French wine

Burgundy House Cottin Freres Sells Outside The Family

Filed under: Wine

Burgundy is all in the family-until now.

Under French inheritance law, in the Napoleonic Code originally established in 1804, property is inherited by bloodline. That makes it virtually impossible to disinherit an offspring and that is the main reason behind the array of vineyards the size of large postage stamps that make up the Burgundy region, as the sons and daughters of sons and daughters each wind up with a piece of land here and there.

Imagine our surprise, then, to learn that the Burgundy House Cottin Freres, which brings us the well-known Laboure-Roi brand, sold seven hectares (nearly 17 acres) of Meursault vineyards, to a group of investors headed by New York sommelier Robert Bohr.

Tags: Burgundy wine, Clos de la Baronne label, Clos des Boucheres, Cottin Freres, french wine, wine

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New Website Brings Grower Champagnes To The U.S.

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

While the French wine offerings in the U.S. often take up plenty of shelves, champagne is limited to a much smaller range of marquee brands. One company seeks to change that. Fatcork.com is a new website which imports and sells grower Champagnes. Wine Business reports that Bryan Maletis is the son of Columbia Distributor's owner Ed Maletis, who runs the largest beer, wine and soft drink wholesaler in the Northwest. The new start-up is a dream for Bryan Maletis and his wife. They are importing champagnes from 12 growers with a total of 39 cuvees, basically two to five cuvees from each grower. Most of the growers were not imported in the U.S. previously. The website gives tasting notes and food pairing notes for each bottle. Prices range from $40-$200, with a median price of about $52. Fatcork is using UPS to ship to states where direct shipment is allowed.

Tags: champagne, fatcork, french wine

Chateau Lynch-Bages: The Preferred Choice of Connoisseurs

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Blanc de Lynch-Bages
Despite undergoing more name changes than the city of Istanbul over the centuries, Chateau Lynch Bages has found an appellation that now seems ready to stick. It has also produced a fine white wine – one worthy of a Luxist nomination in the best international white wine category.

According to local historical documents, the first mentions of the French region known as "Batges" occurred in the 16th Century. In 1728, the estate that would eventually become Lynch-Bages was purchased by Pierre Drouillard, who bequeathed it to his daughter Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Lynch.

Gallery: Blanc de Lynch-Bages

Known as "Cru de Lynch" for the better part of the 18th Century and a bit of the next, the property was purchased by Geneva wine merchant Sebastien Jurine, who renamed the estate "Jurine Bages." After gaining recognition in the Classification of 1855 – the wine ranking system demanded by Napoleon III – the Cayrou brothers bought the estate and renamed it "Lynch-Bages."

The 20th Century hasn't seen any more nomenclature alterations, but there have been a few oenological changes: in 1990, the Blanc de Lynch-Bages was born. It quickly developed into a preferred choice of connoisseurs, thanks to its unique bouquet. Aged in barrels, Blanc de Lynch-Bages boasts hints of woodiness and vanilla coupled with cassis buds, grapefruit and candied fruit.

Seems that this wine won't be changing its name anytime soon.

Vote for the winemaker that you think is the best of breed. The voting period ends on June 30th, with winners announced on July 1, 2010.

Tags: Awards-Main, Blanc de Lynch-Bages, France, French wine, Luxist-Awards, wine

South African Wine Outsells French in the UK Market

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

The latest Nielsen numbers show that South African wine sales have outpaced French wine in the UK for the first time ever, due to South African wine sales growing 20% while French wine sales dropped by 12%. South Africa is now ranked fourth for selling wine in the UK market.

South Africa has been producing wine for centuries but only in the last 15-20 years have exports really begun to grow. This news shows that UK (and world?) shoppers have made a significant shift and no longer 'default' to European brands. Jo Mason, UK market manager, Wines of South Africa, was quoted as saying "This is a momentous occasion for the South African wine industry."

And a bad one for the French.

South Africa is clearly excited and looks for their wine to experience even more success as tourists flock to their country for the FIFA World Cup this year.

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Tags: french wine, FrenchWine, south african wine, SouthAfricanWine, wine

French Winemakers Found Guilty of Falsely Labeling Wine

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Some embarrassing wine news came out of France this past week when a French court found 12 French winemakers guilty of running a scam that involved intentionally mislabeling wine bottles being sold to the American market. In 2008 French investigators noticed that the volume of pinot noir coming out of a certain region of the country were much higher than expected, and after a yearlong investigation it came to light that the winemakers were cutting the pinot noir with less expensive merlot and shiraz.

The wine giant E&J Gallo, who bought the wine and sold it to consumers under the Red Bicyclette label, has said that they're "deeply disappointed" by the fraud and are no longer selling Red Bicyclette to their customers.

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Tags: ej gallo, EjGallo, french wine, FrenchWine, gallo wine, GalloWine, lawsuit, red bicyclette, RedBicyclette, wine, wine fraud, wine news, WineFraud, WineNews

Will Diageo's Defection Damage Bordeaux?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

The story of Bordeaux's fortunes only seems to get worse over time. The most expensive and prestigious wine has taken hit after hit in the global crisis. Now there are rumblings of a move that could put the future of Bordeaux at serious risk. Global drinks giant Diageo has a division, Diageo Chateau & Estates that dominates much of the sale of wine in Bordeaux. According to a story in the Napa Valley Register says that Chateau & Estates has been selling off a lot of its Bordeaux inventory. The total value of the wine that it holds could be in the $200 million range and the repercussions of the sales could include a deep drop in the prices of Bordeaux. Lower prices could spark consumer interest in the short term but draw down the prestige of Bordeaux over time. The AFP also reports that the news is bad for other wine dealers who have stockpiled vintages of Bordeaux as an investment. As the prices fall, these retailers are struggling with potentially taking a loss on their wines.

At this point Bordeaux has pinned its hope on Asia where there has been a surge of interest in French wine, especially the prestigious first growth Bordeaux. As my colleague Tom Johansmeyer recently reported, wine is selling well at auctions in Hong Kong. The reportedly excellent 2009 vintage can also help boost the reputation of Bordeaux as long as there are still people interested in buying.

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Tags: bordeaux, diageo, french wine, FrenchWine, wine

Billionaire Auctions Wine For A Good Cause

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions, Charity

At an upcoming Sotheby's auction you can indulge your love of French wine and your passion for doing good. The Sotheby's London auction on September 23 will include selections from the copious cellar of Belgian billionaire Albert Frere. Frere is auctioning off his prized vintages to benefit the Charles-Albert Frere Foundation, a charity set up to support children and disadvantaged adults. It is named after Frere's son who died in a car crash 10 years ago.

Frere often buys his wine directly from the chateaux and has it sent directly to his private cellar so it is in peak condition. This is the third in a series of wine auctions of Frere's collection. Highlights of this auction feature vintages from 1985 to 2005 with offerings from Petrus, Haut Brion, Marguax and La Tour. Shown at right is the Carre d'As 2000 Groupe Duclot lot which features two magnums of Latour, two magnums of Margaux, two magnums of Haut Brion and two magnums of Petrus all presented in an octagonal wooden presentation case, wrapped in a plain protective cardboard outer. The name translates as four aces. It is estimated at $16000-21000.

Tags: french wine, FrenchWine, petrus, sothebys, wine, wine auction, WineAuction

Predictions Of Trouble Ahead For French Wine

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

For centuries, France dominated wine production but may change. A recent article in the International Herald Tribune reported the results from a study for the Vignerons Independants winemakers association that revealed Spain will top world wine production to Spain by 2015

France is in trouble for two major reasons, falling consumption at home and the tendency of French winemakers to be slow to adapt to new trends and competitors. Eric Rosaz, the director of France's independent wine producers association, believes it's not too late and that France can remain the wine leader especially if they pick up current trends like screw tops, boxed wines and easy-to-understand labeling. In 2015, the U.S. will be the world's largest wine consumer with 871 million gallons but U.S. consumers tend to steer clear of French wines especially because they perceive French wines to be costly or too hard to understand.

Should France manage to dodge the challenges of Spain and the U.S., another threat is looming. The BBC has an article that says China may be the world's largest producer of bulk wine in 50 years time as well as a major force in fine wine. Currently, Chinese wine isn't well known outside of Asia but the country does have a huge number of vineyards and climate change may work in their favor as other places may find themselves unable to grow decent wine. What China currently seems to be lacking is technical expertise but that is changing.

Jasper Morris, of wine sellers Berry Brothers & Rudd predicts that in 50 years, consumers will ask for wine by the brand name or flavor but won't know or care where it came from. I'm hoping that won't be the case but there certainly is room enough on the global market for wines from all places. Other Berry predictions include some trends already in place such as the continued rise of English sparkling wine, the phasing out of corks and the rise of new containers to compete with the bottle.

I like to believe there will always be a market for certain French wines but in a year like this, where Robert Parker says the 2007 Bordeaux isn't great, it's becoming possible to see a world where French wine is no longer the dominant force in the world.

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Tags: france, french wine, trends, wine

French Winemakers Are Abandoning The Cork

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

While many New World wineries have embraced the screwcap (most New Zealand and Australian wines are screwcap and many U.S. wines are too), the French winemakers have been slow to adopt them. The Telegraph reports that may be about to change. According to one wine expert both Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy and Bordeaux's Chateau Margaux are thinking of going screwcap. This is huge news since these are two very recognizable and lauded brands. The director general of Chateau Margaux, Paul Pontallier says they have been doing tests for a few years but are not certain if they will use the screwcaps because their wines are meant to be stored for long periods, there is some debate over whether or not screwcaps are optimal for wines that are best aged.

One of Burgundy's best-known producers, Jean-Claude Boisset is using them on approximately a third of their wines including the Chambertin grand cru 2005, which sells for almost £100 a bottle. They feel that the screwcap is great for wines that will be aged because they protect the wine from oxidation better than a cork can. The Larouche wine group in Burgundy has also started using screw tops on its highest end wine, the Réserve de l'Obédiance, but still prefers the cork for red wines that will be aged.

The emperor of wine has also weighed in. Wine critic Robert Parker says wines bottled with corks will be in the minority by 2015 and that only wines meant to sit in cellar for decades will be topped by a cork. While the cork will always have romantic appeal, the realities of the wine business and the growing customer acceptance of screwcaps seem to have sealed its fate.

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Tags: corks, french wine, screw top, screwcap, wine

France's New Gay Wine

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Following fast on the heels of Spanish wine, Mundo Gay comes France's first gay wine. Decanter reports that Tendre Bulle Gay Vin will be launched by Domaine de Boyer on July 1.The wine is a sparkling rosé from Languedoc-Roussillon. The bottle will show two heads in profile facing each other. The words 'Gay Vin' appear underneath and the letters G and L, for gay and lesbian, will appear on the capsule. About 13,000 bottles have already been made of the non-vintage, méthode champenoise Gay Vin. Sounds like the perfect wine for a gay marriage celebration.

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Tags: french wine, gay wine, sparkling wine, tendre bulle, TendreBulle

European Wines May Be Headed for a Price Increase

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Uh oh, if you are a fan of European wines, Eric Asimov, the chief wine critic over at the NY Times, says you better get ready to pay more. His recent article points out that while so far, price increases have been modest, that trend is not set to last given the rising price of oil and the deflating value of a dollar. Importers of European wines have been trying to keep the prices steady in order not to scare away fickle consumers but that may change in 2008.

What is bad news for Europe, Australia, South Africa and South America might just be good news for U.S. wineries. The article quotes Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library as saying this will be a big opportunity for California. I think that it's even a bigger opportunity for wineries in up and coming U.S. regions such as Oregon, Washington and New York. It may also inspire customers to find more obscure and less pricey European wines from places such as Hungary, Portugal and Slovenia which are still good values. The advice in the article might be distilled down to this: drink the stuff you know for now but be prepared to venture into new territory to find better values in 2008.

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Tags: euroopean wine, french wine, wine, wine prices

Wine Spectator's 2007 Wine of the Year

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Wine Spectator has announced their wine of the year. Top honors this year go to France for the Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005. The wine is rated at 98 points and Wine Spectator says that under the care of Vincent Avril, Clos des Papes is making the best wine in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape domaine. Their red is a blend of 65 percent Grenache, 20 percent Mourvedre and 10 percent Syrah and other grapes. The wine is aged in wooden foudres for up to 12 months before the final blend and there were 7,500 cases made. Wine Spectator gives the price as $80 but now that the wine has been anointed as WOTY I'm guessing the price is set to cruise into the $100 to $150 range (an auction on Wine Commune was sitting at $100 per bottle last time I checked).

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Tags: chateauneuf du pape, french wine, red wine, wine of the year, wine spectator, WineSpectator

Buy Your Own French Winery

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wine

Sure you can buy a small vineyard in Sonoma for a few million but if you want to buy into the French wine business it might cost you a bit more. Chateau La Pointe is the largest Pomerol estate to go on the open market for years. The famed estate has been making well regarded wine since the 19th century and represents 3% of the entire area of Pomerol which is famed for its sand, gravel and clay soil. The estate is planted with Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes. Decanter reports that the selling price is currently 32 million euros.

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Tags: chateau la pointe, estate, french wine, wine

The Great Antique Lafite Collection

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

The Antique Wine Company, the company that offered a lot of every vintage of every vintage of Chateau d'Yquem since 1860 is at it again. This time they are offering a 48-bottle vertical collection of Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Decanter reports that the collection, which is being offered for sale, is being rigorously tested for authenticity. The collection spans four centuries of Chateau Lafite and includes a bottle of 1787, the same vintage as the infamous Jefferson wines which are currently being challenged for their authenticity.

The wine is being examined using a combination of nuclear isotope analysis and gamma radiation and proton beam tests to confirm the age of each glass bottle, The wine itself is being extracted via a hypodermic needle through the cork and will also undergo molecular and chemical analysis. The bottles were gathered over the course of two years from restaurants, hotels and private cellars including some from the cellar of a member of the Rothschild family. The collection is expected to bring between $1 and $3 million.

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Tags: french wine, great antique wine company, GreatAntiqueWineCompany, lafite rothschild, vintage wine, wine

Steve Verlin Wine Collection Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions

As I've mentioned before, I have a weakness for any kind of auction where all the lots come from one impassioned collector. Much of a person's character is revealed in the things they have deemed precious. Steve Verlin, one of the founding partners of the New York restaurant Veritas passed away in 2006 but he left behind an expansive wine collection which is being auctioned on May 4th and 5th by Hart Davis Hart Wine Co. in Chicago. His wine collection rivals the Park B. Smith auction in terms of the amount of quality French wine.

Verlin was a true wine lover and often created non-traditional wine pairings such as hot dogs with the Spanish classic Unico from Vega Sicilia, popcorn (popped in truffle oil) with his many top Champagnes, and Krispy Kreme donuts with his Sauternes from Château d'Yquem. To honor Verlin Hart Davis Hart will duplicate some of these pairings at the auction. He was also passionate about wine storage and his subterranean cellars were strictly temperature and humidity controlled. The auction includes many French wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône and Champagne. He and his wife Grae also collected large format bottles including imperials, jeroboams and double magnums. Wines up for auction include the 1970 Pétrus, 1982 Cheval-Blanc, 1989 Haut-Brion, 1971 La Tâche, DRC, 1978 Châteauneuf du Pape, Rayas, Dom Perignon and Cristal. The presale estimate for the Verlin Collection is $4,000,000-$6,000,000.

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Tags: auction, bordeaux, french wine, steve verlin, wine, wine collection

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