My long-time friend, Bordeaux négociant Bill Blatch was one the many professionals that encouraged me to attend the 2009 barrel tastings this year and I am so glad that I did. I was able to get an amazing snap-shot of one of the greatest vintages of my 35-year professional career, running from one fabulous château to another to taste the young 2009 vintage. I heard “it’s my best harvest ever” in many châteaux. After all of the post-harvest hype from château after château of an unparalleled vintage my expectations were very high. Another “vintage of the century”? Perhaps.

I was able to visit 38 châteaux over four and-a-half days, and tasted close to 350 wines. One of the highpoints of my trip was to participate in the larger Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tastings, and also enjoyed exclusive private visits to all the first growths, and many other top properties that I had only dreamed of visiting. Meeting so many of the top winemakers and château owners was an honor. Reconnecting with owners and winemakers who have visited us here over the years was a special treat. For the many years that I have been selling Bordeaux “en primeur”, I have always been able to trust my mentors. This year I got to experience this phenomenon for myself!

The tastings provided an amazing perspective, and it was great to taste this particular vintage in depth, because in some areas quality varied. I was able to experience some breathtaking 2009s, but also some not so good. Not everyone was able to manage the super-ripe grapes that came off the vines. I cannot point out a winning bank or sub-region: in every part of Bordeaux I encountered beauties as well as a few less special examples of this much-heralded new vintage.

The main characteristics for me of the 2009 vintage seem to be great concentration, an amazing freshness and an extraordinary high level of fine but very ripe tannins. This bodes really well for near-term enjoyment and long-term cellaring. I believe that Cabernet will shine brightly in this vintage. I was surprised that some of the wines with high ripeness and alcohol content managed to be beautifully balanced. The Right Bank had some greats but there were a few misses with some of the Merlots being overripe and alcoholic. Some châteaux picked a bit early with the fear of rain and have wines that are out of balance with tannins that are “green” or harsh. Winemakers seem to be more capable and aware of not creating over-ripe, jammy “cartoons” of wines as well, and that was a relief, especially on the Right Bank. Château Pavie was a great example of handling the high sugars and intense concentration of the fruit, without the wine becoming a “bomb”!

I believe that the truly great wines of the vintage are certainly centered in the four main communes of the Médoc – Pauillac, St. Julien, St. Estephe and Margaux; with consistent high quality and some truly magnificent, ethereal wines – especially at the level of the First Growths.

You will hear lots of comparisons of 2009 to past great vintages, but please understand that some are unfair. Winemaking in Bordeaux has undergone a renaissance over the last 20 years. (and especially the last 10) The plain fact is that vineyard management, winemaking and even the basic facilities have improved significantly. I heard many professionals comparing this vintage to some of the greats, even 1947 and 1982. It’s really a difficult comparison, because so much has been learned and improved over the years. The growing conditions may have been similar, but how we handle the wines today has dramatically evolved. Detractors may say that the some of the wines are overdone and more like California than Bordeaux. I believe that growers were dealt a “special hand” with near perfect conditions that produced the concentrated and powerful wines that have emerged. I did not experience I would call over-extracted wines, with the exception of maybe a couple, which I have not included in my recommendations.

The bottom line for me is that this vintage has produced an amazing array of fabulous wines. I believe that we will see some château prices in the stratosphere because of world demand, particularly the emergence of the Chinese interests. Most importantly, I have identified some superb wines that will offer great value we can all enjoy sharing with friends and family, for many years to come!

As many of you know, I am not a great believer in micro-scoring wines. I still taste wines by my simple philosophy of “don’t like it, like it or like it a lot!” Without a doubt, every wine I have listed here would classify as favorites in my top category – several are the best I have ever tasted. I will leave you to battle it out with the Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator and Decanter Magazine over the points that these wines deserve. It will be fun to watch!

Michael’s Shopping List for 2009 Bordeaux

Exceptional Wines
In my mind, these are the finest wines of the vintage. Breathtaking wines that showed power and richness, with precision and freshness that I believe is unparalleled. A few are the finest examples of Bordeaux that I have ever tasted. Of course they will also be extremely scarce and very limited (maybe even non-existent if the Chinese have anything to say about it!)

Château Ausone, St. Émilion
Château Cos d’Estournel, St. Estèphe
Château l’Evangile, Pomerol
Château Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan
Château Lafite-Rothschild, Pauillac
Château Latour, Pauillac
Château Le Pin, Pomerol
Château Leoville-Las-Cases, St. Julien
Château Margaux, Margaux
Château Montrose, St. Estèphe
Château Mouton-Rothschild, Pauillac
Château Pavie, St. Émilion

Cellar Selections
This group of wines is top of their class. They offer great character and length, and exhibit great complexity, structure and excellent cellaring potential. These are the wines that will be superstars in our cellars for years to come. Although we will see greater availability here, these wines will be snapped up quickly.

Château Cheval-Blanc, St. Émilion
Château Clos Fourtet, St. Émilion
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St. Julien
Les Forts de Latour, Pauillac
Château Giscours, Margaux
Château Haut Bailly, Pessac-Léognan
Château l’Eglise Clinet, Pomerol
Château Leoville Barton, St. Julien
Château Malescot-St.-Exupéry, Margaux
Château Pape Clément, Pessac-Léognan
Château Prieuré-Lichine, Margaux
Château Pichon-Longueville-Lalande, Pauillac
Château Pontet-Canet, Pauillac
Château Rauzan-Ségla, Margaux
Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan
Château Troplong-Mondot, St. Émilion
Vieux-Château-Certan, Pomerol

Special Delivery
A superb selection of wines from some of Bordeaux most forward thinking and progressive winemakers. This group of wines is full-bodied and complex, with wonderful concentration and intensity, clearly some of my favorite wines of the tastings. This group may be approachable earlier, but will also hold their structure and class for 8-10+ years.

Château d’Aiguilhe, Côtes de Castillon
Château d’Armailhac, Pauillac
Château Batailley, Pauillac
Château Camensac, Haut-Medoc
Château Chasse-Spleen, Moulis
Château Clos Puy Arnaud, Côtes de Castillon
Château Courteillac, Bordeaux Superieur
Château La Fleur de Boüard, Lalande-de-Pomerol
Château Fombrauge, St. Emilion
Château Haut-Bages-Liberal, Pauillac
Château Haut-Bergey, Pessac-Léognan
Château Mont-Perat, Cotes de Bordeaux
Château Phélan-Ségur, St. Estèphe
Pauillac de Château Latour, Pauillac

Sensational Values
These are my “sleepers of the vintage”. This was an extremely surprising group of wines that showed wonderful richness, bright fruit and ripe, silky tannins. These châteaux are some of the unknowns that will offer the great value that comes from smaller properties and emerging appellations in an outstanding vintage. Most will be enjoyable upon release.

Château Beau-Site, St. Estèphe
Château Brisson, Cotes de Castillon
Château Cap de Faugeres, Cotes de Castillon
Château Charmail, Haut-Medoc
Château Faizeau, Montagne-St.-Emilion
Château Laplagnotte-Bellevue, St. Émilion
Château Parenchère, Bordeaux Superiore
Château Patache d’Aux, Haut-Medoc
Château Thieuley, Bordeaux AOC
Château Tour de Mirambeau, Bordeaux Superiore
Château Tour St. Bonnet, Medoc

Sauternes/Barsac

2009 is a superb year for Sauternes and Barsac. The final year in this decade has been almost unanimously heralded by Sauternes growers as one of the most perfect vintages they remember. The best here offer amazing concentration, with near-flawless levels of botrytis and beautiful balance. Honeyed flavors were balanced by great acidity.

My favorites:
Château Coutet
Château d’Yquem*
Château Doisy-Daëne
Château Rieussec
Château Suduiraut
Château La Tour Blanche

Michael Klauber – Michael’s Wine Cellar & WineFlorida.com

What an amazing week in France. There is so much sensory evaluation to do that it is overwhelming, but worth every sip. You realize that you are part of a much bigger picture. One of the revealing aspects I discovered on my trip was that the US isn’t the big fish in Bordeaux anymore, we are only 30% of the Bordeaux market, and there is a whole world of people who are also vying for these wines from all over Europe and beyond. I was surprised to learn that our newest competitors this time are the Chinese. Several of the negociants had their books not only in French and English, but also in Chinese. So it is definitely going to be a changing year. A fascinating bit of news: this year’s En Primeur tasting drew the most people ever, because of all the hype about the final vintage of this decade.

This was my first time going to the barrel tastings; this time of year is our peak season at my store and restaurant, and it has always been a challenge for me to get away. I felt strongly that if I was ever going to do it, this was the year. I was particularly inspired to go, by the winemakers that were here during Forks & Corks. They all told me, “Michael, this is the year, you have to go, and it is going to be the best Bordeaux vintage ever”. I traveled with a really great group of wine professionals, who were very kind to me as the rookie. I learned a lot, and loved every moment, swirl, and sniff.

The hospitality was incredible. The châteaux were so welcoming, and the winemakers and owners were charming. Many of the tastings that we went to were private and by appointment only, which made them even more special. Some of the Chateaux are never open to the public for a tasting. Each destination was unique and memorable. The group I traveled around the region with, was a small group of 6 to 8 wine professionals from around the country; importers and top retailers.

I must give a special thanks to one of the great gentlemen in the US wine import business, our guide on this amazing trip, Chris Lano of Stacole Fine Wines for his help in creating this landmark experience for me (and you!) It was also a great treat to spend the day traveling around with Simon Bradford from Ballende et Meneret. As I said in an earlier blog, he accompanied us throughout the Pomerol and Saint Émilion appellations.

An additional treat, we got to taste at all five first growths on this trip including: Château Lafite-Rothschild, Chateaux Mouton-Rothschild, Châteaux Latour, Château Haut-Brion and Château Margaux. To be able to accomplish that over years is impressive, but to do it in the span of four days is unbelievable.

It was really great seeing dear friends, who I have been doing business with for many years. Of course I have to start with my Bordeaux friends who brought their wines to Forks & Corks including: Gerard Fenouillet, Virginie Achou-Lepage, Emilie Gervason, Bertil Corgie and of course Florence and Daniel Cathiard. I was really excited to run into Frank Poote of Champagne Oudinout, and to see winemakers/sisters Marie and Sylvie Courselle from Chateau Thieuley. They, along with many of the others, have come to Sarasota for wine dinners at Michael’s On East. It was really terrific to also run into Charles Curtis, who is now running the wine department at Christie’s Auction house in New York, and Robin Kelly O’Connor, who shared the great news with me about his new position at Sherry-Lehmann.

I have to tell you that it was just wonderful seeing the Baroness Philippine de Rothschild holding court in her Château. She was just as ebullient, outgoing and charming as she was when she visited Sarasota for a special wine dinner. Her château was so elegant, and every detail was just perfect.

It was really terrific meeting some of the winemakers that I have been following and buying for years, including:

• Alain Vauthier of Château Ausone
• Jean-Guillaume Prats from Château Cos d’Estournel
• Frederick Engere at Château Latour
• Comte Stephan von Neipperg of Château Canon-la-Gaffeliere and Chateau d’Aiguilhe
• Pierre Lurton of Château Cheval Blanc and Château d’Yquem
• Alexandre Thienpont of Vieux Château Certan
• Jacques Thienpont from Château Le Pin
• Denis Durantou from Château L’Eglise Clinet
• Hélène Garcin-Lévêque of Château Clos L’Eglise
• Gerard Perse of Château Pavie
• Claire Villars Lurton of Château Haut-Bages-Liberal
• Jean Pierre Foubet of Château Chasse-Spleen
• Arnaud de Labarre of Chateau Laplgnotte-Bellevue
• Gonzague Lurton of Château Durfort-Vivens

There were so many wonderful moments throughout the week: great food, great company and exceptional scenery. My evening with Dominique & Marie-Claude Meneret of Chateau Courteillac was one of the top notes. They opened their home to us, and Marie-Claude prepared a beautiful dinner. Their home was exquisite and the experience is something that I will carry with me forever.

So down to the numbers…
During my five days in Bordeaux, I visited 38 Châteaux, four négociants, including the Bill Blatch tasting, two spectacular tasting lunches, and two exceptional dinners, and most importantly, tasted a little over 350 wines of Bordeaux 2009. In some cases, we got to taste the wines on more than one occasion.

Properties I visited:

Margaux
Château Palmer
Château Margaux
Château Rauzan-Ségla
Château Dauzac

St. Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
Château Léoville-Las-Cases

Pauillac
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
Château Mouton-Rothschild
Château Pichon-Lalande
Château Latour
Château Lafite-Rothschild
Château Batailley

St. Estèphe
Château Calon-Segur
Château Cos d’Estournel
Château Montrose

St. Émilion
Château Cheval Blanc
Château Beau-Sejour Becot
Château Teyssier
Château Canon-La-Gaffeliére
Château Ausone
Château Angelus
Château Pavie
Château Laplagnotte Bellevue

Pomerol
Vieux-Château-Certan
Château L’Eglise Clinet
Château Clos L’Eglise
Château Gazin
Château L’Evangile
Château Le Pin
Château Le Gay
Château Bon Pasteur

Pessac-Léognan
Château Haut-Brion
Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte

Haut Médoc
Château Cantemerle
Château Patache D’Aux

Bordeaux Superior
Château Courteillac
Château Parenchere

Négociants
Bill Blatch (Vintex)
Nathan Johnston et Fils
Ulysse Cazabonne
Ballande et Meneret

Monday, I will be sending you recommendations about the must-haves, great investments, and sensational values.

This has been a wonderful trip. I have brought back many great memories, and more importantly a fantastic shopping list. It has been my pleasure to go on this extraordinary expedition to find the very best of Bordeaux 2009 for you.

Bordeaux, Toujours, Bordeaux
Michael

Well, Day Five, the final day of my Bordeaux 2009 Barrel Tastings! We began the last day our “Tour de Bordeaux 2009” in grand style at Château Haut-Brion, the home of Prince Robert of Luxembourg. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting him at the Four Seasons during the Grapes of Humanity dinner in NYC, last October. It was very exciting to visit his property; the setting was elegant and formal. I was surprised at how close the property is to the city - it is surrounded by the town now!

We tasted seven wines at the château: four reds and three whites. To begin with the reds: La Chapelle de la Mission, Le Clarence de Haut-Brion (a new name for the second wine of Haut-Brion), La Mission Haut-Brion, and Château Haut-Brion, The Chateau Haut-Brion was dark, had incredible intense color; beautifully integrated flavors and tannins, with bright fruit, and an elegant minerality. Everything about this wine says that it’s going to be a fabulous wine for the long-term. The whites stood-out for me as well - the La Clarté de Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc and the Haut-Brion Blanc, which is one of the most famous wines of Bordeaux. Interesting that they serve the whites AFTER the reds!

After the tasting with His Royal Highness, we traveled on to Château Smith Haut-Lafitte, and ran into my friends, Florence and Daniel Cathiard. They hosted all the Graves and Pessac-Léognan growers in a huge, tasting beautiful room on their estate. There were twenty-five producers, all members of the Unions des Grand Cru de Bordeaux. I started with the Château Smith Haut-Lafitte of course; the rouge had really strong fruit, and just a marvelous richness. I have to say that it is the best Smith Haut-Lafitte that I have tasted so far from them. A few tables table over was Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion, and ran into Emilie Gervason. You might recognize both Emilie and the Cathiard’s, they all came to Sarasota this year for the Forks & Corks events, including this year’s Forks & Corks University, in which we focused on the Bordeaux and members of the Unions des Grand Cru. The highlights of the wines at this 2009 tasting for me were: Domaine de Chevalier (blanc), Chateau Haut-Bailly (rouge), Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion, rouge and blanc were wonderful, also the white Chateau Malartic-Lagravière, and finally, Château Pape Clément rouge and blanc.

While we were at Smith Haut-Lafitte, Florence and Daniel sent us on a tour of their property. They have a fabulous spa called Les Sources de Caudalie. They offer a most unique spa service called Vinothérapie. They incorporate grape and vine extracts into the services and were the pioneers of these unique treatments . If you are planning a trip to Bordeaux, this is a must do on your list and a beautiful place to stay. We had a delicious lunch at one of their restaurants at the spa called La Table du Lavoir, hosted by a great young winemaker, Arnaud de Labarre. He and his family own Château Laplognotte-Bellevue, which we have carried in my store and restaurant before. We tasted their 09, 08, 07 and 06. The 09 is spectacular and the best Laplagnotte-Bellvue that I have tasted to date.

After lunch we then went to the UGC (Unions des Grand Cru de Bordeaux) Sauternes tasting at Chateau Dauzac, in Margaux. They brought the Sauternes to us, rather than having us travel so far out of the way. There were 30 producers, and I must say that it was quite a feat to enjoy all of that sugar. The Sauternes are incredible wines this year, extremely rich, they’ve got lots of sugar and a very good botrytis, which is a key component of great sauternes; it is the “noble rot”. My top choices were the Château Rieussec, Château La Tour Blanche, and Château Suduiraut. I must say however, that of all the Sauternes I’ve tasted during my trip, the earlier tasting of the Château d’Yquem shines above all. As always, the price will be in the stratosphere, and these wonderful wines are more accessible and delicious as well.

We celebrated our finale evening with a wonderful dinner at L’Estacade, which sits directly on the river facing the center of Bordeaux. The city was just illuminated, and simply a spectacular finish to a wonderful week, and as a treat we celebrated with Champagne Billecart-Salmon Rosé.

This has been an inspiring and incredible experience. I’ve tasted over 350 wines in just four and a half days. The key is to: See Swirl, Sniff, Sip but most importantly, Spit!

I will be sending out a recap of the highlights from my trip, and then a list of my pics of the Bordeaux 2009’s over the next few days!

À bientôt Bordeaux, et Bonjour Sarasota!

Bordeaux, Toujours, Bordeaux
Michel (Michael)

Let me tell you that I have had an amazing time so far, discovering some of the best 2009 Bordeaux wines, and every day is better than the day before. Day four is a very full day, we have 17 tastings along the way.

So where to start:
We began the day at offices of Ballande et Meneret, another top négociant in the Bordeaux wine world. It was a beautiful setting and quite charming people. There were about 250 wines to try, which is a lot of wine. Remember, when you’re tasting wine, the protocol is to: See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip and Spit. You couldn’t make it through 17 tastings, with hundreds, and hundreds of wines, if you actually drank them all. I did however, taste through 75 of them, and I found even more great wines that I think will be reasonably priced and will be absolutely delicious.

Today was quite a treat for me, Simon Bradford, the Directeur Export from Ballande et Meneret, accompanied us through each tasting, and it was nice to have a guide who knows the wines, the people and the countryside.

After our first tasting we then travelled to Château Cheval Blanc. This is a legendary property in the St. Emilion appelation, and probably one of the most sought wines in the world. We tasted three wines, and the wine that stood out for me was the Château Cheval Blanc, which was deep red, huge, elegant, long-broad flavors, and an exciting finish. Then we tasted the most famous of all the dessert wines, Château d’Yquem. It is the most desired, most famous, and most expensive dessert wines in the world. It maybe the best Sauternes, but I will have to wait until the Sauternes tasting tomorrow. It has a huge nose, extremely rich, precise and a very long finish.

We veered off our course to stop by Château Bon Pasteur to taste the wines from Michel Rolland. He is the winemaker to the start, as far as the wine world goes. Highlights were his Bon Pasteur, which was a super wine. We tasted all of the wines he makes, including one of my fav’s- La Grande Clotte. It’s one of my favorite inexpensive, fun wines that comes from Michel’s private estates. We sell this beauty at a reasonable price at Michael’s Wine Cellar.

Vieux Château Certan is one of the oldest estates of the Pomerol appelation. The wine was dense without being overpowering. The winemaker told us that it was a reference year for merlot in comparable to 1998. The great things about these tastings are that we actually travel all around to all the appellations in the Bordeaux regions, visiting the Châteaux where they make the wines and have for centuries.
What I really am enjoying this trip is going off the beaten path and our itinerary to discover Châteaux that I might not have found, if I stayed on schedule. I mention this, because we stopped by Chateau Le Pin, on the right bank in Bordeaux. The winemaker is the original garagiste (original garage wine of Bordeaux). It was absolutely incredible. It just may be one of the best wines of the vintage, when I am done. There are only 28 barrels with 25 cases per barrel for the whole world. We will have to put this one on our list of must-haves.

As we left the little house that sat on top of the old garage, we made our way to Château L’Eglise Clinet. We had the distinct pleasure to meet Denis Durantou, a true, winemakers, winemaker. What a charming, charming man. We tasted six wines with him. You might be familiar with a couple of the wines, we’ve carried them in the store for a few years. My top three here were: La Chenade, Les Cruzelles, and of course the L’Eglise Clinet, which was fabulous, as usual. Mr. Durantou shared a fun and interesting lesson with us, he said, most of the wines we tasted on the right bank, where we were today, are Merlot and Cabernet Franc based.

As a surprise, we ran across the way from L’Eglise Clinet to Clos L’Eglise and met with the owner/winemaker, Hélène Garcin-Lévêque. My top choices for this stop have got to be the Chateau Haut-Bergey, the Chateau Barde-Haut, Chateau Branon and of course the Clos L’Eglise, which was a charming wine, and I can’t wait to have it.

From there we went to St. Emilion tasting Cercle Rive Droite. These were a lot of the smaller petite Châteaux in St. Emilion appelation, which may not be a part of the Grand Crus. It was an amazing site to see over 100 petite Châteaux in one place. As overwhelming as it was, I ran into some great friends, including sisters Sylvie and Marie Courselle, from Chateau Thieuley. They visited Sarasota a few years ago for a wine dinner at Michael’s On East. They are just the same, wonderful and charming women, as I remembered. I really thought that their new wines were exceptional and right now, we are serving their white in the bar at Michael’s On East. One of the wines that really stood out for me from them was the Clos Puy Arnaud.

One of the highlights of my day was, I got to meet one of my favorite, favorite Châteaux owners, Comte Stephan Von Neipperg of Château Canon-la-Gaffelière. He is a gracious host, who welcomed us to his recherché chateau. We tasted five wines, you may know one of my all-time favorites from the Cotes de Castillon, is Château d’Aiguilhe, Clos de l’Oratoire, of course the Canon-la-Gaffelière and the Comte’s most famous wine, La Mondotte.

Next it was off to Château Beau-Sejour Becot to taste the Grand Cru St. Emilion wines. There were 25 Châteaux there, and it was all the top players! At this tasting, we really started to see that there were some huge wines made this year, everything is extremely ripe. We are really going to have some fantastic and fabulous wines, especially those people who like rich wines that are full of fruit and intensity. Some of the most memorable wines I tasted here were the Clos Fourtet, La Couspade, Pavie Macquin, and Troplong Mondotte.

We made our way through the rain and mud to Château Gazin for the Pomerol tasting. There were 18 Châteaux there to taste, and they are incredibly strong and powerful. At the top were: Chateau La Conseillante, Châteaux Gazin, was wonderful, and Châteaux Clinet. Then it was onto Chateau L’Evangile, a Rothschild property on the right bank. Their main wine is made in the traditional Rothschild style.

Some of the Châteaux are not accessible to the public , and our next stop to Château Auson is a great example of amazing places that is a rare treat to experience. This estate has a very long and impressive history dating back to the 11th century. We tasted six wines, the Moulin St. Georges, we’ve carried in the store before. The other stand-outs were the Chappele d’Ausone and of course the Chateau Ausone, the word that comes to my mind with tasting this wine is ethereal, and it’s the only way to describe it to you. Chateau owner, Alain Vaithier took us on a tour of his historic cellars, and I have to tell you that it was an awesome experience to stand in his cellar that dates back to high middle ages.

This trip has been full of wonderful surprise stops not on our itinerary, and truly these are such great finds, some we know, and some I am discovering. We dashed over to Château Pavie and enjoyed a tasting with owner, Gérard Perse. He makes some really great wines, in the lead, the Clos Les Lunelles, this wine is rich, full and sexy! Also, the Bellevue Mondotte, and the Pavie Decesse were quite appealing. The big one that topped all the wines at this tasting was the Chateau Pavie.

At Château Angelus, I also found a new favorite to add to my list, their Fleur de Bouard, in addition to the lovely Angelus. My final tasting of the day was another surprise stop, Chateau Le Gay, where I tasted three outstanding wines; La Graviere, La Violette and their most well-known, Le Gay.

I ended my evening with a remarkable dinner in the home of Dominique and Marie-Claude Meneret. They produce the famous Chateaux Courteillac, which we also serve by the glass at Michael’s On East.

Now let me tell you, after leaving Chateau Latour on Monday evening, and then turning right back around first thing Tuesday morning to go to this very prestigious tasting, was a unique challenge, but I was totally up for it. Imagine waking up in the morning and being at some place at 9 am to taste one of the great wines of the world and then be asked to judge it. That’s just what we did, and I was not disappointed. We tasted three wines: Château Duhart-Milon, and Carruades de Lafite, and of course the Lafite-Rothschild. All beautiful wines, but clearly Lafite was the star. Typically Lafite-Rothschild is not the most forward wine at this point in its life and that was the case here. The wine showed layers of intense fruit, great texture, density and power with silky smooth tannins. Quite the buzz around here is that this Château Lafite-Rothschild is reminiscent of one of their most famous wines, similar in all parts to the 1982 Lafite.

Some of my most memorable wines, moments and experiences of Day Three:

The Margaux appellation tasting at Château Desmirail - This was just a gorgeous place, wide open, quite memorable. There were 22 châteaux for us to taste - all from the Margaux appellation. This is really tough, because there are so many great wines in this vintage; one is more outstanding than the next. Among my favorites at this particular tasting were the Rauzan-Ségla, Malescot-St.-Exupéry, Brane-Cantenac, and Chateau Lascombes.

While I was at Desmirail, I was very excited to run into Gerard Fenouillet, who is the winemaker from Château Ferrier, and also our great friend Bertil Corgié, who works for the Lurton Family. Both of these gentlemen were here in Sarasota for this year’s Forks & Corks event. It was wonderful to renew our friendships. Gerard’s Château Ferrier 2009 is a beautiful wine and a great example of the elegance you can find in wine from the Margaux appellation.

Médoc tasting at Chateau Cantemerle - This space just blew me away; the huge cellar was a very dramatic setting. We tasted a set of 26 wines all from the Medoc region. Of the top on my Tuesday list was; La Lagune, Château Chasse-Spleen and Château La Tour de By. I told you, every day gets better and better! While we were there, we ran into our friends from Château Chasse-Spleen, who also participated in this year’s Forks & Corks festival in Sarasota.

Château Rauzan-Ségla and negociant Ulysse Cazabonne – both are owned by fragrance giant Chanel. I found some really interesting wines here and had the special treat to meet Robin Corvez, a charming host. We did a flight of their second wine Château Sélga; we tasted the 04, 05, 06 and 07. Then we tasted, their château from the right bank, Château Canon, both the 09 and 07, and then the 2000 vintage, which was an amazing experience to be able to see how beautifully that wine can develop. At the other end of the room I got to try a couple of what I would call my favorite value-oriented Bordeaux, and boy, was I excited by how great they were. Of my four favorites, as it happens, I’ve carried three of them before in the wine cellar: Château Brisson, Château Clos Puy Arnaud, and Château Haut-Bailly, and a new one, Château MyLord. All of these wines usually retail somewhere between $14 - $25 a bottle. I am positive that these are going to be super-delicious wines to drink when young. I had been hoping that I would find some great inexpensive wines, and trust me; there were at least 10 more just today that I haven’t mentioned.

Château Batailley for the Medoc UGC tasting - Even though it wasn’t on our schedule, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to stop by and get peek at these wines. All the wines in this tasting were from the St. Estephe, Pauillac and St. Julien appellations. It’s becoming clear now that a couple of these areas are particularly good – probably outstanding. The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes seem to have been particularly blessed by this vintage! There were about 30 châteaux represented there. The standouts for me were Haut-Bages-Liberal, a gorgeous wine, and as a treat, I got to meet the owner Claire Villars-Lurton. I was thrilled to taste her wine with her. Also topping my notes are: Leoville-Poyferré, Leoville-Barton, and Lynch-Bages, which might end up being some of the top wines of the vintage as well. Another wine that excelled this day was the Batailley 2009, which I thought was a superb wine too, owned by another famous negociant family, Borie-Manoux. I am sure that we will be carrying it again in the wine cellar, as we have in the past. I walked away very impressed with the overall quality of these appellations.

While I was there, I was able to taste the 2009 from Chateau Phélan-Ségur. The Gardinier family have been family friends and supporters of ours for over 25 years and are a “class act”. I am so pleased to say that they have created the greatest Château Phélan-Ségur that I have ever tasted. It was intense, silky, rich and full… the best ever. I am thrilled for them and I hope that it brings them many accolades and further success.

During the tasting, I heard a familiar voice behind me say, “Michael Klauber, what are you doing here?” As I turned around, I saw my good friend Frank Poot, from Champagne Oudinot, who comes to Sarasota every year and supports many events at Michael’s On East. I love their Champagne and we had a great chat and he promised to come back to Sarasota very soon.

Château Calon-Ségur – Had serious concentration, it was dense, pure, rich and as I had suspected, Cabernet really shows through here. This is a beautiful property that has done a lot to upgrade both vineyards and facilities over recent years.

Château Cos d’Estournel – We tried three wines with owner Jean-Guillaume Prats, Cos d’Estournel 2009 is completely amazing, with very deep, concentrated flavors. Wow, what incredible wines, again going to be one of the top wines of the vintage. On top of that, the château has taken great pains to upgrade the facilities and a visit there is totally over-the-top!

Château Montrose – Offered us four wines to taste. Their “second” wine (if you want to call it that!) is La Dame de Montrose, which was superb. Usually if you taste the second wine of a property, and it’s really great, you can only imagine what the first wines are going to be. This was definitely the case here - one of the “wow” wines of the day, super concentrated and a fantastic experience.

The tastings this day are confirming my thoughts that the left bank the northern Médoc and especially the Cabernet Sauvignon are showing incredibly well in 2009.

I decided that I needed to catch up with my blogs, stay in, and ended my evening with a dinner at the wonderful bistro in the Regent Grand Hotel (great oysters again!). The café was also catching the spirit of the Bordeaux season offered a special tasting of wines from Michel Rolland, who’s a consultant to many of the top wineries in Bordeaux. It was a simple evening, so that I can be ready for the journey tomorrow.

Bordeaux, Toujours, Bordeaux,

Michael

I am so excited to be able to take part in these barrel tastings, it is truly are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. To be able to get a first taste of what ultimately will be one of the finest vintages Bordeaux has produced to date, is a rare treat.

My first day on Sunday was really about exploring some of the petite Châteaux, but today, now we’re getting down to business. All I can really say is… C’est fantastique!

We started the morning in the tasting room of Nathan Johnston & Sons, which is one of the oldest négociants in Bordeaux. The company was started in 1734 by William Johnston, and is now in the hands of ninth generation family members, Archie and Ivan Johnston. They have over 2.5 million bottles in their cellars, the oldest dating back to an 1890 Château Margaux, and an 1899 bottle of Ducru Beaucaillou. We tasted about 60 wines. Some of my favorites at this particular tasting were: Château d’Aiguilhe, Château Chasse-Spleen, and Château Fombrauge, but at the top on the list is Château L’Eglise Clinet, it is really, really great.

I found out from the “brothers Johnston” that there is a big difference in the way we think about young Bordeaux wines today, versus 80 or 90 years ago. Today, we think a young wine is 5 years old, but back then, wines had to be aged for years and years, between 35 to 40 years, before it was really considered drinkable. Archie shared a story from 25+ years ago, about his grandfather asking for a young wine to drink – that meant a wine that was at least 25 years old!

We spent the majority of the day traveling around the Medoc Bordeaux region with private visits at top Châteaux, including: Château Palmer, Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Château Leoville-Las-Cases, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Château Margaux, Château Mouton Rothschild, and Château Latour. What a tour! Each château was more charming than the next, and that added to the experience.

Some of the wines that will be must haves on my lists:

Château Margaux – This is the first of the five first growths that I visited on the trip. The château is a spectacular sight and it’s owner Corinne Mentzelopoulos was the tour guide! The stand-outs here were the Pavillon Rouge, a charming Margaux Blanc and of course the Château Margaux. The tannins in the Margaux rouge were like cashmere.

Château Mouton Rothschild – What a special treat to be welcomed by the ebullient Baroness Philippine de Rothschild. When I tasted her wines, I thought to myself, now we’ve arrived. This was the second of the first five growths I am to taste while here. The exquisite wine offered intense fruit, yet was quite approachable, and really amazing with a long finish and silky ripe tannins.

Château Léoville-Las Cases – I tasted seven wines at this beautiful property and finished with the Château Léoville-Las Cases, which is going to be one of the top wines of the vintage, without a doubt.

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou – What a dramatic and stylish chateau and what great wine; deep, dark and a really huge. Well integrated tannins, and an exquisite long finish. While we are talking about this Chateau, I have to mention the spittoons. Every Château had their own style of spittoons, hand-crafted and unique to each location, but this Chateau had a custom spitting trough in the middle of the tasting room. It was a memorable moment. When you are tasting hundreds of wines during these private tastings, you honestly can’t drink every glass, otherwise you might not remember even being in France at all…

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande – This is actually the first chateau that I collected, when I first started enjoying wine. I must tell you, it was an extra special treat to go there, and the people were just fantastic!

Château Latour – One of my great experiences when I began learning about wines was my first taste of one of the first growth wines, Chateau Latour. It has been a part of my life and a dream to visit there for many years. To tell you that my visit to Château Latour was one of my ultimate wine experiences would be an understatement. It was a moving experience. The tasting room was set up beautifully, and huge windows surround you so that it felt like you were standing in the middle of the vineyards. We tasted three wines. Latour makes a wine called Pauillac de Latour and this was the first time that I tasted it, and it is something I will definitely be buying and carrying in the wine cellar and also in the restaurant. The second wine of Latour – Les Forts de Latour, is a baby monster, spicy, ripe, and great finish.

But truly one of the great wines of this vintage that we will be hearing about is the Château Latour. A bouquet of black fruit, layers of flavors including just a touch of oak. Amazing fruit, and superbly balanced, but incredibly, it was enjoyable now. Latour’s directeur Frederic Engere, said, “We are tasting a bit of history, because in the future, people will look back and say wow, I wonder what the Latour 2009 tasted en primeur,” and luckily, I was here for this memorable moment. Frederic also declared that this experience is something we should try to memorize, because it will really be a part of Bordeaux history. He finished by saying that this wine “is incredibly focused with power and finesse, and will truly be one of the great wines that Latour has ever produced”.

I did found out some interesting news, that the Chinese market has really discovered Bordeaux, and will be big competition for us, when buying ‘09 Bordeaux. They love the big names, especially Château Lafite-Rothschild, and they are soaking that up very quickly.

Okay guys, here are my picks for the day!

In the excellent value category: Paulliac de Latour, D’Armailac, and Pavillon Rouge

And my top three Day Two wines are: Château Latour, Château Margaux, and Château Leoville-Las-Cases.

Until tomorrow!
Bordeaux, Toujours, Bordeaux!

Michael

When I arrived in Paris, I ran into my good friend, Charles Curtis, who is now the head of Christie’s Auction House Wine Department in New York. Charles jumped at the chance to join me for the first official barrel tasting event with Bordeaux negociant Bill Blatch. We were both very anxious; like two wine explorers waiting to start our expedition! We didn’t even bother checking into our hotels, we were too eager to start tasting.

Charles and I drove went straight to Le Carré de Lac, a beautiful little facility on the grounds of the halls where the famous VinExpo is held. The place was jam-packed with people from the international wine trade and press. I had a nice long chat with Bill, who confirmed to me that unless someone really either picked their grapes too early, didn’t let the grapes mature totally, they really had a pretty easy time to make a good wine.

I also have some thrilling news to share with you all; Bill has agreed to join our Gulf Coast Connoisseur Club travelers on our special tour of Bordeaux during our September trip to France. This will be one of the best trips ever, and to have a personal tour of top chateaux with one of the great Bordeaux wine experts is an experience that one should definitely not miss the chance to take. I am sure that most of you know all about Bill, but for those of you, who aren’t familiar with him, he is the ultimate Bordeaux insider, he knows this region, the wines and writes an annual report on the previous Bordeaux harvest that everyone in the Bordeaux trade waits for.

My first afternoon has shown promising results for the Bordeaux 2009 barrel tastings. I’ve hit the ground running tasting just over 70 different wines on Sunday afternoon. Some of the best red wines I tasted were wines from a Chateaux we already know and love: Chateau Clos Puy Arnaud, Chateau Charmail and Chateau Thieuley (owned by our friends Marie and Sylvie Courselle). Two other new white wines (for me) that are especially interesting were Le Blanc de Bois Noir and Chateau Labatut Bouchard.

I also found quite a few fascinating reds from petite Châteaux including: Chateaux Rozier, Soleil, Sazeau, Peyraud, Marjosse, Mont Perat, and Girolate. They are smaller lesser-known wineries, but they offer splendid quality and excellent value. That is one of the main things that I am looking for while I am here, wines that are affordable, offer great value and flavor, and not just the high end wines.

This is really an extraordinary time for me to be in Bordeaux. This vintage is ripe for the picking - it is either perfect for the collector who wants to add to their collections, or the beginner who is just starting out. As Bill Blatch and I tasted these fantastic wines, he commented, “The vintners really have had to make a mistake to produce a bad bottle of wine with this vintage.”

What a small world, I ran into Janice Robinson, wine writer from Decanter Magazine, and bumped into another friend, Robin Kelley O’Connor. Robin shared some great news with me; he has accepted a position with Sherry-Lehmann in NYC. Some of you may know him, as he travelled with us on our Gulf Coast Connoisseur Club “fall foliage” trip to New England a few years ago.

I ended my first evening in France with great dinner tonight at a little restaurant in the city called Café Regent, where I started my first French meal with beautiful oysters from Archachon on the Atlantic coast here. It was a nice start to a fantastic week.

I am getting the feeling that we are going to have some wonderful wines that aren’t going to be super expensive. Though, we will have to see what’s going to happen with the classified growths when the futures campaign actually starts in late April.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day, and I look forward to sharing my findings with you, as I explore the wonderful world of Bordeaux 2009.

Bordeaux, Toujours, Bordeaux!

Michael

As I prepare to embark on my exciting fact finding mission this weekend, I thought I would share with you where and what I will be doing to find the best of Bordeaux 2009. I will be sharing my findings and experiences daily in a special email just for those of you who want to get the first insight to the upcoming Bordeaux 2009 futures campaign. If you know someone who would also like to receive this exciting information, please email me at Bordeaux2009@wineflorida.com.

Each day, I will be visiting quite a number of Châteaux participating in the barrel tastings. The vintners will be opening their prized barrels for us a taste before actual bottling has taken place. Naturally the wines are very young but it allows me the opportunity to taste the new releases before buying. Since Robert Parker, Bill Blatch and most of the world press are saying we have just finished the best decade for Bordeaux ever, and the 2009’s will out-do the last 10 vintages, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to accept this rare invitation to participate.

My flight arrives in Bordeaux Sunday at 1 PM and I will hit the ground running, starting off at 3 pm with a tasting of about 40 petite Châteaux with Bill Blatch!

Monday, I will be visiting 8 different Châteaux including: Château Palmer, Château Margaux, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Pichon-Lalande, Château Léoville-Las-Cases, and finally, Château Latour!

Tuesday, I will be visiting 10 châteaux starting at Château Lafite-Rothschild at 9 am! Next will be the Medoc appellation tasting at Château Cantemerle, the Margaux appellation tasting at Château Desmirail, then it’s off to Château Rauzan-Segla. After lunch I will be going to Château Batailley, then Châteaux Patache D’Aux, Château Calon-Segur, Château Cos d’Estournel, and Château Montrose, followed by a tasting and dinner at Château Parenchere.

Wednesday is a huge day of tasting the best of Bordeaux as I visit 10 more châteaux. In the morning I’ll be at Château Cheval-Blanc, Château Vieux Certan, and Château L’Eglise-Clinet. Lunch is at Château Beau-Sejour-Becot, followed by tasting at Château Gazin, ChâteauTeyssier, Château Canon-La-Gaffeliére, Château Ausone, and finishing with a Medoc wine dinner.

Thursday, I will be starting out the morning at Château Haut Brion, followed by a Graves appellation tasting with over 30 Châteaux at Château Smith Haut-Lafitte, a special lunch at La Table du Lavoir where I will be tasting top wines of the Graves appellation. Then it’s off to the Sauternes appellation tasting at Château Dauzac (40+Châteaux) and finishing with dinner at L’Estacade.

Finally, Friday I will be happy to make my way back home to beautiful Sarasota.

It’s going to be a whirlwind trip, but this excursion will help me discover the very best of Bordeaux 2009. Upon my return, we will have to opportunity to secure these wonderful wines at first tranche prices.

Bordeaux, Toujours Bordeaux!
Michael

A little background on the winemakers: Bertrand Ambroise was established in the late 18th century in the village of Primeaux-Prissey. Bertrand produces some of the finest examples of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Burgundy, in a style characterized as ripe, deeply extracted, and full bodied.

Christophe Cordier’s constant progress over the last several years has catapulted him to the summit of the local hierarchy. All the wines express to the utmost degree the opulence, finesse and diversity of character of the different terroirs and merit being included in the cellars of the most discerning oenophiles.

Established in 1723, Xavier Monnot has had nine generations of ancestry toil in the family vineyards before him. In 1994, fresh out of oenology school, he took up with his grandfather, His efforts have paid off, as the Monnot wines of this generation show off a delicate balance of racy acidity, fleshy fruit, and terroir-driven minerality.

The impeccably run family estate of Philippe Belle is located in the village of Larnage. They were members of the co-op in Tain-Hermitage, but in 1988, after Philippe had completed his education in Montpellier, they began to make their own wine at their new winery.

The Brunel Estate was established in 1919 though the Brunel family has lived in the area since the 18th century. André’s grandfather was the first in the family to turn his hand to winemaking and the tradition has continued since. André joined his father in 1971 and has turned Brunel into a world-class domaine. André is most famous for his premium, highly sought-after Châteauneuf du Pape.

Font de Michelle is run by Jean and Michel Gonnet, the third generation at this estate. Their father, Etienne, was instrumental in developing the vineyards. Their style of reds is somewhere between classic Chateauneuf and a more modernistic approach, with plenty of color, fruit and structure, but without going overboard.

At our upcoming September 17 Wine Discoveries event we’ll be tasting:
2006 Bertrand Ambroise Bourgogne Rouge
2006 Bertrand Ambroise Cote de Nuit Villages
2007 Christophe Cordier Macon Blanc
2006 Christophe Cordier Vire Clesse
2006 Xavier Monnot Bourgogne Blanc
2006 Philippe Belle Croze Hermitage Blanc
2005 Philippe Belle Croze Hermitage Rouge
2007 Andre Brunel Cote du Rhone Blanc
2006 Andre Brunel Cote du Rhone Rouge
2005 Santa Duc Gigondas
2004 Font de Michelle Chateauneuf-du-Pape
2008 Domaine Petite Cassagne Rose
2006 Domaine Petite Cassagne Rouge
2006 Mas des Bressades Grenache/Syrah
2007 Mas des Bressades Viognier/Roussane

Along with the wines, we will also enjoy a decadent selection of passed hors d’oeuvres. Hope to see you there!
Call Susan Baugh at 941-366-0007 Ext. 229., to reserve your spot (we only have 50 seats!)

The Michael’s private label collection features organically farmed wines by esteemed winery Familia Zuccardi. Michael’s Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva, Chardonnay Reserva and Malbec Reserva are grown in Mendoza, Argentina, one of the eight wine capitals of the world! These wines are produced from select vineyard sites with lower-yielding, older vines. The red wines are supported by 8 months of oak aging, and the wines display great depth, richness and structure.

If you aren’t familiar, Familia Zuccardi is recognized as one of Argentina’s most innovative family-owned and operated wineries. With vineyards in Vista Flores, Maipú, Santa Rosa and, most recently, Altamira (Uco Valley) of Mendoza, Familia Zuccardi winery was founded in 1963 by Alberto V. Zuccardi and directed today by his son, José Alberto Zuccardi.

Every wine at Familia Zuccardi is made from estate grown, handpicked fruit and is estate produced in their state-of-the-art facility. In total, there are nearly 1,400 acres of noble grapes under cultivation, most of which are farmed organically.

Our newly released, private label wines are exceptional by-the-glass for lunch or dinner at Michael’s On East, but the Chardonnay Reserva, Malbec Reserva and Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva especially, will continue to improve with short-term cellaring. You can stop in Michael’s Wine Cellar to purchase our wines by the case or by the bottle.

Here are some sweet tasting notes:

Chardonnay Reserva 2007
Full-bodied, complex white wine. Aromas of ripe apples, pears and bananas with notes of vanilla, butter and honey. Unctuous character and long finish in the mouth.
Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Origin: Santa Rosa Vineyards, Mendoza

Pinot Grigio 2008
Very delicate, white wine with nice acidity. Aromas of ripe pears, apples, melons and tropical notes of pineapple and banana. Greasy, good balance with a long and fresh flavor.
Composition: 100% Pinot Grigio
Origin: Santa Rosa and Maipú vineyards, Mendoza

Malbec Reserva 2007
Full-bodied, complex red wine with sweet tannins. Aromas of ripe figs, plums, blackberries and marmalades. Notes of vanilla, tobacco, coffee and chocolate. Good structure and a long finish.
Composition: 100% Malbec
Origin: Maipú Vineyard, Mendoza

Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2007
Full-bodied, rich red wine with complex aromas of cherries, black cherries and plums. Vanilla, leather, tobacco and spices like black pepper and paprika. Good balance and long finish with sweet tannins.
Composition: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Origin: Maipú Vineyard, Mendoza

Cheers!