Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
“I was born and raised at Ducru-Beaucaillou,” Bruno Borie starts. I’m attending a twentieth-anniversary tasting at the Château. Its larger-than-life owner has opened twenty bottles for us to taste—every vintage produced from 2003, the year he took over management of the estate. A small group of Bordeaux negociants and courtiers also participate in the tasting,……...
Château Cheval Blanc
Château Cheval Blanc is adored not because it is a brawny superhero like some of its right bank neighbors. It doesn’t need power to woo its fans. Often, it’s that quiet, clever kid at the back of the room with a wicked sense of humor, all the right answers, and a pocket full of Kryptonite.…
Read MoreChâteau Margaux
In 2004, I had the chance to try the fabled 1900 Château Margaux from three separate bottles, although they were not the same wine. One was a château bottling, a magnum authenticated and recorked by the château. The others were a pair of Barton & Guestier bottlings. All three were served at a once-in-a-lifetime dinner…
Read MoreChâteau d’Armailhac
Changes are afoot at Château d’Armailhac. Superbly situated in Pauillac between Mouton-Rothschild and Pontet-Canet, owned by the Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA family since 1933, this diamond in the rough fifth growth has long been a solid performer but rarely a dazzler. Following the construction of an impressive new winery in 2021 and with a…
Read MoreGiaconda
One of my most memorable vineyard visits ever was to Giaconda in 2009. This estate is in Beechworth, Australia, about a three-hour drive north-east of Melbourne. There are a few other noteworthy wineries around here, but not many. A former gold mining town in the mid-1800s, this remote area is where the notorious outlaw Ned…
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