Chateau Giscours Changes Hands: Late breaking in March after the last newsletter was the update that the legal challenges surrounding Chateau Giscours settled and the Chateau would be changing hands. In a complicated ownership dispute case that’s been going for more than 10 years, the Albada Jelgersma family was finally granted full control. From Wine Spectator.
Global Warming and Bordeaux’s Future: Decanter’s Andrew Jefford looks at what might be next in Bordeaux due to the rapid onset of global warming and its effects on wine production. What changes are already happening – and what might come next especially with this year’s En Primeur on the horizon.
First Latour Grand Vin Release: Also from Decanter, first growth Bordeaux house Chateau Latour has released its 2017 Grand Vin. Latour releases its wines outside the En Primeur system and has released this wine ahead of the 2016s. A 12-bottle case was selling for 4800 pounds in the UK in March.
More on the Latour release from The Chicago Wine Company: In 1855 when Napoleon III ordered a classification of all of the Bordeaux Left Bank chateaux, only 4 wines were chosen to be First Growths. Since then, the promotion of Chateau Mouton Rothschild in 1973, has been the only change made to this list. For nearly 170 years, the five First Growths (Château Latour, Château Margaux, Château Haut Brion, Château Lafite-Rothschild and Château Mouton-Rothschild), remain at the top of the pyramid. All five properties produce truly exceptional wines with distinct terroirs and characteristics, so choosing the best of these First Growths would be nearly impossible. That being said, if one was to nominate Château Latour as the pinnacle of Bordeaux, it would be difficult to argue against that position.
Like all great properties, Latour’s biggest asset is its exceptional terroir. Situated on the southern end of Pauillac bordering Saint Julien’s Léoville Las Cases, there are very few places on earth better suited for growing Cabernet-dominant wines. Latour is one of the oldest wine estates in the region with a history dating back to the 14th century. It was acquired in 1993 by Francois Pinault, who has since invested heavily in the vineyards and winemaking facilities. Pinault has also spared no expense in the winemaking and selection process, ensuring the Latour grand vin continues to be of the highest quality regardless of vintage. Proof of Latour’s incredibly high standards can be seen in a 2017 grand vin that received four near-perfect scores and stands to outpace every First Growth in the vintage, while their fast-rising Les Forts de Latour now sets the standard for quality among deuxième vins in Bordeaux.
A little over a decade ago, managing director Frédéric Engerer announced that 2011 would be the last vintage that Château Latour would be offering their wines en primeur and that instead of participating in the annual Bordeaux futures campaign, they would instead only release a vintage when it was considered ready to drink. Under Engerer’s guidance the already transcendent wines of Latour have improved even further and rank among the world’s greatest bottles in virtually every year that it is released.
Omar Khan May Face the Music: Grub Street has a great article on the Omar Kahn controversy (possibly known to some New Yorkers) as one of his business partners sues him over his high–end wine dinner scheme. Khan was indicted in early March for fraud on scammed 12 people out of about $9.5 million. A fascinating story that acknowledges the omerta in the wine world when it comes to fraud.
Is Neo-Prohibition Shaping Wine Sales? With so much discussion – and distress – about the declining sales sales of wine, it’s worth examining this neo-prohibition and what it may be doing in the EU to the wine business. This article from Wine Business is an interesting piece on the movement behind the WHOs new abstinence stance and the policy makers behind it.
Coravin Wine Thefts – Jura expert and wine writer Wink Lorch has several interesting reports on the recent wine thefts by Coravin and the buzz online. Customers from at least one purveyor in the region have reported receiving their bottles with up to a third of the wine missing and a tell-tale hole in the cork! Her report from Wine Searcher.
Bordeaux for Art Lovers: Need a day off from wine tastings on your next visit to Bordeaux? Many chateaux have been pioneers in the art scene and Decanter features which installations to visit and the chateaux with the best collections.
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