Alto parcel, home to the estate's oldest vines. The vineyard called “Vigneto Alto” is located in San Peretto di Negrar, at an altitude of 280 meters, with a south-east exposure, planted with 75-90-year-old vines, trained with the Pergola Veronese system.

The grapes used to produce Amarone Classico “Vigneto Alto” are harvested in mid-September. The blend consists of 45% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, and 25% Rondinella. The grapes are brought to the Fruttaio and placed on wooden trays where they dry naturally for four months.

In January, the grapes are carefully selected and pressed into truncated-cone oak vats, where fermentation begins after about 15 days with native yeasts. Over the next 60 days, several pump-overs and delestage processes are performed to submerge the skins. The wine is then racked off and transferred to a steel tank to separate it from the gross lees.

After approximately 20 days, it is racked off again and transferred to wooden barrels for about 90 months (or roughly 7 and a half years) of fermentation and aging. Then, it is usually bottled after about 9 years of aging, and it stays in the bottle for 2 more years before being sold. The production amounts to approximately 3.500 bottles.

Source: https://www.bussolavini.com/en/amarone-della-valpolicella-classico-vigneto-alto

So, why didn't I like it? Because I found it harsh, dry, and austere. Most Amarone I have tasted tend to be sweeter and rounder, with overripe, pruney flavors. But this one was very earthy, with hints of tar and soil. Since I usually avoid writing negatively about a wine to prevent influencing others or discouraging them from trying it, I will stop here. Maybe it was a bad bottle? Or perhaps it just wasn't to my taste? I'm not sure. It's odd for such a well-known wine with a strong pedigree.

Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 1er Grand Cru Sauternes 2017

This bottle of Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2017 was the third bottle I brought to this dinner, and it was the last one we drank before ending our dinner at Nissa la Bella (@nissalabellahk).

I'm a salt guy! I love salt more than sugar, and I usually prefer a cheese plate over dessert. I must say, I’d much rather enjoy my dessert in a glass alongside my cheese plate than on a plate after eating cheese, like most people do. Don't get me wrong, I also love a good dessert sometimes. However, nothing beats a cheese plate (or platter if you prefer), especially blue cheese, paired with a glass of Sauternes (or sweet wine in general) to finish a meal.

I love Sauternes. As a Bordeaux native, the grandson of a winemaker, and someone who grew up in a family partly involved in the wine industry, I became very familiar with wine from an early age, mainly white and red. I must have tasted my first sweet wines during my mid-teen years. And if I remember correctly, it was a Monbazillac, then a Saint-Croix-du-Mont, and a Jurançon sweet. Later, in my late teens, in the early 90s, I tasted a Sauternes. And I loved it!

Coincidentally, my first Sauternes was a "Lafaurie-Peyraguey". I can't remember the exact vintage, but I believe it was from the late 80s. It was sweet, but not overly sweet. And I love it as I never tried a sweet wine like before, combining generosity, unctuosity, and sweetness with freshness and balance, as well as elegance, concentration, and length. It was amazing! And Lafaurie-Peyraguey, 2017, I brought to this dinner reminded me a lot of it. It was stunning!

In January 2014, Swiss businessman Silvio Denz bought the Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey from GDF Suez, a Sauternes First Classified Growth estate in the same-named region south of Bordeaux, and restored it to its former glory.

He invested heavily in restoring the property and the cellars, revamped (or modernized, if you prefer) the label for their 2013 vintage, and also began using the engraved bottle featuring the Lalique "Femme et Raisins" ("Woman and Grapes") motif. This design was originally created by René Lalique in 1928 for the interior panels of the Côte d'Azur Pullman-Express sleeping cars.

The adoption of this unique bottle design came after Silvio Denz, CEO of Lalique, purchased the Château in early 2014 and aimed to blend the "gold of Sauternes with the crystal of Lalique." The engraved design has been a permanent feature on all bottles produced by the estate from that vintage onward.

In June 2018, the "LALIQUE" Hotel and Restaurant, built within the stunning 13th-century-old castle, opened its doors to celebrate Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey's 400th anniversary

A challenging year full of contrasts, 2017 nevertheless proved to have provided ideal conditions for producing unforgettable Sauternes. It was clearly an exceptional year for Sauternes sweet wines. Thanks to excellent health conditions at the end of August and late-season weather in September, the noble rot could develop perfectly on the fully ripened grapes.

This resulted in the perfect quality of botrytized Sémillon (95% of the blend) and Sauvignon Blanc (5% of the blend), with very concentrated aromas and sugars, great acidity and perfect balance.

Château Lafaurie Peyraguey 2017 displays a very attractive pale golden hue. The nose is clean, fresh, charming, rich, and fragrant, with enticing aromas of honey, peach, apricot, pineapple, mango, vanilla, and brioche. The indulgent, smooth, focused, precise, and harmonious palate offers a perfect balance of sugar, acidity, and freshness, from the fresh, fruity attack to the long, seamless sweet finish. Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2017 is an exceptional Sauternes!

These wines were a great lineup! It is not every day I open wines such as these stunning examples of their respective appellations, terroirs, and regions. What a treat!!!

After dinner, we finished the night at a great wine bar, called "Think Wine" by Romain Loriot (@thinkwine.hongkong), where we drank a few more wines.

Kim, Ophelia, Martin, Francois, Minnie, Benoit, Olivier, Olivier's wife

Granbazan 'Etiqueta Àmbar' Albarino Rias Baixas (2021 ?)

Baptiste Pimouguet, Dominique Noël & Romain Loriot

Then Romain Loriot treated us to an interesting blind tasting of two Cabernet Sauvignons from China.

Jiang Yu Cabernet Sauvignon "6000 Li" Shangri-La Yunnan 2022

Tinnyu "Random Cabernet" Shangri-La Yunnan 2023

Francois, Jerry, Minnie, Dom, Benoit, Olivier, Kim, Ophelia & Martin

Kim, Ophelia, Martin, Francois, Minnie, Benoit, Olivier, Olivier's wife

A beautiful evening spent with some old and new friends.

It was great to see you all and spend this memorable moment with you guys! Loved it! 😁👍🍷🍷🍷

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #hongkong #hk #friends #winefriends #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #lovewine #dinner #bistro #winebar

Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2025, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, logos, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, lyrics and even music and video (when and where applicable).

LeDomduVin: When wine friends meet (part 1)

2025-11-24T02:16:16.574-05:00

Wilson Kwok, Francois Estager, Minnie Wong, Benoit Prévot, Dominique Noel & Martin Brady

When wine friends meet (part 1)

UGCB - Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux - Hong Kong 2025 - Nov 21st at The Regent Hotel HK (@hongkongregent)

The UGCB is always a really good occasion to meet and catch up with friends you haven't seen for a while. It was good to see you and spend a moment with you guys!

😁👍🍷🍷🍷

Left to right in the first picture:

Wilson Kwok - Wine lover and promoter (and much more)

(@travelkwokovin)

François Estager - Château La Cabanne

(@chateaulacabanne)

Minnie Wong - Easiness Wine

(@wminniem) (@easinesswine)

Benoît Prévot - Château Le Bon Pasteur

(@chateaulebonpasteur)

Dominique Noël (Myself)

(@ledomduvin)

Martin Brady - Acker Wines

(@martin_brady67)

Martin Brady, Dominique Noel & Minnie Wong

Wilson Kwok, Minnie Wong, Dominique Noel & Martin Brady

Benoit Prévot, Minnie Wong & Dominique Noel

Voilà! It was a very nice event, and the 2022 Bordeaux vintage is really good, too.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #tasting #UGCB #uniondesgrandscrusdebordeaux #hongkong #hk #2025 #regenthotelhk #friends #winefriends #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob #lovewine

LeDomduVin: UGCB - Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux - Hong Kong 2025 - Vintage 2022 Tasting

2025-11-24T02:12:12.588-05:00

UGCB - Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux - Hong Kong 2025 - Nov 21st. at The Regent Hotel HK (@hongkongregent), Vintage 2022 Tasting.

Here are a few "Coup de Cœur" from the UGCB HK 2025 (@ugcbwines).

I particularly enjoyed these wines. Of course, I also enjoyed many others, but didn't necessarily took a picture, as it was packed and also talked a lot, so not enough time to taste them all and to visit everyone.

It was good to see so many people attending this tasting. It is reassuring and a proof that wine is still alive and kicking, and that people continue to drink and appreciate wine. There is still some hope. 😁👍🍷🍷🍷

Left to right:

Benoît Prévot - Château Le Bon Pasteur

(@chateaulebonpasteur)

François Estager - Château La Cabanne

(@chateaulacabanne)

Lauren Laudrin - Château Petit Village & Beauregard

(@chateaupetitvillage)

Elise de Bailliencourt - Château Gazin

(@chateaugazin)

Qin Jiang - Château Haut-Bailly

(@chateauhautbailly)

Marc Perrin - Château Carbonnieux

(@chateaucarbonnieux)

Adrien Bernard - Domaine de Chevalier

(@domainedechevalier)

(je n'ai pas demandé son nom😅) - Château La Lagune

(@chateaulalaguneofficiel)

Marion Millaire - Château Cantemerle

(@chateau_cantemerle)

Erwan Le Brozec - Château Beychevelle

(@beychevelle1855)

Matthieu Bordes - Château Lagrange

(@chateaulagrange)

Fiona Rim.... - Châteaux Léoville Barton & Langoa Barton

(@bartonwine)

Voilà! It was a lovely event and the vintage 2022 is really good, too.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #tasting #UGCB #uniondesgrandscrusdebordeaux #hongkong #hk #2025 #regenthotelhk #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob #lovewine

LeDomduVin: Wine doesn’t have to be expensive to be good! And my perspective on the "Bordeaux Paradox" and its "illogical logic" within its pricing strategy...

2025-11-20T02:13:50.383-05:00

Wine doesn’t have to be expensive to be good!

And my perspective on the "Bordeaux Paradox"

and its "illogical logic" within its pricing strategy...

Ok, granted, these wines (in the picture above) are not cheap, as they cost between HK$335 and HK$650 (about 38-75 euros), which makes them expensive for most people. But you get what I'm trying to say.

People always think that the more expensive a wine is, the better it is! In theory, yes, it should be. In reality, that is not always the case. In fact, I have tasted plenty of wines in my career that were way too expensive for the poor quality they offer, despite their history, name, appellation, pedigree, and/or rank.

There's no real point in naming names or blaming anyone. Still, I've tasted wines that are supposedly worth thousands of dollars or euros, whose names alone suggest luxury, custom craftsmanship, limited production, and excellence in the glass. Yet, they weren't that good.

A well-known name, pedigree, rank, or classification doesn't necessarily mean the wine is good, especially in lesser vintages.

In Burgundy, the vineyards' classification (Village, 1er Cru, Grand Cru) does determine a certain standard of quality, that's true. However, the expertise and techniques used by winemakers can vary greatly, which is why two wines from the same Premier Cru or even Grand Cru vineyard, but made by two different winemakers or domaines, can taste completely different. One may taste much better than the other, and it might not cost more. Domaine's name, reputation, history, and high demand usually command high prices, but the wine may not be worth that much when tasting it! (Writing these lines, a few examples came to my mind right away, but I won't tell to prevent extended argumentation).

In Bordeaux, the same is true: some 3rd, 4th, and 5th Growths surpass the quality of certain 1er and 2nd Cru Grands Crus. Château Palmer, for example, which is a 3rd growth, often outperforms some 1st and 2nd growths in certain years. Château Pontet Canet, a 5th growth, is another excellent example; it offers fantastic value for money compared to many of the other châteaux ranked above it.

My advice is to never assume a wine's quality until you have tasted it yourself and evaluated it based on your palate. Never let the name, reputation, history, classification, rank, pedigree, scores, medals, stars, or price influence your judgment. If possible, taste it first and decide whether it is really worth the asking price.

As I often point out, during my years as a Store manager and wine buyer for niche retailers in New York (2002-2011), I learned to buy like an American, meaning, give me the best vintages at the best prices! I learned how to negotiate prices and, more importantly, how to say "NO" when I did not like the wine and/or the price was too high!

My other advice as a buyer is always to focus on the best vintages first, the wines that offer immediate pleasure and satisfaction. Know what you can sell and how many you can realistically sell within a three-month period to maximize your profit and turnover. This approach will help you renew your stock and enable you to propose and offer different wines based on the season, demand, and market trends.

The market and consumers' habits have changed; people no longer have time to listen to your explanations about why the wine is good. The wine needs to speak for itself, and the price needs to reflect its quality.

I find it very frustrating when sommeliers in restaurants offer lesser vintages of classified growths or Grand Cru. It is understandable because they mark them up highly (even if the price seems lower than better vintages), and at the same time, it gives you the impression that you can access and taste these wines. However, some of these wines in lesser vintages are not always worth the asking prices.

For example, if you see a Petrus or Lafite from a 2011 or 2013 vintage, those vintages are not good, and I can tell you from my own experience that they are not worth it. As mentioned above, a well-known name, pedigree, rank, or classification doesn't necessarily mean the wine is good, especially in lesser vintages. There's no reason to spend money on wines that may disappoint you, especially if you bought them to impress or please your guests, as they might be disappointed by both the wine and your poor choice.

January 2025 Market Report - Liv-ex - Courtesy of Liv-Ex

Fine wine prices have gradually yet significantly increased over the past 25 years. Although they dropped to their lowest point since late 2015 to early 2016 around March-April 2020, they quickly rose again, reaching their peak in 2022. This followed a wave of price hikes in the 4 or 5 vintages before, with a 28.5% increase between February 2020 and February 2022.

In Burgundy, prices increased because of strong demand for limited-production (on average approximately 10,000 to 12,000 bottles per year per Domaine), high-end wines, which is understandable and somewhat justified, even if it’s a bit painful for your wallet.

While in Bordeaux, where production per Château is much higher (on average around 100,000 to 140,000 bottles per year per Château), prices usually increase from one year to the next, based on the quality of the previous vintage rather than the wines' intrinsic quality.

For example, if the quality of the last vintage was poor, obviously, the price of the current vintage will go up.

It might seem logical, if you keep your prices within a certain range—for example, if your wine is worth $100 in a normal year, you might lower it to $80 in a lesser year, and raise it to $120 in a better year, maybe up to $150 in exceptional years.

And it seems fair if, despite inflation, you try to maintain your prices within this range to ensure consistency and avoid confusing and upsetting your clients with a roller-coaster of incoherent prices.

Unfortunately, the problem in Bordeaux is that they rarely follow that logic and even more rarely maintain prices within a certain range, as prices seldom decrease and tend to increase year after year (as we witnessed in recent years).

Let's take a concrete example with Château Lafite Rothschild, as the prices of the first growths are usually the reference or benchmark for the rest of the Haut-Médoc appellations (and, to a certain extent, for Bordeaux Top 500 wines in general).

Since a visual is worth a thousand words, I made this table below to help you see at a glance the price differences (based on the En Primeur Release Price Ex-Negociant) from one vintage to the next, along with the percentage changes (increase or decrease) compared to the previous vintage, across 22 years (2003 to 2024).

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild En Primeur Ex-Negociant prices comparison 2003 to 2024

Château Lafite Rothschild is a good example because, as shown in this table, the pricing doesn’t make much sense (at least to me) and shows significant disparities. It seems the pricing doesn’t follow any logical pattern or reflect the quality of specific vintages.

And yet, to fully comprehend why, we need to put things back into context with a bit of history.

In the early 2000s, Lafite Rothschild (and Bordeaux in general) was in favor and therefore in high demand in the Chinese market, which significantly influenced the rise in Bordeaux prices. Cases of Bordeaux often served as gifts or money of exchange against favors (e.g., "If you do this for me, I'll give you 10 cases of Lafite Rothschild.").

And at that time, it was working really well for both parties, as Château Lafite Rothschild was in such high demand in China (and Asia in general) that its increasing value over time ensured a good deal of money was earned (or saved) for both.

And the Bordelais surfed on that wave for a good decade before things turned sour, when the current President of China, Xi Jinping, assumed the role of General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee, and launch a far-reaching anti-corruption campaign in China following the conclusion of the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2012.

This anti-corruption campaign reached its full power when Xi Jinping became President of China in March 2013. It ended more than a decade of wine corruption, bribery, and payments in "pot de vin". And with it came the downfall of Bordeaux wines.

Now that we have things more in context, and before we get further into the decline of Bordeaux, let's go through some of the most obvious disparities in the table above to explain their causes or find a logical basis for the pricing.

1. Price between Lafite Rothschild 2005 and 2006 vintages

There is a difference between the prices of the 2005 vintage (141 Euros) and the 2006 vintage (270 Euros), which is quite strange, as (interestingly enough), the 2005 vintage is considered, for Lafite (and Bordeaux in general), a better vintage than 2006.

Therefore, 2006 should have been released at a lower price rather than at a 47.8% increase. It does not make sense, but here is why such a difference occurred.

The 2006 Lafite-Rothschild was released at a higher price than the 2005 because the 2006 was priced not based on the vintage's quality (particularly compared to the previous vintage), but on expectations of a strong market and high demand, partly driven by the immense success of the 2005 vintage and the growing influence of Asian buyers, even though many considered 2005 the superior vintage.

Although 2005 was considered a "super-vintage," its high initial prices and subsequent market boom established a new price standard for future top-quality vintages, including 2006, especially given the rising "Lafite premium" in Asia.

2. Price between Lafite Rothschild 2005 and 2007 vintages

Logically, since 2007 was a lower-quality vintage than 2006, its release price (240 Euros) was lower than that of the 2006 vintage (270 Euros).

However, following the "illogical logic" of Bordeaux pricing, even though 2007 was of much lower quality than 2005, its release price of 240 Euros was much higher than 2005's at 141 Euros. This makes no sense at all! The 2007 price should have been lower than the 2005 price!

But that is the core issue of the "Bordeaux Paradox": prices are based on the previous vintage, market expectations, and demand (not supply, as most Top 500 Bordeaux Chateaux produce a large number of bottles, ranging from 240,000 to 400,000 bottles annually).

So, following their logic, the price of 2006 (270 Euros) was so high compared to 2005 (141 Euros) that it did not make sense for them to lower the release price of 2007 below 200 Euros, even if the quality of 2007 was much inferior to 2005. Go figure!

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 2008 engraved bottle

with the vintage and the Chinese symbol for the number 8

3. Price between Lafite Rothschild 2007 and 2008 vintages

That leads us to the next disparity: the considerable gap between the En Primeur Ex-Négociant price for 2007 (240 euros) and for 2008 (695 euros).

Even if the 2008 vintage was of much higher quality than the 2007 vintage, this generally doesn't justify a 445 Euro price difference between the two vintages, even in Bordeaux. So, what actually happened?

The release price of Château Lafite 2008 was very high due to several factors, including a strong Robert Parker score (98/100), its potential to be considered the wine of the vintage, and a strategic marketing shift by the château targeting the Chinese market's belief that the number 8 brings good luck. The chateau added an engraved Chinese symbol for the number 8 to the bottle (see picture above), which caused prices to rise sharply as demand from Asia was very strong, even though the vintage was good but not as good as 2005, 2006, or 2009, which are considered of superior quality in Bordeaux.

Basically, the high price difference was due to a gimmicky marketing stunt to make more money and capitalize on a cultural belief. Not very ethical... Yet, it was a very successful stunt in China!

And, in my true and honest opinion, that's when Lafite Rothschild (and those who followed that trend in Bordeaux at the time) shot themselves in the foot. It was the beginning of the end! Although sales were outstanding in China (and Asia in general), the pill had been much more difficult to swallow in Europe and the US.

Imagine explaining to your European and American clients that 3 years earlier, they paid around 200 Euros (retail price) for a 2005 vintage, and now they have to pay around 800 Euros (retail price) for a bottle of the 2008 vintage, which is not even considered as good as the 2005? How to explain a 600 euros difference for a lesser vintage? How do you want them to understand? Impossible!

4. Price between Lafite Rothschild 2008 and 2009 vintages

After making a considerable profit on the 2008 vintage at 695 Euros per bottle (En Primeur Release price Ex-Negociant), they reduced the price of their 2009 vintage to 550 Euros, a 26.4% decrease from the 2008 price, even though 2009 is actually a much better vintage than 2008.

However, due to the significant price increase of the 2008 vintage and because 2009 is a much better vintage than 2007, they couldn't lower the price of the 2009 vintage too much and go back below 300 Euros. Instead, they priced it at 550 Euros, a staggering increase of 74.4% compared to the 2005 vintage at 141 Euros a bottle, 50.9% more than the 2006 vintage at 270 Euros a bottle, and 56.4% more than the 2007 vintage at 240 Euros a bottle.

5. Price between Lafite Rothschild 2009 and 2010 vintages

Surfing on the wave of the 2008 vintage at 695 Euros, and having slightly lowered the price of the 2009 to 550 Euros (a 26.4% decrease), following their "illogical logic", they increased the price of the 2010 vintage to 600 Euros per bottle, a slight increase of 8.3% compared to 2009, but still, was it really justified?

The 2009 Lafite is known for its richness, fleshiness, and immediate appeal, while the 2010 is more classic, structured, and masculine, with notable freshness and excellent aging potential. Some experts say the 2010 is a more traditional and potentially longer-lasting wine, whereas the 2009 offers more immediate, hedonistic pleasure. But ultimately, neither vintage is definitively "better" than the other; it depends on personal preference.

So, is the increase due to the scores? No, that's not even the case, as overall, 2009 received similar to better scores from the critics and the press. JS 100, RP 99, WS 98, and Decanter 19 for the 2009 vintage, compared to JS 100, RP 98, NM 99+, and Falstaff 97 for the 2010 vintage.

LeDomduVin - Theory of the Decades for Bordeaux Vintages - Chart from 1900 - 2024

6. The cursed vintage and the price's downfall

As I have mentioned many times in numerous posts on this blog (since it's a recurring subject!), every decade Bordeaux claims to have produced yet another "vintage of the century." However, the problem is that this happens 2 or 3 times each decade!!!

However, the flip side is that Bordeaux also has cursed vintages that, according to my "Theory of the Decades for Bordeaux Vintages," recur every decade (see the chart in the picture above). If interested, you can read about it here.

To resume it, the theory is based on the fact that if you take the region of Bordeaux as a whole, all appellations combined (because, of course, if you take each appellation and area respectively, case by case, the theory does not work), and look at the quality of the vintages in each decade since the 1940s (see chart above), you can clearly see that there is some sort of a recuring pattern.

Almost as if each decade perfectly mirrors the one before, like a recurring cycle resetting every 10 years. This suggests we could predict the quality of the next vintage. Don't believe me? Just look at the chart again. Do you see what I mean? When I created that chart, it was too early to tell how the 2025 vintages would turn out. Yet, just a few months after I made the chart, the 2025 harvest confirmed the vintage's excellent quality, further supporting the theory.

The vintages ending in 0, 5, and 9 are usually the best, followed by those ending in 6 and 8, which are typically great to very good. On the other end, the vintages ending in 2 and 3 can occasionally be very good, but are mostly good to fair. In contrast, those ending in 1, 4, and 7 are usually fair to mediocre (typically green, tannic, austere, and tight, with poor fruit, more "traditional," as they say in Bordeaux).

My theory terribly annoys the Bordelais every time I mention it. However, the chart is clear: Bordeaux produces about 2-3 great vintages, 2-3 good ones, and 4 to 5 fair to mediocre vintages per decade. So roughly 50/50. And that's precisely what happened in the 2010s.

Following the highly profitable run of the three great-to-excellent vintages, 2008, 2009, and 2010, came the unfortunate vintages 2011, 12, 13, and 14. Due to the poor quality of these vintages, Bordeaux had no choice but to significantly lower their prices once again.

2011 came out at 420 euros, a 42.9% decrease compared to the 2010 vintage, then 2012 at 335 Euros, and 2013 & 2014 at 288 Euros, prices similar to those ten years earlier.

Aside from the poor quality of these vintages, one reason for this significant price drop was that the soaring prices of 2008, 2009, and 2010 had become so inflated that they no longer made sense. Prices had to fall, and the Bordelais had to come to terms with the fact that, after this series of highly profitable vintages, they needed to readjust.

The other primary reason for this significant price drop was, as mentioned earlier, the arrival of President Xi Jinping and the full implementation of his anti-corruption campaign in 2013.

Before his arrival, in 2013, when Europeans and Americans were not so keen on buying much of the poor vintages, the Bordelais still had the option to sell (dump, should I say) their wines to the Chinese (and Asia in general).

And that's what happened. Despite the poor quality of these vintages, the Chinese bought tons of Bordeaux En Primeur 2011, 2012, and 2013, probably also because of the low prices, which were more than 40% lower than those of the previous vintages. They were surely convinced that the value would increase over time, making them still good "pot de vin" for the businesses.

However, the Chinese anti-corruption campaign greatly affected Bordeaux wine, leading to a sharp drop in exports to China by reducing extravagant official spending on high-end gifts and banquets. This caused demand for luxury wines to decrease, prices to fall, and Bordeaux producers to shift their focus to the middle-range market. The campaign also revealed the misuse of government funds used for investing in French vineyards, which resulted in the confiscation of some Chinese-owned chateaux.

As a result, between 2013 and 2014, Bordeaux wine exports to mainland China fell sharply, with one period seeing a 26% drop in value and a 25% drop in volume. Due to lower demand, prices for high-end Bordeaux wines slid, and the market for premium wines cooled significantly. The downturn prompted Bordeaux producers to adjust their prices and strategy, focusing more on the middle-market segment to appeal to a broader consumer base and marketing the wines as "affordable luxury". The campaign also affected Chinese investment in Bordeaux, with some vineyards being sold back to French investors after their Chinese owners were convicted of corruption.

Another reason for the price drop was counterfeiting. The issue of fake Bordeaux wines circulating in the Chinese market, exacerbated by the surge in prices following the 2008 vintage, also dampened consumer confidence and contributed to lower sales.

The last reason, but not the least, was that the Chinese economy's slowdown in the 2010s also played a role, leading consumers and officials alike to tighten their spending.

These vintages from 2011, 2012, 2013, and even 2014 were considered cursed, as no one wanted them anymore, and countless unsold pallets filled the warehouses of most Chinese importers and distributors alike, with only minimal sales in the following years. A situation that exacerbated the growing phenomenon of "Bordeaux bashing" in China and around the world.

7. Price between Lafite Rothschild 2014 and 2015 vintages

And despite everything, the 2015 vintage arrived, and (as expected according to my theory 😉) it was a great one. After four unsuccessful vintages and significant price drops, Bordeaux needed cash flow and had no choice but to raise the price of the 2015 to recover the lost profits and sales from recent years.

The release price for the 2015 vintage was 420 Euros, a 31.4% increase from the 2014 vintage (288 Euros).

There they go again: how do you explain to your clients who paid around 300 euros or less for the past 3-4 vintages that they will suddenly have to pay 120 euros more per bottle?

8. Price between Lafite Rothschild 2015, 2016, and 2017 vintages

The 2015 vintage at 420 Euros set a new standard. Many experts believed the 2016 vintage was better than the 2015, describing it as more powerful, more balanced, and having greater aging potential. As a result, Lafite priced it at 455 Euros, reflecting a reasonable and understandable increase of 7.7%.

Then the 2017 vintage arrived, and despite being challenging due to spring frosts, Lafite still produced a decent wine praised for its elegance, balance, and complex aromatic profile. However, it was not as good as the 2015 vintage, which also received much higher scores. Still, the 2017 vintage was priced the same as the 2015, at 420 Euros.

This was a disappointing mistake because market expectations for the 2017 vintage were much lower than for the 2015 vintage, so the price should have been significantly lower, around 350 Euros instead (in my opinion).

Yet, that is the core of the "Bordeaux paradox" I mentioned earlier: top-tier Bordeaux wines are not priced based on the wine's intrinsic qualities but on scores and, eventually, the vintage's quality, which is wrong and confusing for both buyers and consumers.

How do you want to explain to your customers that they have to pay the same price for a great vintage as for a lesser one?

9. Price between Lafite Rothschild 2018, 2019, and 2020 vintages. The trilogy returns!

As it seems to happen at the end of every decade since the 1980s (see my theory's chart above), the last two vintages of the 2010s and the first vintage of the 2020s were excellent, just like 1988,1989, and 1990; then 1998, 1999, and 2000; then 2008, 2009, and 2010- before them. (It's a recurring pattern, I'm telling you!).

Having probably learned from their previous mistakes, they priced the 2018 and 2020 vintages at 470 euros and 475 euros, respectively, just a few % increase over the 2016 vintage, which was, for once, a good strategy.

Yet, strangely enough, they priced the 2019 vintage at 396 Euros, while 2019 received better scores and press coverage than 2020.

Lafite-Rothschild 2018: JS 100, RP 100 & JA 97
Lafite-Rothschild 2019: JS 100, RP 100 & JA 99-100
Lafite-Rothschild 2020: JS 96-98, RP 94 & JA 97

Again, this proves my point about the "Bordeaux Paradox" and its "illogical logic" regarding the incoherent pricing strategy of Top-tier Bordeaux wines.

10. The terrible pricing strategy of the 2021 vintage.

And when it comes to the "Bordeaux Paradox" and its "illogical logic" regarding the inconsistent pricing strategy, 2021 is undoubtedly one of the best examples from the past 20 years, along with 2017 and 2019.

In late 2019 and early 2020, COVID-19 was spreading rapidly worldwide. As China, the US, and Europe's unsold stock from 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 finally began to diminish slightly, the trilogy of 2018, 2019, and the upcoming 2020 created a bottleneck.

The market struggled to keep pace, and Bordeaux sales, along with wine sales in general, were dropping sharply due to various factors such as political and geopolitical issues, global economic and financial problems, inflation, wars, shifts in habits and consumption patterns over generations, increasing health concerns, and major anti-alcohol campaigns including wine, all against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But for a short while, the pandemic reversed the decline in wine sales. As the world came to a stop, with strict restrictions in many countries, most people were confined to their homes and working remotely to prevent further spread. People spent more time at home and had more time for themselves. This situation led to an increase in alcohol consumption worldwide.

In 2020 and 2021, most food and wine importers and distributors around the world saw a significant rise in sales during the pandemic, mainly because of a major shift toward at-home consumption and the growth of e-commerce and delivery services after the closure of on-premise venues like restaurants and bars, as well as some off-premise locations.

I'm not sure if the rise in sales in 2020 and 2021 influenced the pricing strategy for the 2021 vintage—perhaps the chateaux thought they might risk it, believing the trend could continue into 2022. However, in my opinion, Lafite (and many other Bordeaux chateaux) made a big mistake by releasing their 2021 vintage at almost the same price as their 2020 vintage—€475 for 2020 and €470 for 2021—matching their 2018 price and exceeding their 2019 price, even though 2021 was not as good a vintage as 2018, 2019, or 2020.

Once again, Lafite and most top-tier chateaux in Bordeaux set their prices based on market trends and the release price of their previous vintage, rather than the wine's intrinsic quality. Even the scores for Lafite 2021 are lower than those for 2018, 2019, and 2020, and therefore don't even justify such a high price. Moreover, market expectations were leaning toward low prices for this particular vintage following a trilogy of highly profitable vintages (again).

I've mentioned it before, but I'll say it again: "Bordeaux never learns from its mistakes!" It has been riding a very profitable wave for nearly 20 years (since the mid-2000s), raising its prices and probably believing its status and reputation will be enough to sustain it for many more years. However, starting in 2020, a combination of factors—such as the pandemic, "Bordeaux bashing," overproduction, rising prices, inflation, tariffs, growing health concerns, and changing consumption habits among younger generations—gradually brought this prosperous era to an end.

11. Then came the price of the 2022 vintage during the En Primeur in 2023

In this uncertain world climate and amid declining sales of recent vintages, despite the furtive surge in sales in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, it would have been wise to be conservative with the price of the 2022 vintage. Don't you think? Well, obviously, that is not what Bordeaux had in mind.

Maybe they aimed to capitalize on the vintage's quality and the high ratings the wines received, which makes sense since 2022 is an excellent vintage in Bordeaux, especially compared to 2021. However, instead of keeping the release price below or around 500 Euros, which was the new benchmark based on the 2018, 2020, and, unjustifiably, the 2021 vintage, Lafite raised the price to 580 euros for the 2022 vintage!!!

110 euros more than 2018 and 2020! How? Why? How to justify such an increase?

In 2023, the French government, in partnership with the "Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux," or CIVB, the Bordeaux wine bureau, launched a campaign for Bordeaux to actively uproot thousands of acres of vines, known as "grubbing up," through a government-funded initiative to address massive overproduction, declining sales, and market imbalance. The program offered growers financial aid (around €6,000 per hectare) to shift to other crops or produce higher quality, smaller-volume wines. This necessary but challenging adjustment to climate change and changing consumer preferences aimed to stabilize the market.

So, despite the top chateaux, most producers in Bordeaux were battling an overproduction crisis, with several vintages of unsold stocks piling up in their cellars, declining sales, and financial pressure. This led many producers to uproot their vines, sell their unsold stocks cheaply to other estates or to distilleries, some had to declare bankruptcy, and some even took their own lives. And surprisingly, despite this sad and chaotic situation, most top-tier Bordeaux estates raised their prices for the 2022 vintage... Go figure!

As we say in French, "It was the last drop of water that made the vase overflow!" or as they say in English, "It was the straw that broke the camel's back!" From that moment on, everything went downhill!

***********work in progress,******

And consequently, the market has shifted recently from premium wines to more affordable bottles. Wines costing around HK$100 or less (about 12 Euros) have gained popularity.

Yet, here in Hong Kong, the average cost of a mid-range bottle of wine is about HK$120 (roughly 13.5 Euros), with prices usually between HK$80 and HK$200 (approximately 9-23 Euros).

And, yet again, for a good-quality bottle of red table wine, most people are willing to spend between HK$250 and HK$350 (about 28-40 Euros), up to HK$500 or more (around 56 Euros) for special occasions.

Therefore, I admit these wines are not the cheapest, but they offer very good value for wines under 75 Euros. Especially when compared to the wines I usually serve at private and corporate dinners and events, which typically range from HK$1000 to HK$3000 (about 112-335 Euros).

*******work in progress*******

Thierry Germain Domaine des Roches Neuves Saumur-Champigny Franc de Pied Loire Valley 2016

Château Cantemerle Haut-Médoc Bordeaux 2010

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Saint-Joseph Rhône Valley 2021

*******work in progress*******

Cheers ! Santé !

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Three to Tango (Cristal 2015, Corton 2018 & Montrose 2003)

2025-11-19T02:51:19.604-05:00

Three to Tango

(Cristal 2015, Corton 2018, & Montrose 2003)

The other day, I had the chance to serve these wines at a private dinner, and they performed really well.

Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2015

Pale yellow color, with fine bubbles in the glass. Fresh, crisp, mineral, zesty aromas on the nose with yellow stone fruits, floral, nutty, and toasted notes. The palate is also fresh, crisp, and mineral, medium-bodied, with similar flavors to those on the nose, excellent balance, and zesty acidity through the mid-palate, leading to a fresh, clean finish. Loved it!

Hospice de Beaune Corton Grand Cru Cuvée Docteur Peste 2018
(Aged and bottled by Joseph Drouhin)

Pale golden hue in the glass. The nose combines aromas of yellow and stone fruits with toasted, buttery, floral, and mineral notes. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is quite rich, complex, and layered, offering plenty of buttery and oaky notes that are nicely balanced and well-integrated. The minerality provides a coating sensation, the acidity adds freshness and focus, while the butteriness and oakiness contribute creaminess. The finish is quite long and buttery, yet very well integrated, with the oakiness adding complexity and dimension rather than being overwhelming.

Chateau Montrose Saint-Estèphe 2003

2003 in Bordeaux was a challenging vintage. The Bordeaux region experienced a severe heat wave as part of a disastrous Europe-wide event, bringing extreme weather and record temperatures that significantly affected public health and the region's renowned wine industry.

Unexperienced in dealing with these conditions, some vignerons harvested too early to preserve freshness, yet also ended up with unripe, green flavors, while others harvested later to allow ripeness and maturity, yet ended up with overripe, high-alcohol wines. Some did both, harvesting part of their vineyards too early and the rest too late. As a result, 2003 was one of the most unbalanced and least homogeneous Bordeaux vintages I had ever tasted En Primeur.

Their inconsistent and unbalanced profile, and lack of integration, combined with mostly over-ripeness, strange acidity, green flavors, and under-ripened tannins, prevented complexity and aging potential, resulting in weird wines better drunk young, as if they were Australian Shiraz rather than Bordeaux.

The 2003 vintage was the hottest and driest vintage since records began. Therefore, late-ripening grape varieties, such as Cabernet-Sauvignon, performed best, so most of the top wines were produced in the Haut-Médoc, where that variety dominates, especially in the northern part of the appellation, around Saint-Estèphe and Pauillac, and some Saint-Julien.

Chateau Montrose was one of the top scorers of the vintage 2003, along with Chateaux such as Latour, Mouton Rothschild, Lafite Rothschild, Cos d'Estournel, La Mission Haut Brion, Margaux, Pichon Baron, Gloria, Meyney, Pichon Lalande, Haut Brion, Pontet Canet, Lynch Bages, and Beychevelle (to only name a few).

I had the chance to retaste most of these wines over the past 20 years, and I must say, my liking for the 2003 vintage in Bordeaux has not grown with the years; on the contrary, it has worsened, as some of these wines did not develop or age well. Yet Château Montrose 2003, which was one of the best at the time, has remained amongst the best of that vintage, even 20 years later, and revisiting it that night confirmed it.

A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2003 Château Montrose displays a deep garnet color with a light brown brick hue. The nose is dark and ripe, yet fresh and appealing, offering aromas of crème de cassis and blackberry, along with tobacco leaf, leather, coffee, toasted oak, and earthy notes. The palate is medium-bodied, but dark, ripe, rich, and chewy, layered with black fruit, savory and earthy flavors, good texture, and structure enhanced by enough freshness to keep it focused and balanced. It presents integrated yet firm, chewy tannins that lead to the earthy finish. Nicely done! I loved it! (more especially knowing it came from a challenging vintage and still managed to survive the past 2 decades and remain so charming.)

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Nice little tasting of some of the wines of JC Garnier (Auxey-Duresses, Burgundy)

2025-11-04T08:53:11.479-05:00

Dominique Noël (LeDomduVin) & Vincent Garnier of JC Garnier Père et Fils

Nice little tasting of some of the wines of JC Garnier (Auxey-Duresses, Burgundy)

A pleasant surprise! Nice little tasting of some of the wines of @jc_garnierperefils, with Vincent Garnier (5th generation) and Tony Wong, his importer/distributor here, in HK, at WVinery (@wvinery_official).

Vincent Garnier of JC Garnier Père et Fils, Dominique Noël (LeDomduVin) & Tony Wong of WVinery

We tasted the red first, which is relatively uncommon, especially compared to Bordeaux wines, where whites are usually tasted before the reds. Very Burgundian! Loved it. And I loved the wines, too.

Tony Wong of WVinery & Vincent Garnier of JC Garnier Père et Fils

We tasted:

Bourgogne rouge Côtes d'Auxerre 2023

Nice, light, sharp, and refreshing, with notes of wild red cherries and strawberries. Perfect as an aperitif!

Auxey-Duresses Rouge Cuvée d'Antan 2023

Very attractive nose of dark fruits, black cherries, blackberries, mingling with floral notes, and smoky nuances. Medium-bodied, yet dense and generous, with an outstanding balance and a juicy finish. Loved it!

Pommard Les Petits Noizons 2023

A bit subdued on the nose, with dark fruits, earthy notes, and more pronounced minerality. The palate is complex and layered delicately and elegantly. It is very approachable now, but it would deserve a few more years to develop its full potential.

Saint-Bris Mont Embrasé 2023

Beautiful, easy-going wine! A Sauvignon Blanc with the attributes of a Chardonnay. Touch grassy and zesty with good acidity and minerality. Lovely!

Auxey-Duresses Blanc Vieilles Vignes 2023

On the nose and on the palate, this wine could easily be mistaken for a Meursault in a blind tasting. A lot of minerality, combined with a gentle touch of butteriness. Nicely done!

Vincent Garnier of JC Garnier Père et Fils

As discussed with Vincent Garnier, all these wines shared a few commonalities. And what I loved about them is that they were clean and focused, with no angularities, from beginning to end.

It was a pleasant surprise and discovery, too, as I had never tasted the wines of JC Garnier before.

Thank you to the Gentry Club Team for organizing the tasting and inviting me to taste these wines. Thank you to Vincent and his family for their wines and to Tony for helping bring them to Hong Kong.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2025, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

LeDomduVin: Grower Champagnes casual tasting at the office with Cuvée Champagne

2025-11-04T08:44:26.297-05:00

Grower Champagnes casual tasting at the office

Grower Champagnes casual tasting at the office with Monica from Cuvée Champagne (@cuvee_champagne). Go to their website for more info, here.

We tasted:

Champagne Roland Champion Secret d'Aramis

@champagnerolandchampion

Champagne Benoît Beaufort Rosé Grand Cru

Champagne Benoît Beaufort Tradition Grand Cru

@champagne_benoit_beaufort

Champagne Lancelot et Fils Le Fer de Lance Réserve

@champagne_lancelot_fils

Champagne Charlot-Tanneux Les Meuniers de Moussy Millésimé Extra Brut 2019

@champcharlottanneux

I liked Benoît Beaufort Rosé for its freshness, balance, and friendliness. Very easy drinking. 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay. Nicely done!

I particularly enjoyed the Charlot-Tanneux for its complexity, richness, structure, texture, and yeasty notes.

A small production of 3087 bottles made from 100% Pinot Meunier, which is uncommon and, thus, makes it even more worth tasting. Lovely!

Thank you to Monica and the team at the office who organized this casual tasting. It was a good occasion to meet and bond with the team.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #champagne #tasting #champagnetasting #organic #biodynamic #organicchampagne #biodynamicchampagne #demetercertified #champagnerolandchampion #champagnebenoitbeaufort #champagnelancelotetfils #champagnecharlottanneux #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob #lovewine #lovechampagne

Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2025, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

LeDomduVin: What's a great wine! (Illustration addition to my 2018 post)

2025-11-04T08:38:46.572-05:00

What's a great wine?

We can argue on the subject for hours, but first and foremost, a great wine is a wine YOU love.

A wine that is satisfying to you for its aspect, robe, color, intensity, aromas, bouquet, freshness, ripeness, richness, depth, complexity, balance, harmony, structure, texture, layers, taste, aftertaste, sensations, from the attack to the finish, and whatever else you can think of that is pleasing to you in it.

A wine so exciting and delicious to your palate that it makes you shiver, or pause, or reflect, or smile right after the first sip. A wine from which the first glass immediately calls for another one. A wine you will never forget for that blissful moment. A wine triggering only one reaction from you: "Wow! What a great wine!"

Wine tasting is so subjective and can be influenced by so many factors that you can only count on yourself to really define what a great wine is for you.

You might be the only one in the room who loves this wine, yet who cares, as long as you are satisfied with it. And don't let anyone or anything influence your own taste and judgment!!!

[...] (*)

I just made this illustration as a header for a blog post I wrote in 2018 with the same title, which was missing one.

All these names/words are slang and old popular French synonyms for "bad wine" from various regions, eras, and uses.

I thought it would be funny to see my two protagonists, Bordeaux and Burgundy, insulting each other with these old-fashioned French words. 😁👍🍷

(*) If interested, you can read the full post here.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #whatsagreatwine #questcequungrandvin #greatwine #grandvin #definition #pointofview #perspective #subjective #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #lovewine #wineyearly #tasting #winetasting

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LeDomduVin: A Sommelier Portrait (by Roger Lee)

2025-11-04T08:32:56.884-05:00

LeDomduVin: A Sommelier Portrait

by Roger Lee (@rogerleestudios)

In late October 2025, I attended the WEMP event "The Children Ball," where I assisted the Rosewood Hotel team in serving the wines at the head table of the event.

WEMP is Hong Kong's first non-profit organization dedicated to the mental well-being of underprivileged children and families. WEMP usually partners with another foundation or organization to co-host the Children's Ball, a fundraising gala that raises money to support both organizations.

This year, the Rafa Nadal Foundation and the WEMP Foundation joined forces to support the holistic well-being of children through a charity gala in Hong Kong, held at the Rosewood Hotel.

As I arrived early, I walked the venue and, while visiting one of the private salons, met Mr. Roger Lee, the official photographer who photographed that night's event personalities and celebrities, including the co-host of the night, the Spanish former professional and numerous-time number one tennis player, Mr. Rafael Nadal, and his family and guests.

Roger and I had a very nice talk, and since I don't often meet professional photographers like him, I asked if he wouldn't mind taking a few pictures of me with my phone (as it is not every day I dress in a full black suit).

He accepted and professionally guided me on how to pose for the camera while he was snapping a few shots.

These are some of the pictures he took. Roger did an excellent job, as I'm not very photogenic and don't really know how to pose. 😅😅😅

Thank you, Roger, much appreciated. I love these pictures.

Roger is also a skilled video producer, so consider reaching out to him for professional photography and video services.

Later on that day, inspired by Roger, I wrote a song about photographers, which I published under my other alias "DOMELGABOR". It is called "THROUGH THE LENS (A PHOTOGRAPHER'S STORY)" by @domelgabor 2025 (Available on YouTube, see below video, but also on Spotify, Apple Music and most music platforms) (*)

As for Rafael Nadal, I was very impressed, as he is very charismatic and genuine (and taller than I thought, too). I had the pleasure of filling up his glass of wine during the night. I also took some great pictures of him, especially some where he has the greatest smile I have ever seen on his face (in reality and on TV). Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to disclose these pictures, so I will keep them for myself.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #portrait @rogerleestudios #rogerlee #rogerleestudios #photo #photographer #lens #picture #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob #wineyearly #lovewine #wineinlife #hongkong

(*) For those who may not know, I do create and write lyrics and songs under my other alias, Domelgabor. Primarily experimental background electronic music, but also featuring EDM, House Music, as well as songwriting styles, pop, rock, soft rock, ballads, country, and storytelling. If interested, please check out my songs, under DOMELGABOR, on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and other platforms. Thank you for listening.

Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2025, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

LeDomduVin: Wine and Dine Festival Hong Kong 2025

2025-10-24T01:14:00.002-04:00

Wine and Dine Festival Hong Kong 2025

After today's tasting at @asiaratings, I went to the Wine and Dine Festival (@wineanddinefestivalhk) later that evening. It was packed. Great ambiance and atmosphere. It's always a pleasure to come back every year. It's also a good occasion to catch up with some friends, sommeliers, importers, distributors, and other people from the wine industry.

Yohann Jousselin MS (@yohannjousselinms),

Head of Fine Wines at Kerry Wines (@kerrywines_hk)

Yohann Jousselin MS (@yohannjousselinms),

Head of Fine Wines at Kerry Wines (@kerrywines_hk)

Marco Ma (@marco.ma825),

at House of Connoisseur (@house.of.connoisseur)

Marco Ma (@marco.ma825),

at House of Connoisseur (@house.of.connoisseur)

I visited a few booths, tasted a few wines, and chatted with a few people I know, including Yohann Jousselin MS (@yohannjousselinms), Head of Fine Wines at Kerry Wines (@kerrywines_hk), and my friend, Marco Ma (@marco.ma825), at House of Connoisseur (@house.of.connoisseur). Thank you both for your generosity. It was good to see you.

I did not stay long. However, the W&D Festival runs for 4 days through Sunday, October 26th. So I might go back if I have the chance. I encourage you to go. It's fun and convivial. Good food and good wine, what else?

Cheers! Santé!

Dom,

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein @wineanddinefestivalhk #wineanddinefestivalhk #winefestival #winetasting #foodtasting #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob #wineyearly #lovewine #wineinlife #lifeinwine

Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2025, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

LeDomduVin: Asia Wine Ratings - Hong Kong 2025

2025-10-24T01:06:00.003-04:00

Dominique Noel (LeDomduVin) and Sid Patel - CEO and Founder

at the Beverage Trade Network and the International Bulk Wine and Spirits Show

@chinacompetion and @asiaratings

Asia Wine Ratings - Hong Kong 2025

Thank you to @sidpatelbtn and his team at @asiaratings and @okateankita for the tasting today. Like yesterday, it was fun and eye-opening, well organized, and more relaxed as we had fewer wines to taste. Kudos to you all! Loved it! Thank you for the opportunity and for allowing me to participate.

Grant Smith (@grannysmithslingsthebooze)

Managing Director at Bespoke Fine Wine Co., Ltd.

Wine importer based in Thailand

Benjamin Hasko MS MW (@benjaminhaskoms)

dual-qualified Master of Wine and Master Sommelier,

one of only a handful globally to hold both titles

Wine importer based in Singapore.

It was a pleasure to meet Grant Smith (@grannysmithslingsthebooze) and Benjamin Hasko MS MW (@benjaminhaskoms), with whom I shared the table and did the tasting with. Thanks to you both. 😁👍🍷

Thank you,

Santé! Cheers!

Dom

Last picture courtesy of @asiaratings

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #tasting #competition #winecompetition @asiaratings #asiaratings #winetasting #sommelier #sommeliers #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob #wineyearly #lovewine #wineinlife #lifeinwine @beveragetradenetwork #beveragetradenetwork

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LeDomduVin: China Wine Competition - Hong Kong 2025

2025-10-24T00:59:00.002-04:00

Dominique Noel (LeDomduVin) and Sid Patel - CEO and Founder

at the Beverage Trade Network and the International Bulk Wine and Spirits Show

@chinacompetion and @asiaratings

China Wine Competition - Hong Kong 2025

Thank you to @sidpatelbtn and his team at @chinacompetitions and @okateankita for the tasting today. It was fun, eye-opening, and well-organized. Kudos to you all! Loved it! Thank you for the opportunity and for allowing me to participate.

Kenny Tsui (@kenny__0810) Sommelier at Epure

GOURMET DINING GROUP LIMITED Hong Kong

Dirk Chen (@smartdirk)

Director of Wine at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong

It was a pleasure to meet Kenny Tsui (@kenny__0810) and Dirk Chen (@smartdirk), with whom I shared the table and did the tasting. Thanks to you both. 😁👍🍷

Dominique Noel (LedomduVin) Private and corporate Sommelier and Wine Buyer

Senior Manager - Wine Management

Glasses sponsored by LUCARIS - Crystal of Modern Asia

Dominique Noel (LeDomduVin) and Sid Patel - CEO and Founder

at the Beverage Trade Network and the International Bulk Wine and Spirits Show

@chinacompetion and @asiaratings

Thank you again to Sid and his team at the China Wine Competition for the opportunity to participate as a judge. Much appreciated.

Santé! Cheers!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #tasting #competition #chinawinecompetition #winecompetition @chinacompetitions #winetasting #sommelier #sommeliers #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob #wineyearly #lovewine #wineinlife #lifeinwine @beveragetradenetwork #beveragetradenetwork

Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2025, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

LeDomduVin: Occasional Exceptional Wines!

2025-09-29T05:55:00.044-04:00

Occasional Exceptional Wines!

I recently opened, prepared, and served these succulent wines for a private dinner. Definitely not your everyday wines! What a lineup! I'm definitely one of the luckiest sommeliers I know. 😁👍🥂🍾🍷

What makes these wines so exceptional and special is not only their taste, reputation, and high prices, but also their extreme rarity and scarcity. This rarity is not just a marketing ploy, but a result of the limited number of bottles produced, often due to originating from small parcels, unique growing conditions, or meticulous production processes. This thus explains why they are occasional, as it is better to keep them for special occasions. It's a privilege to even have the opportunity to taste these wines.

NV Jacques Selosse Exquise Sec (RP04 - Disgorged December 2010) Champagne

Jacques Selosse is a renowned cult Champagne producer, well known for pioneering grower Champagne with a bold, terroir-driven style. Celebrated for its rich, oxidative character and meticulous craftsmanship, Selosse has revolutionized the world's perception of artisanal Champagne.

Champagne Jacques Selosse is located in the village of Avize, situated in the Côtes des Blancs. A family-run property which encompasses close to 8 hectares of vines in the crus of Avize, Cramant, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Aÿ, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, and Ambonnay.

The Selosse family had been cultivating grapes in Avize for generations, primarily selling their entire harvest to various Champagne houses. In 1959, Jacques Selosse broke with tradition by producing and selling his own Champagne.

His initial vintage produced only 2,500 bottles, as he continued to sell most of his grapes. Anselme Selosse succeeded his father in 1974, after earning a BTS in viticulture and enology from Beaune. By then, their annual production reached 12,000 bottles, though they still sold most of the crop.

In 1976, confronted with a severe drought and very ripe grapes, Anselme decided to add less sugar. By doing so, he realized he had changed his approach to champagne making and discovered freedom, as he could now change the style of his champagnes.

Anselme Selosse took control of his family estate and emphasized the distinct qualities of his vineyards. He quickly adopted organic farming practices, reducing yields to less than half of those of his neighbors and significantly delaying harvests to maximize ripeness.

He began fermenting all his wines with native yeasts in oak barrels, while avoiding secondary malolactic fermentation, using minimal sulfur additions, and practicing batonnage, which involves stirring the lees to enhance complexity. Finally, he adds only a small amount of dosage.

From 1990 to 1996, Anselme applied the principles of agrobiology in the vineyards. From 1996, his focus turned to bio-dynamics.

In 2002, he distanced himself from the biodynamic doctrine, reverting to more natural farming methods that have less impact on the environment. The thoughts and reflections of Masanobu Fukuoka and permaculture had begun to inspire him, and subsequently, he paid closer attention to the vines and the wine.

Over the last twenty years, the Selosse family has developed a unique viticulture approach that isn’t bound by a fixed method, but continually adapts to the conditions encountered in each growing season across various vineyard plots.

To illustrate their vine philosophy, Anselme and Guillaume (Anselme and Corinne’s son) frequently liken themselves to “gatherers,” nature’s harvesters who venture out to collect fruit from their surroundings.

The concept of terroir has seen significant progress over the past 3 decades, with Anselme Selosse being one of its most influential advocates.

His guiding philosophy — “We should take what nature has given us and not interfere” — drives his approach more passionately than anyone else, establishing him as a visionary mentor who has inspired many Champagne growers.

With fewer than 60,000 bottles produced annually, Selosse's wines are among the most prized sparkling wines of all.

NV Jacques Selosse Exquise Sec (RP04 - Disgorged December 2010) Champagne

Although the Exquise label mentions "Sec" (meaning "dry" in French, but typically corresponding to sweeter wines in Champagne and other regions), this non-vintage champagne is more akin to a demi-sec, as it has a dosage of 24-27 grams per liter, and it is therefore rather sweet than dry.

Made from 100% Chardonnay from a vineyard oriented South and located at the lower part of the hills with no clay, this is a beautiful and rich champagne. Beyond its golden hue in the glass, it offers a wealth of ripe peach and nutty aromas on the nose, followed by a fresh, slightly sweet, fruity, and creamy palate that expands nicely until the long finish. Nicely done, even if a bit too exotic for my palate, which is more inclined to drier champagnes.

The mark "RP04" on the bottle refers to a specific bottling from the producer Jacques Selosse, meaning "Réserve Personnelle du Millésime 2004" ("Personal Reserve" in English), indicating it is a special bottling from the producer.

Selosse's champagnes are usually aged for a minimum of 6 years before release. This particular bottle is a blend of Chardonnay grapes from various parcels harvested in 2004. It was then disgorged in 2010, which partly explains its slightly aged color and sherry-esque, nutty, almond aromas and flavors 15 years after corking.

For this cuvée, "Exquise," only 1,000 bottles are produced each year (with a maximum of 3,000 bottles per year, depending on the year and the source of that number), making it extremely rare.

Like many connoisseurs and amateurs of Champagne, I'm a massive fan of Selosse, and one can only wish that when the time comes, Guillaume Selosse will take over and continue to craft magnificent champagnes in the way his grandfather Jacques and his father Anselme did.

Info about Selosse courtesy of https://champagne-asia.com.hk/partner/jacques-selosse/ edited by and for www.ledomduvin.com

1996 Salon Cuvée "S" Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne

Champagne Salon Cuvee "S" is surely one of the best, most recognized, and sought-after champagnes in the world, and for good reasons. Despite its age, the 1996 vintage is outstandingly magnificent and tastes remarkably fresh and youthful, making it easy to mistake for a younger vintage if tasted blind.

In the glass, it displays a lovely, pale, vivid golden color with fine and fast bubbles. The nose is beautifully fresh and mineral, with stone fruit and zesty aromas, as well as floral notes. The palate is bright, vibrant, seamless, straight and focused, elegant, rich, and complex, with great tension due to its amazing acidity, minerality, and fruitiness. The long finish is so satisfying and persistent that it immediately calls for another glass. Although it has the potential to age longer for those willing to wait, it is absolutely gorgeous now. Superb!

2016 Louis Latour Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru Burgundy

The 2016 Louis Latour displays an intense golden color in the glass. The nose is quite fragrant, with aromas of yellow and stone fruit, as well as buttery, lemony, and mineral notes. The palate is focused, rich, complex, and ample, with good texture and structure, complemented by a sensation of mineral viscosity that gently coats the mouth, and enough acidity to keep it fresh, balanced through the lingering finish. It exhibits power and elegance, albeit somewhat restrained in certain aspects.

Very enjoyable wine overall, although I would have liked it to have more expression and purity, especially considering the price (about 490 Euros). But don't get me wrong, it was still delightful!

1996 Armand Rousseau Chambertin Grand Cru Burgundy

Brought by a guest for that night's dinner, this wine was a delightful surprise, as I hadn't tasted Armand Rousseau Chambertin in a long time. Yet, I did not know what to expect from that specific bottle, as the cork was extremely humid and crumbling, and broke into three parts before I could remove it, after exhausting all my patience and skill to get it out and prevent it from falling in (as I forgot to bring my Durand that I normally always bring with me to open such expensive and somewhat old bottles - I cannot believe that 1996 was already 29 years ago, while it seems like yesterday to me).

Yet, once the cork was removed, the air was immediately filled with a pleasant fragrance reminiscent of wild, ripe dark cherries and strawberries, with floral, mineral, and earthy notes, complemented by tertiary aromas of mushroom, autumn leaves, and underbrush. In the glass, it presented a bright, medium-intensity garnet color with a brick hue.

The guest suggested I decant it, but I told him I would rather not, as the wine was too fragile and too much air might shock it, accelerating its oxidation.

The light to medium-bodied palate was gorgeous, elegant, racy, finely chiseled, and distinguished, yet complex and layered in an extremely refined way, with the same amplified flavors as those on the nose, refreshing acidity and minerality, a beautiful texture and structure from the attack to the long and gracious finish. What a stunning wine!

It was a good thing I did not decant it, as it developed rapidly in the glass and in the bottle, and showed signs of weakness around the end of the dinner, roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes after opening. Yet, perhaps it was this particular bottle only, as I couldn't help but think that the state of the cork may have affected the wine in some way.

I hope to have the opportunity to taste this wine again to confirm whether the fragility of this wine was specific to this bottle due to the cork or if it is the typical profile of this wine in this particular vintage.

Nevertheless, the wine was still delivering all the traits and qualities that had propelled the reputation of its producer, being one of Burgundy's finest.

2016 François Lamarche La Grande Rue Monopole Grand Cru Burgundy

Although this bottle was kept at ideal temperature and humidity conditions in the company's cellar, since I bought it a few years ago, it too had a cork that was extremely humid and crumbling. It broke into two parts before I could remove it, after exhausting all my patience and skill to get it out and prevent it from falling in. (I did not have my Durand as mentioned above.)

Domaine François Lamarche

The Lamarche family settled in the small village of Vosne-Romanée (Côte d’Or – Burgundy) around 1740. They expanded their land holdings, and by the early 20th century, Henri Lamarche established the estate. He already produced and sold his wines directly from the domaine.

In 1933, he married Aline Demur and received the vineyard of “La Grande Rue” as a wedding gift. His son, François, inherited the estate after his father died in 1985. François was especially dedicated to obtaining official recognition for the monopole “La Grande Rue” as a Grand Cru, which was finally achieved in 1992, following efforts that began in 1989.

The vineyard itself is a narrow strip, approximately 50 meters wide, covering 1.65 hectares and situated just above “La Romanée” Grand Cru, the smallest Grand Cru in Burgundy.

Unfortunately, François Lamarche passed away in 2013, but his daughter, Nicole, his sister, Geneviève, and his niece, Nathalie, were all involved in the business and continued to run the domaine.

Domaine Lamarche produces 14 wines in total from 11.3 Ha of vineyards, including beautiful parcels in “Clos de Vougeot” Grand Cru (1.35 Ha), Echézeaux Grand Cru (1.32 Ha), Grands Echézeaux (0,30 Ha) and various plots of top 1er Crus in Vosne-Romanée, such as “Les Suchots” (0.58 Ha), “Les Chaumes” (0.56 Ha) and “Aux Malconsorts” (0.50 Ha).

All these wines are highly sought after, and their overall quality continues to improve with every vintage.

2016 François Lamarche La Grande Rue Monopole Grand Cru Burgundy

The 2016 La Grande Rue Grand Cru is fresh and enjoyably exuberant on the nose, offering a bouquet of ripe red cherries and dark berries, mingling with floral and mineral notes. While medium-bodied, the palate is fresh, gentle, playful, and generous, well-balanced between fruit, acidity, and tannins. Good texture, but in terms of structure, I would have loved for it to deliver more complexity, I mean, it's neighbor "La Romanée", so expectations are high.

It expands nicely and comfortably up to a certain point, but then falls slightly before the lingering finish. Nevertheless, it is still a beautifully crafted wine. And in the end, I was glad I had chosen it, as I hadn't tried it in a while, and it ultimately pleased the host and the guests, which was the most important thing.

1986 Petrus Pomerol Bordeaux

This bottle was a present for the host of the dinner. Unfortunately, I did not open it, but the anticipation of experiencing it one day is always a pleasure. The thought of sharing my thoughts if I open it in the future fills me with excitement.

However, I had many occasions to open Petrus in my 33-year career, including the 1986 vintage, which I loved, despite some people and critics saying it is not a great vintage. 1986 in Bordeaux followed the hot and sunny 1985 vintage (same as 1996 and 1995, 2006 and 2005, and 2016 and 2015, which again confirm my theory of the decades for Bordeaux vintages - read it here if interested), which was considered one of the best vintages of that decade, alongside 1982 and 1989.

Consequently, the 1986 vintage seemed subdued in comparison. And yet, if 1986 offers less ripe fruits and less complexity or length, it possesses nevertheless more acidity and sharper tannins, bringing freshness, texture, and structure, as well as longer ageing potential. And despite their shyness and tightness, as well as the need for decanting a few hours before serving, most 1986 Petrus I have tasted were great and still very youthful, as far as I recall.

I would have loved to open this bottle, as I have not tasted one in more than a decade. It would have been good to refresh my memory and see how the wine evolved.

That's all, folks, for today!

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein @domainejacquesselosse #jacquesselosse @champagnesalon_ #champagnesalon #champagne @louislatour1797 #louislatour #armandrousseau #francoislamarche #nicolelamarche #burgundy #petrus #bordeaux #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #tastingnotes #ilovemyjob #wineyearly #lovewine #lovechampagne #greatwine

Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2025, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

LeDomduVin: Subtle Power

2025-08-31T23:54:00.011-04:00

Subtle power

I recently selected and served these wines for a private dinner, and I hadn't tasted them in a while. I was expecting them to be rich and exuberant, but in the end, their strength lay in their subtlety.

Dom Ruinart Champagne Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 2010

Dom Ruinart exclusively selects Chardonnay from primarily Grand Cru sites. 90% of the Chardonnay grapes are sourced from the Côte des Blancs (including Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize, Chouilly, and Cramant), planted in the Côte’s famous white, calcareous chalky soil where it excels, benefiting from an easterly exposure. The remaining 10% comes from the north-facing Montagne de Reims, specifically from Maison Ruinart's historic vineyard, located in the Grand Cru areas of the village of Sillery.

Dom Ruinart 2010 represents a significant milestone. In its pursuit of excellence, Maison Ruinart extended the wine's aging process to reveal additional layers of flavor. For this cuvée, the oenological team decided to reintroduce cork during aging, confirming its benefits through years of tastings. After at least 9 years ageing on its lees, it is notable that the cork has imparted a woody character to this vintage, in addition to the aromas of grilled almonds and coffee on the nose and palate. Extra Brut with a dosage of 4 g/L.

Beyond its pale yellow gold color, the nose is aromatic and fresh, offering aromas of yellow and stone fruits mingling with floral, mineral, toasted, and nutty notes. Overall, the palate is generous, ample, and layered, lingering somewhat, although not as long as I would have liked; yet the finish is fresh and elegant, elevated by a subtle bitterness. As it is neither too heavy nor too light, it is a good champagne to bring to any occasion, ideal as an aperitif with appetizers. A real quaffer!

Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur Meursault 1er Cru Perrieres 2020

Vincent Bitouzet’s family history in Burgundy spans the last two centuries, with the Bitouzets among the earliest families in the area to bottle their own wines. Vincent’s grandfather received awards for his winemaking in 1860. When Vincent married Annie Prieur, they merged parts of their family estates to establish a renowned domaine. Now, their son Francois Bitouzet, Vincent and Annie’s son, is actively collaborating with his parents.

Based in Volnay, with significant holdings in Meursault, the domaine covers 12 hectares, roughly four of which are planted with Chardonnay, and the remaining eight with Pinot Noir. They practice organic viticulture, and the harvest is manually done. Classic Burgundian winemaking methods are used, using only indigenous yeasts.

The Bitouzet-Prieur family owns just over a quarter-hectare of Chardonnay, planted in 1983, in the lower part of this renowned premier cru "Les Perrières Dessous," located right above "Les Charmes" on the slope. The Meursault-Perrières is probably the most dazzling mineral wine in their collection. While it can be closed when young, it gradually opens up into a stunning white Burgundy with layered complexity.

I was unsure what to expect from this wine, as it was my first time trying it. I previously tried other wines from Bitouzet-Prieur, but never this particular one. I'm not sure why I always want to say "Bizoutet" ("Bizouter" is a slang in French that means "kissing" or "giving kisses", which would be a nice and funny name) instead of "Bitouzet".

However, I was pleasantly surprised, as instead of being a powerhouse of creamy butter, popcorn, and toasted oak flavors, as some Meursault can be (those that are more New World-style than the New World Chardonnays themselves), this wine is all about subtlety, refinement, and elegance. The oak treatment is present but barely noticeable, as only about 25-30% new oak is used during its 16-month aging process, making it significantly more palatable and enjoyable than those using 100% new oak.

At first, I misinterpreted its subtlety and elegance as a lack of body and weight. I wanted more from it, more fruit, more substance, more backbone. However, it then began to reveal itself after a few seconds. I tasted it again, and then it hit me. It was beautiful and charming. Fresh, light, and elegant yet complex and layered, it was like a ballerina, showcasing power, balance, precision, and sophistication in a subtle and graceful manner. If timid, the nose is fresh and mineral, with aromas of yellow fruits and citrus, combined with a gentle hint of buttery, toasted oak and herbal nuances. The palate is soft, silky, elegant, and refined, gently expanding towards the long, fresh, and mineral finish. Loved it!

Drouhin-Laroze Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru 2016

Domaine Drouhin-Laroze has been a family-owned estate for over 150 years, featuring numerous prestigious appellations in the top-tier Premier Cru and Grand Cru categories, which showcases a rich heritage. Today, Philippe and Christine Drouhin, along with their children, manage the estate.

Drouhin-Laroze's Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru comes from an east-facing plot at 260 meters elevation, where the vines were planted in 1973 and 1986. The monks of Bèze established a chapel at that location in 1155. It was reconstructed in 1457 before eventually being destroyed, and it is the origin of the name of the appellation.

Those who follow me for a while know that I'm a huge fan of wines with "Chambertin" in the name. Why? The wines of Gevrey-Chambertin, from the village wines to the Premier Crus and Grands Crus, are some of the most versatile wines of all Burgundy. For a Sommelier like me, they are the easiest to pair with. And this Chapelle-Chambertin from Drouhin Laroze confirmed this rule.

The 2016 Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru features approximately 30% whole-bunch fruit, which adds complexity, texture, and structure. Right after opening, the nose displays fresh aromas of ripe red cherries and berries, mingling with floral, mineral, oaky, and earthy notes, reminiscent of a forest floor, but springier than autumnal. Light to medium-bodied, the palate remains quite subtle and could have benefited from a bit more volume and substance. And yet, it is clean, focused, refined, elegant, and sophisticated in its subtlety, with a finely textured and structured palate that is well-balanced between fruit and acidity, and a silky mouthfeel and fine tannins, all culminating in a lingering mineral earthy finish. Loved it.

Chateau Lynch-Bages Pauillac Bordeaux 2005

Château Lynch-Bages, situated at the entrance to Pauillac, is a notable estate that has significantly influenced the history of the Médoc wine region. The terroir surrounding the area and the old village of Bages has been recognized since the 16th century, but it achieved broader fame in the 18th century.

According to "The Wine Insider," the Dejean family sold the property in 1728 to Pierre Drouillard. In 1749, Drouillard passed the estate to his daughter, Elizabeth, who was married to Thomas Lynch. That’s how the estate became part of the Lynch family, where it remained for seventy-five years and later on inspired the name "Lynch Bages". (*)

In the 1930s, Jean-Charles Cazes, already managing Les Ormes de Pez in St. Estèphe, took on a lease for Lynch Bages' vineyards. The Cazes family had a long legacy in Bordeaux dating back to the late 1800s. Jean-Charles Cazes later bought both estates just before World War II. Since then, Lynch Bages and Les-Ormes-de-Pez have remained under the Cazes family's management. (*)

Jean-Michel Cazes, who started as an engineer in Paris, entered the wine industry and began managing the estate in 1973. Soon after, he modernized every aspect of Lynch Bages. Jean-Michel Cazes met more people, traveled more often, and promoted his wines worldwide like no other Château owner. Lynch Bages is now one of the most popular and beloved brands in Bordeaux wine, thanks to Jean Michel Cazes's relentless efforts. It’s interesting to note that Jean-Michel Cazes was one of the first château owners to start promoting their wine in China in 1986. (*)

In June 1989, Lynch Bages inaugurated its new winemaking facilities, perfectly timed to celebrate one of the finest vintages they've ever produced. That same year also saw the opening of the Cordeillan-Bages hotel and restaurant. A few years afterward, the renovated Village de Bages, featuring various shops, was established.(*)

In 2006, Jean-Michel's son, also named Jean-Charles Cazes, became the managing director of Château Lynch-Bages. Jean-Michel Cazes continued to lead the family's wine and tourism division. Thanks to ongoing promotion in the Asian market, Château Lynch-Bages remains one of the strongest brands in the region, especially in China.(*)

A benchmark among fine Pauillac wines and one of the most recognizable Bordeaux labels, especially in the US and Asia, Château Lynch-Bages boasts over 90 hectares of vineyard rooted in the region's characteristic Garonne and lower Gironde estuary gravel soil. The hand-picked grapes are initially sorted in the vineyard and then usually aged for 15 months in about 80% new oak barrels.

A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, Lynch-Bages benefited from the notoriously warm, sunny, and dry 2005 vintage. The lower yields, caused by dry conditions and water stress, limited production but improved ripening quality, resulting in high-quality grapes.

The 2005 Lynch-Bages is very seductive and aromatic on both the nose and the palate. In the glass, the color is deep ruby with a slightly brownish hue. On the nose, it boasts a melange of dark berries, cassis, cedar, graphite, and forest floor aromas, with floral notes (such as violet) and earthy undertones. The palate is unexpectedly soft and gentle, medium-bodied and silky, with present yet fine and well-integrated, ripe tannins that add both texture and structure. It has enough acidity to keep it fresh and lively, and is balanced with the ripeness of the fruit, leading to a long, persistent, and delicious earthy finish. Loved it!

And, once again, being a Pauillac spawned from the 2005 vintage, I was waiting for a bigger wine with more volume and weight, and yet its strength lay in its subtlety. Well done!

These are four elegant, refined, stylish wines with a soft expression and a subtle power.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

(*) Source: https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/pauillac/lynch-bages/

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LeDomduVin: Bordeaux vs Burgundy Series (# 3) - The Eternal Rivalry

2025-08-25T06:33:00.102-04:00

BORDEAUX vs BURGUNDY
SERIES # 3

Bordeaux vs Burgundy: The Eternal Rivalry!

I recently had an interesting conversation about Bordeaux bashing and the comparison between Bordeaux and Burgundy, which inspired me to create the illustration above and write this post.

We discussed the various problems that both regions have faced over the last decade and attempted to compare them, ultimately trying to dispel the misconception of rivalry between the two.

Starting with climate change, then delving into administrative, market & economic challenges, and concluding the conversation by exchanging our views and opinions about the region's respective images, reputations, and pricing strategies in today's world.

In this post, I am retranscribing that discussion, providing further details and facts with my own views, opinions, and perspectives, as I typically do.

Note: Some readers may disagree with my opinions or how I present them in this post, particularly about Bordeaux. However, I am a native of Bordeaux and have been promoting the region's wines through tasting, visiting, buying, selling, serving, and drinking them for over 30 years across three continents.

Therefore, please read carefully before judging, as I have nothing against Bordeaux and am not trying to be disrespectful; on the contrary, I love Bordeaux and its wines. I aim to present the facts as they are, stating them as accurately as possible. Ultimately, my voice and words are just one among many that have been calling for changes for years, urging Bordeaux to adapt to shifting market conditions, update its image, and find innovative solutions for a more resilient future.

Climate change and weather patterns

Bordeaux has a milder, more humid maritime climate over a generally flat topography (especially the left bank, as the right bank has some hills and valleys) influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, and the Gironde estuary, which moderates the weather, resulting in mild winters and warm summers, with some heavy rainfall usually in winter and spring. It can also rain during the summer, in the form of light showers or occasional thunderstorms, but rainfall typically decreases from June to August.

Although Bordeaux usually enjoys beautiful, warm, and dry "Indian Summers," the rain that sometimes occurs during the harvest, typically late September or early October, is the fear of all producers, as light occasional showers may benefit the vineyards and the grapes, but days of rain at that time can also be disastrous. The moderating influence of the ocean, the estuary, and both rivers helps create a consistent, warm climate, which, combined with the topography and the gravelly soils on the Left Bank and clay-rich soils on the Right Bank, is suitable for late-ripening grapes, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.

On the other hand, with its cooler, continental climate, Burgundy experiences more extreme temperatures, with cold winters and hot summers. The climate is more unpredictable and challenging, often bringing cold winters and the threat of spring frost. Nonetheless, summers tend to be dry and sunny, which is essential since many of Burgundy's most prized vineyards are located on slopes facing east or southeast. This positioning maximizes the morning sun and provides plenty of light for grape ripening, until late afternoon when the sun passes behind the mountain to the west, casting shadows over the vineyards.

Compared to Bordeaux, Burgundy is characterized by rolling hills and gentle slopes that create a mosaic of diverse vineyard sites and microclimates. Its defining geological feature is a limestone-rich soil, which is a result of ancient marine deposits from a Jurassic-era lagoon, often mixed with marl and clay, contributing a distinctive minerality to the wines. This makes it an ideal region suitable for delicate, early-ripening varieties, such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

In terms of weather patterns, like most regions in France and around the world, both Bordeaux and Burgundy have experienced the accelerating effects of climate change in their own unique ways, particularly over the last decade. In fact, they have experienced them for over 40 years, as the acceleration of these effects occurred at the beginning of the 80s, and each decade has been hotter and thus more challenging than the previous one, ever since.

This trend of increasingly warmer decades has been a consistent pattern since the 1980s. The rate of warming has sped up, with the rate for 1981-2020 about 0.4°C per decade (that's +1.2°C in 40 years), compared to earlier periods. The global average temperature has risen significantly over the last decade, with 2011-2020 being the warmest on record, approximately 1.09°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average, according to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).

And for the 2020s, each year has been hotter than the last so far, with 2024 being the hottest year on record (partly due to a strong "El Niño" event). Global temperatures have exceeded the pre-industrial average by approximately 1.55 degrees Celsius, marking the first time this 1.5°C threshold was crossed in a calendar year.

The increasingly unpredictable weather patterns have resulted in more frequent challenges, including frost, hail, storms, rain, floods, and droughts, in both regions. These shifts and conditions, notably higher temperatures, more frequent droughts, and severe heatwaves, disrupt the vine's growth cycle during late spring and summer, resulting in lower yields, premature grape ripening, and/or over-ripening.

Meanwhile, more frequent hail and rainstorms, as well as floods and high humidity, in spring, summer, and early autumn during harvest time, increase the risk of damaging the vine shoots, lowering yields, and dilution, as well as diseases such as downy mildew. This variability has made it more challenging for winemakers to maintain consistent quality, resulting in increased vineyard work and labor costs, and requiring greater attention and vigilance to protect the harvest.

These situations also require financial means to cover the costs of machinery, products, and labor, among other expenses, which have increased due to higher demand in recent years, resulting from the higher frequency of these events and putting producers in a dire situation.

Climate change and changing weather patterns are concerning issues because they directly affect the vineyards. However, Bordeaux and Burgundy also face other challenges, such as administrative, market, and economic issues.

Let's begin with Bordeaux since it's a region I know better than Burgundy.

Administrative, Market & Economic challenges

Bordeaux has struggled with declining consumer demand, particularly among younger generations, due to shifts in consumer habits, high prices, and changing financial opportunities. It also suffers from its outdated, traditionalist, and aristocratic image, and has significant issues with its "En Primeur" system and classification.

Bordeaux "En Primeur" wines are overpriced, stagnant, and disconnected from release prices, leading to reduced demand and a flooded secondary market. Recent vintages have frequently been launched at prices that are too high, disconnected from what consumers are willing to pay.

This overpricing has caused demand to stagnate, with many wines from recent vintages trading at prices lower than their initial release prices, leading to unplanned unsold wine stocks. As a result, rising storage and borrowing costs put financial pressure on the system, especially when stock remains unsold and loses value while stored.

Despite some late efforts to lower the release prices for the 2024 vintage, the high release prices of previous vintages, such as recent ones (2021, 2022, and 2023), and the price stagnation or decline in the secondary market, have resulted in wineries and merchants alike still having large stocks of unsold wine. Weak demand and unfavorable global market conditions created a situation where buyers are unwilling to pay high prices for these wines.

The system's reliance on traditional intermediaries, such as courtiers and négociants, is seen as an outdated, lack of transparency model that creates barriers between producers and consumers, resulting in financial strain and alienating modern consumers.

The system, which sells wines "en primeur" before they are bottled, has been undermined by the availability of back vintages that are now selling for less than release prices, making consumers wary of buying unfinished wines.

Other issues include the long wait for delivery, uncertainty about the final wine quality before bottling, and a shift in top producers' preferences for direct-to-consumer sales or subscription models, which challenge the traditional model's long-term viability.

Bordeaux classification problems stem from the 1855 classification's static nature, which fails to account for over 170 years of evolving quality, winemaking, vineyard management, and ownership changes, leading to a disconnect between official status and current quality. Key issues include outdated rankings, the omission of Right Bank wines, market distortions where status and prices outweigh merit and even quality, confusion caused by younger and more dynamic classifications such as those in Saint-Émilion, and controversies surrounding the rankings, demotions, and withdrawals from the system.

The 1855 classification has remained largely unchanged since its creation, despite significant advancements in winemaking, vineyard management, and shifts in estate ownership, quality, and size over the past 170 years. Many estates have significantly improved their quality, yet their classification has remained the same, while some classified estates may have declined relative to non-classified ones.

The 1855 classification also excluded Right Bank wines, such as those from St-Emilion, and other wine regions from Bordeaux. The staticity of this classification system creates market confusion and leads to status mattering more than the actual wine quality, causing price distortions.

Additionally, wine styles in 1855 were quite different from those today, featuring lower alcohol levels and less tannic wines. Bordeaux wine's alcohol content has increased from traditionally lower levels, around 12-12.5%, to modern averages closer to 14%.

This trend has been gradually driven by various factors, including rising global temperatures—especially since the mid-1980s, around 1985 and 1989—leading to increased grape ripeness and higher sugar content. It has also been influenced by changes in winemaking techniques, vineyard and cellar management, and consumer tastes shaped by influential wine critics, which drove demand for more powerful wines and encouraged growers to pursue higher alcohol levels, longer oak ageing period, and the use of more toasted new oak barrels (a trend coming from the US in force in the 80s and 90s).

This trend also introduced or further developed the concept of second and third labels, as well as the second and third wines made from grapes grown on younger vines or from vineyard sections that didn’t quite meet the standards of the Grand Vin, but still received the same meticulous care and winemaking process.

This allowed the château to enhance the quality, complexity, and aging potential of the Grand Vin, while offering wines of similar quality that were less complex and more suitable for early drinking. This created options for wines at different price points and quality levels. This practice, still used today, also helped generate revenue to support the estate while waiting for the release of the Grand Vin.

For example, Château Latour created its second wine, "Les Forts de Latour," in 1966, and its third wine, "Pauillac" de Latour, in 1989 (or 1990, depending on the source).

Moreover, the classification is outdated, as many estates have changed hands and vineyard sizes have increased dramatically since 1855. Some small estates have been merged into larger ones, while others have been acquired by wealthy individuals and large corporations. Although these mergers aimed to create larger, more economically viable properties, improve production capabilities, enhance reputation, and diversify operations for greater financial and social success, the outcomes often varied, impacting, in some cases, both the quality and consistency of the wines, despite overall improvements in production.

As for the other classifications, while newer, the Graves Classification, established in 1953, revised in 1959, and refined by the creation of the Pessac-Leognan appellation in 1987, offers no quality distinction, listing all classified estates with the same status despite inherent quality variations.

The Saint-Émilion classification, established in 1955 and revised in 1958, is periodically reassessed roughly every 10 years. The list was updated in 1969, 1986, 1996, 2006, 2012, and 2022. However, it has faced issues with a confusing A/B rating system and controversy over rankings, demotions, legal challenges, and even withdrawals by top estates, like Château Cheval Blanc and Ausone in 2021, followed by Angelus in 2022, due to disagreements with the system, which they felt had become a source of conflict and instability instead of progress.

Some estates, with strong brand recognition, no longer rely on official classifications, further weakening the system's relevance. For example, Château Lafleur announced just a few days ago that it had left the Bordeaux Appellation System and revoked its status as a Pomerol and Bordeaux wine, selling all six of its labels as Vin de France from the 2025 vintage onwards. This move responds to the accelerating impacts of climate change and the increasing restrictions imposed by the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée/Protégée (AOC/AOP) system, as mandated by the Institut National de l'Origine et de la Qualité (INAO).

More estates may follow if things don't change and the restrictions are not relaxed in the coming years. It is too soon to figure out whether they were right to do so. Some take it as a threat to the appellation; others applaud their bold decision to step out. Good or bad thing? Time will tell.

Additionally, over the past 25 years, the rest of the world has followed suit in producing wines, with more than 80 countries (out of 195 worldwide) now making their own, resulting in overproduction, increased national consumption, and reduced imports from other countries. China, for example, which used to import countless containers of Bordeaux wines in the 2010s, is now relying more on its own wines. The problem is that high demand from markets like China in previous years supported increased Bordeaux release prices for certain vintages, but this is no longer the case.

Climate change, geopolitical situations, financial crises, global inflation, taxes, tariffs, overproduction, and other factors, such as changes in consumption habits and growing health concerns in the young generations, have led to a global surplus of wine and unsold stocks (in both wineries and merchants' warehouses around the world), weakening the market.

As a result, facing an excess of wine, some Bordeaux producers have turned to diversifying their crops and offering products like zero- or low-alcohol alternatives, more appealing to a younger audience, to meet demand, or, in the worst cases, have chosen distillation or even uprooting vineyards to control their supply, focus on other crops and avoid having to shut down.

The uprooting of vineyards in Bordeaux is being carried out in accordance with a French government-funded program aimed at addressing overproduction, declining domestic and international demand, global inflation, high prices, financial priorities, health concerns, and shifting consumer preferences that favor other beverages or simply can no longer afford wine in their monthly expenses. The program offers subsidies to winemakers for removing vines and repurposing the land. This strategic adjustment aims to stabilize the Bordeaux wine market by reducing supply and refocusing on higher-quality production.

To summarize and conclude, over the past decade, Bordeaux wines have faced significant challenges, including the severe effects of climate change, which have led to volatile vintages and increased production costs. Additionally, there has been a global decline in demand, particularly from China, and an oversupply of red wines resulting from the downturn in domestic and export markets.

All these factors (cited above) have resulted in falling prices for many wines, market saturation, and even government-funded vineyard uprooting programs aimed at addressing the imbalance between supply and demand. The continuously increasing restrictions imposed by the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée/Protégée (AOC/AOP) system, as mandated by the Institut National de l'Origine et de la Qualité (INAO), are outdated, too strict, unflexible, and insufficient to address many of the challenges faced by vignerons.

Therefore, yes, Bordeaux wine is experiencing a period of significant decline, characterized by decreasing sales, falling prices, and a record-low harvest in 2024, caused by disease and uprooting programs. The crisis stems from years of overproduction, resulting in strategic supply cuts and reduced vineyard acreage to combat declining demand, particularly for red wines, as well as shifting consumer preferences.

Being a Bordeaux native, I have serious concerns about this situation. Although I have spent my 33-year career promoting Bordeaux wines, including both small and large châteaux, I can't help but think the situation is dire and could cause long-term damage to the vignerons, the region's economy, and the wine industry as a whole. In the meantime, I hope for better days ahead. Wishing strength and courage to all Bordeaux vignerons.

Now, let's review the administrative, market, and economic challenges Burgundy has faced over the past decade, while comparing them to those of Bordeaux.

While Burgundy faced challenges with high prices and the perception of artificial scarcity, despite its focus on small-scale luxury, it is not performing as poorly as Bordeaux. In fact, although both regions have encountered difficulties in the global fine wine market, particularly over the past five years (the post-COVID period has been challenging for all wine regions in France and around the world), Burgundy has shown signs of resilience and has even outperformed in recent years due to demand for its unique, rare wines. In contrast, as mentioned above, Bordeaux has experienced a decline in market share, as well as fewer en primeur campaigns.

Although both regions are currently facing a general market slowdown, Burgundy is regarded as a more resilient and desirable market for collectors, especially in the high-end, collectible segment. In a supply and demand-driven market, the limited production of Top Burgundy wines indeed makes it a more valuable investment over time, compared to Bordeaux, which produces larger quantities that can be easily found in the market decades after their release, even for the most sought-after chateaux in excellent vintages, thus limiting the price appreciation over time.

While some Burgundy producers only make a few thousand bottles of "Premier Cru" and even fewer of "Grand Cru," more renowned Bordeaux Chateaux, whether classified or not, such as "Petrus," already produce around 30,000 bottles annually from 11.3 hectares. This is relatively small for Bordeaux, but still quite significant compared to Burgundy, where, for example, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti produces approximately 5,000 to 6,000 bottles of Romanée-Conti per year from its 1.8-hectare vineyard. Only the Bordeaux properties nicknamed "garagists", such as "Le Pin", usually produce less than 10,000 bottles per year.

The Bordeaux region is a significantly larger vineyard area than Burgundy, with larger average property sizes and consequently a larger quantity of bottles produced.

Bordeaux boasts nearly 110,000 hectares of vines (up to 125,000 hectares depending on the source, while I think I recently read somewhere that it is now about 90,000 hectares in 2025 due to the uprooting of the last few years) and approximately 6100 wine estate owners and growers (+ 33 wine cooperatives regrouping an additional 2500 growers/producers), with a typical estate covering about 17 hectares. These figures reflect the diverse landscape of the region, which encompasses both large, internationally owned companies and smaller, family-owned estates that have been passed down through generations.

In contrast, Burgundy's vineyard area is significantly smaller, at roughly 25,000 hectares in AOC vineyards (out of a total of 29,500 hectares planted), shared among about 4,000 domaines and cooperatives. In summary, Burgundy's vineyard area is roughly 4.5 times smaller than Bordeaux's, even though it has more than half the number of Bordeaux producers.

Consequently, the domaines tend to be much smaller too, as 85% of its domaines are under 10 hectares, typically family-owned estates that have been passed down through generations. Compared to Bordeaux, which has a more stable system of inheritance, Burgundy suffered from its vineyards being divided among generations, thus increasing the number of domaines, as well as the scarcity of bottles and the prices of top producers.

Over the last two centuries, Burgundy properties, particularly vineyards, have been divided among generations primarily due to the Napoleonic Code, which mandated equal inheritance among all children, resulting in the continuous subdivision of land parcels with each passing generation. This law decreed that property must be divided equally among all heirs, breaking from the previous system, where only the eldest son was entitled to inherit.

This practice, which began in the early 1800s following the French Revolution, created the complex, fragmented ownership structure seen today, where even large Grand Cru vineyards, such as "Clos de Vougeot", are divided into numerous small, independently owned plots (approximately 50 hectares, or 125 acres, split into over 100 parcels owned by about 80 proprietors).

Some well-known hyphenated family names on labels might suggest—like Fontaine-Gagnard or Bachelet-Monnot—that marriages between Burgundy heirs are a common practice mainly meant to preserve vineyards, as shown in fictional works like the film "Back to Burgundy" (Ce qui nous lie), and to address inheritance tax issues and consolidate family holdings.

Although not as frequent as some may think, it is still somewhat true, as the primary challenges to keeping vineyards in the family are inheritance taxes and land fragmentation resulting from Napoleonic inheritance laws, which impose significant financial burdens and create complex legal situations for heirs.

When family estates are passed down, high inheritance taxes can force heirs to sell all or part of the business to cover the costs, especially if the property's value has increased significantly. The combination of expensive land and the need to pay taxes creates heavy financial pressure on families, sometimes causing them to sell to foreign investors.

That's why marriage is sometimes seen as a way to link two separate family vineyards, creating a larger, more sustainable estate that's less likely to be sold. By marrying, one heir might gain access to the other family's financial resources, which could then be used to cover the hefty inheritance taxes that might otherwise force the sale of their own family's vineyards. If marriage isn't planned, heirs can agree to manage the property jointly, or one heir can purchase the shares of the others.

Fortunately, recent changes to French inheritance laws and tax regulations, particularly the higher exemption limit, are helping Burgundy vintners preserve their family vineyards. If the situation becomes truly dire, external investment might be the only option remaining. While sometimes controversial, bringing in outside investors can provide the necessary funds to pay taxes and sustain the business.

LeDomduVin - The Wine Rollercoaster by and for @ledomduvin 2025

Like Bordeaux, Burgundy has also faced climate change-related challenges over the past decade, including spring frosts and excessive heat, which have led to significantly reduced and fluctuating wine yields. Other issues include supply shortages caused by these low yields, higher costs for new farming techniques to fight climate problems (such as expensive "candles" for frost protection), shifts in market demand for their wines, and the increasing influence of outside investors owning vineyards, which changes the traditional grower-proprietor model. Unfavorable weather conditions, including those driven by a changing climate, have increased disease pressure from problems such as downy mildew in some years.

All these factors have significantly increased Burgundy's prices over the past decade. Generic Bourgogne has risen by 50-60%, while top-tier Grand Cru wines have doubled or more. This price surge is fueled by consistently low production, strong global demand for Burgundy's reputation and quality, and the scarce supply of wines from highly sought-after "cult" estates. Moreover, compared to Bordeaux, active auction markets and speculative collecting of premium Burgundies have further boosted prices.

In short, Burgundy prices have skyrocketed over the last decade, while those of Bordeaux have plummeted. Yet, as Burgundy wine prices soar, we could be inclined to think that people might return to Bordeaux for better value. A situation that may entertain the illusion of rivalry between them.

Ironically, even though Bordeaux offers more choices, greater availability, and often better quality than Burgundy in the under €20/bottle range, people still favor Burgundy wines, despite often coming with a higher price tag compared to those from Bordeaux.

On average, Burgundy bottles tend to be more expensive than those of Bordeaux, especially at the high end, because Burgundy's limited production and high demand drive prices upward. While Bordeaux has many affordable entry-level options, Burgundy offers fewer, and even basic "Bourgogne" wines often cost more than the entry-level Bordeaux equivalents.

The average price for a bottle of Bordeaux wine is usually around €10-15. However, the price can vary significantly based on factors like the specific château, vintage, vineyard quality, and whether it's a prestigious classified growth or a more accessible appellation.

In an ideal world, the quality and characteristics of a given year (the vintage) should significantly influence its price; however, this is not always the case. For example, the 2021 Bordeaux vintage was characterized by cooler conditions, resulting in wines that are more approachable but of lesser quality than the previous three vintages (2018, 2019, and 2020).

However, Bordeaux made a major mistake, as the 2021 "En Primeur" release prices were far too high for the quality and expectations of this particular vintage, generally similar to or slightly lower (not even 10% less) than the 2020 vintage, with some estates releasing at the same price point, while others offered price decreases. This resulted in buyer dissatisfaction, poor sales, a loss of credibility, and an additional reason to contribute to the phenomenon of "Bordeaux bashing."

The pricing strategy is another big difference between the two regions. While Burgundy remains relatively consistent in adjusting its prices depending on the quality of the vintage, production, and overall market demand, Bordeaux consistently increases its prices from one year to the next.

In recent years, Bordeaux en primeur (EP) prices for the 2018-2024 vintages have generally seen increases, criticism, and a disconnect from secondary market prices, with a market trend of prices falling in the years following their release, resulting in the dire situation we know now, with concerned buyers reluctant to buy or invest in Bordeaux any longer.

In short, as 2018 was a great vintage, the EP release prices were significantly higher than in 2017, which was a much lesser vintage. Then, 2019 was also a great vintage, but not as praised as 2018, showing prices similar to or lower than those of 2018. Then 2020 arrived with a higher quality than 2019, and despite a handful of Châteaux setting the right example by releasing at a slightly lower price point than 2019, the rest of Bordeaux raised its prices again. 2021 was a lesser vintage than the previous three, but Bordeaux still chose not to significantly lower its prices compared to 2020. Then 2022 emerged as a "super vintage", one of these "vintage of the century" (the umpteenth since the beginning of this century), and prices went even higher than those of 2020.

At this point, due to COVID-19, inflation, the global financial crisis, shifts in consumer habits, and other factors—including the outrageously high EP release prices, which caused buyers' dissatisfaction and confusion—Bordeaux sales and reputation declined sharply, leading to a drop in the market. Bordeaux attempted to significantly lower its prices for the 2023 vintage, which was of lower quality than the 2022 vintage, in an effort to revive the market, but it was unsuccessful. Then, in 2024, prices were even lower than those of 2023, addressing buyer caution and the high market prices of previous years. Still, some châteaux managed to set prices completely disconnected from the quality and expectations of the vintage once again.

As a visual is worth a thousand words, I have created the table below to illustrate the rollercoaster inconsistency of Bordeaux prices over the past decade (2014-2024). It demonstrates, as mentioned many times before in previous posts on the same subject and about scores and ratings, that Bordeaux's incoherent prices are based solely on the quality and release price of the last vintage(s), without considering the intrinsic quality and value of the wine or the vintage itself.

I used Mouton Rothschild as an example because it is part of the first growths, which typically show the most inconsistency in their prices. As part of the leading Chateaux (the so-called "locomotive of Bordeaux"), they establish the reference price points everyone else follows. They should therefore set a better example for all the others. But, except for a few rare exceptions, they usually don't.

Don't you agree? Look at the table again and tell me. Isn't it ridiculous? It is. For example, 2021 was released at 2.9% cheaper than 2020, while 2020 is a far better vintage than 2021, so why is the 2021 so expensive? 2021 was released at a more expensive price than 2018 and at the same price as 2016, which are also considered far better vintages. And why was 2022 released at such a significantly higher price than 2018 and 2020, which are also great vintages? Was it worth it to deserve being sold for roughly 100 Euros more? I don't think so. Bordeaux should not be surprised if buyers are no longer willing to pay these prices. They shot themselves in the foot by doing so.

I really think that Bordeaux should have reviewed its pricing strategy more than a decade ago and been more consistent over the years by adopting more reasonable "fixed" prices. For example, Mouton Rothschild should set its price between €380 and €420 in regular years (2015, 2018, 2020), then lower it between €310 and €350 in lesser years (2014, 2017, 2021, 2024) (or lower if they feel like it), and increase it between €450 and €480 maximum in greater years (2016, 2022), not go over €500, otherwise, there is no limit?

I understand that the cost of life and production may have increased significantly since the COVID pandemic in 2020, due to all the challenges and reasons mentioned above (COVID, climate change, inflation, global financial and commercial crises, taxes, tariffs, wars, geopolitical issues, shifts in consumer preferences, health concerns, global overproduction, rules, restrictions, laws, etc.).

However, despite efforts to substantially lower the prices of the 2023 and 2024 vintages to revive the market and restore buyer confidence in a market already weakened with declining sales over the last 3-4 vintages due to lack of demand and high prices disconnected from what consumers are willing to pay, the top Châteaux should communicate with each other and adopt a better market pricing strategy. They should avoid penalizing buyers with inconsistent prices and instead return to more reasonable pricing if they want Bordeaux to experience a renaissance, change its image, and thrive again, as it once did.

The main problem with Bordeaux isn't the top 500 Châteaux, the so-called "locomotive of Bordeaux," which are the ones that sell the most and offer wines ranging from €50 to over €500 per bottle (release price), representing Bordeaux's image worldwide. These will always sell one way or another.

The main issue with Bordeaux is the problems faced by the 6,000+ other Bordeaux estates, producers, and growers, mainly offering wines below €50, with a large majority selling only between €3 and €20. They struggle to sell their wines in the shadow of the famous ones, which tarnish Bordeaux's reputation with high prices and wrong, outdated image and marketing strategies. Most people think Bordeaux wines are expensive, the top ones, yes, but that is not the case for a vast majority of Bordeaux wines.

As a result, there is an ocean of wines, bottles, and labels that have seen their market shrink both locally and internationally, and their prices fall despite all the climatic, political, financial, and economic challenges they have faced over the last decade.

Dispelling the misconception of rivalry or competition

between Bordeaux and Burgundy

Bordeaux and Burgundy are often seen as rivals. The rivalry between them is a centuries-old debate driven by their different philosophies, grape varieties, and winemaking styles. However, after considering everything mentioned above, can we really discuss rivalry?

"Rivals" is a strong word! I prefer to call them friendly competitors because, in the end, they are two completely different entities targeting similar yet slightly different types of consumers, including collectors and investors, as well as distinct markets.

This friendly competition, often viewed as a reflection of the broader French spirit—Bordeaux's bourgeois influence versus Burgundy's more aristocratic, sensual nature—provides wine enthusiasts with a rich choice between power and finesse, structure and delicacy, drinkability and age potential.

It's a healthy competition where they observe and challenge each other to improve, despite their differences. Because there are no two wine regions that could be more different than these two.

Their philosophy differs in that Bordeaux focuses on blending grapes to create complexity and structure, with styles such as robust Cabernet Sauvignon-based reds from the Left Bank or Merlot-dominant wines from the Right Bank. Meanwhile, Burgundy emphasizes expressing a single vineyard's unique characteristics through single-varietal wines, highlighting the profound influence of terroir.

Their grape varieties differ as Bordeaux is known for its bold, complex blends, usually featuring Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. At the same time, Burgundy is renowned for its elegant, terroir-driven single-varietal wines, particularly Chardonnay for whites and Pinot Noir for reds.

Their terroirs differ, as Bordeaux is characterized by more uniform gravelly or clay-rich and limestone soils, with a weather pattern influenced by a maritime climate and the Gironde estuary, as well as the Dordogne and Garonne rivers. While Burgundy is renowned for its diverse soils and climates, it has ancient monastic traditions meticulously mapping out vineyard plots to capture the subtle and unique differences of the various terroirs.

Their cultural representations differ, as Bordeaux is often associated with the bourgeois, dirigiste spirit —a more structured, serious approach to winemaking. While Burgundy is more commonly associated with a more rustic, sensual, and Rabelaisian aspect of the French soul, it produces aromatic, full-bodied, and sophisticated wines.

Their classification systems differ, as the Bordeaux region has a famous classification system that has long been a standard in the wine world. While Burgundy has a classification system rooted in medieval monastic traditions, highlighting individual vineyards, or "climats", which are often smaller and more intimately worked.

Suppose there is a clear and long-standing rivalry or competition between the two. In that case, it is one created by the market and the consumers who highlight their differences, always put them side by side, comparing, criticizing, and judging them, and draw conclusions accordingly. The reality is different, as I do not think that producers of both regions see themselves as rivals or competitors, for all the reasons mentioned above.

And if there is, it is a friendly one, with both regions equally representing the pinnacle of French wine production in their own respective ways. Thus, wine enthusiasts can find equally compelling reasons to appreciate both the power and structure of Bordeaux and the finesse and subtlety of Burgundy.

Of course, the choice between them often depends on personal preference, as well as the occasion, the types of dishes, the company (the people you are drinking with), the ambiance, the atmosphere, and the place.

Burgundy, usually lighter (but not less complex or rich), can be paired with a wider variety of dishes, while Bordeaux, generally fuller and more tannic, might require more flavorful and robust dishes. But there is no right or wrong, as everyone has their own taste and preferences.

For example, I prefer drinking Burgundy from May to October, during the hot season, and Bordeaux from November to April, as I usually associate Bordeaux with colder and rainier weather. Yet, throughout my 33-year career on three continents, I have worked tirelessly to promote both, regardless of the season, as well as all the other wines and regions of France and the rest of the world.

Anyway, to conclude, this lengthy post, as Dany Rolland put it so well in a comment to one of my posts on Facebook: "There are no real rivalries, but rather stories of tastes, opportunities... and these are two regions with historic, renowned vintages, which therefore fuel all the speculations of language and price, comparisons more than choices... if not cultural ones. This is the diversity." - Dany Rolland

Looking at the statistics of global consumption over the last 50 years, one may wonder what the future holds for wine in a world that no longer shows much interest in it, due to climate change, geopolitical issues, inflation, financial and economic crises, growing health concerns, future uncertainties, and, more importantly, changes in consumer habits and attitudes toward wine and alcohol in general.

Let's hope that some consumers will continue to drink and appreciate wine; otherwise, the challenges and difficulties the industry has faced over the past decade will only increase exponentially, until wine becomes a beverage of the past, gradually removed from human culture and traditions after being part of them for thousands of years.

Ultimately, Bordeaux and Burgundy should not be viewed as rivals or competitors, as in the current world, they have been fighting side by side for their survival for more than a decade.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

NB: I thought that the quote from Richelle Mead's book “The Golden Lily: A Bloodlines Novel” (2012) was remarkably insightful and very "À propos" for this illustration. 😊👍🍷

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesillustrationsadom #lescreationsadom #lesdessinsadom #bordeaux #burgundy #bordeauxvsburgundy #wine #vin #vino #wein #wineclass #wineeducation #wineknowledge #winetraining

Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2025 on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, drawings, illustrations, visuals, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

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