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…
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