21/12/2021: Italians for Drinking | Perfect Rhones Gather | Rare Burgundy Grand Crus
Christmas is just around the corner! We hope everyone is looking forward to your Christmas holiday this long weekend. I am certainly looking forward to spend Christmas weekend with family and hope you will also catch up with family and friends. Remember, if you drink, please don't drive.
At Wine Bond, we will have one last mailer this week before Christmas, and probably the last offer for 2021. In today's offers, are a few Italians that are ready to drink, some perfectly rated Rhones, and a listing of some rare Burgundy Grand Crus...
The 94 Ornellaia is as ready as it is, like the 97 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili (highly recommend this perfectly aged Giacosa). These Italians age gracefully and my personal experience with them had always been pleasant. I remember working for the importer of LUCE few years ago, and spent a week of retreat with the Frescobaldi family in Siem Reap Cambodia. The retreat included teaching local students English in rural classes and cooking for them. It was a fruitful and enjoyable retreat, and we were also well-rewarded in tasting the first vintage (1993) of LUCE to its 20th anniversary vintage (2012). The vertical tasting with the Frescobaldi family was mind-blowing, also understanding how well these older LUCEs age with each vintage. The splendid 1998 LUCE is on offer today. To complete the Italy listings will be a 2001 Ciacci Aragon Brunello and 2004 Montevetrano Colli di Salerno, both priced to sell and good to drink now.
Moving on to the Rhones, these Rhone listings will see some perfect Rhones as they gather for today's offer. We start with a 95 E. Guigal La Mouline (WA99), a peppery and delicious Cote Rotie which I always yearn to open as it reaches maturity. Then a 97 Paul Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle which has started on its journey of maturity. Recently, in my experience with the 89 P. Jaboulet La Chapelle, its still a wine with lots of life. Two rare whites slip into today's offer, namely the rare 2005 M. Chapoutier del'Oree Blanc (WA99) and Le Meal Blanc (WA 96). It really takes a true connoisseur to appreciate a white Rhone, and I'll be honest: I kinda run out of patience when I know these near perfect white Rhones are ready to drink after many years (decades even) of cellaring. However, when these white Rhones pop open at the right time, the satisfaction is "guaranteed". It reminds me of a fellow wine connoisseur who opened a 97 M. Chapoutier Le Meal Blanc few months back. I was doubtful of this vintage but the bottle was marvelous. Last from the Rhone listings, another perfect 2005 M. Chapoutier L'Ermite (WA99) in MAGNUM format (actual photo in mailer).
To complete this week's offer and listings, three other Burgundy Grand Crus (which are as rare as it gets). The 2002 Domaine de la Vougeraie Musigny Grand Cru resurfaces, this time only 3 bots available. Both the 2009 Bruno Clair Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru and Francois Lamarche La Grande Rue Monopole will complete today's awesome Burgundy listings, 2009 being a great vintage to own, with many years ahead. And with these three Burgundy Grand Cru listings, we complete our last offer for 2021....
Here's wishing you A Merry Christmas....& have a GRREEAATT holiday!......RS
14/12/2021: Harlan Estate MAG | Penfolds Assortment | Masseto MAG | Krug and Cristal | Ygrec and d'Yquem
Today, we continue with an assortment of wines on offer from different regions. This collection include wines from Californian, Australia, Tuscany, Champagne and Bordeaux. These high-scoring rare vintage wines are gems that deserve a place in your cellar.
We start off with these collectible wines: 2009 Harlan Estate, a single MAGNUM from the collector who had stored this in Wine Bond...perfect provenance. Four different and rare Penfolds on offer today: 1 bot 1990 Bin 920, 2 bots of 1996 Block 42 Kalimna, 3 bots 1998 Bin 707 and 1 bot Bin 60A....All the Penfolds collectibles come from prestigious collectors. From Tuscany, 1 MAGNUM each of the 2000 and 2003 Masseto.
Moving on to the Champagnes, these "superbly-rated" bottles that are hard to come by: a rare 1990 Krug, 2 bots of the 1996 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne and 6 bottles of the 2008 Cristal. All these released in friendly prices. Then, some rare release of the Ygrec including the 2004 and 2006. Never underestimate a white Bordeaux especially the Ygrec which I had my fair share and experience of well-aged bottles, still drinking well after a decade or more. And from the same Chateau, a perfect 2001 d'Yquem (treble 100 pts) in only 2 halves available. Last but not least, a 1990 Rieussec with it's orangey, well aged colour (and still going strong) after three decades. In our next offer, there will be more assortments coming into marketplace so stay tuned.
9/12/2021: Bordeaux and Burgundy Assortments From A Few Collectors
Call it co-incidence, or sometimes I simply say "fate". As I was preparing the mailer for this December offer, a friend from the trade called for dinner. With a few of us from the trade, I knew we would end up with couple of great bottles by the end of the night. As soon as we met, there it was, popped on the table: a 2000 Mouton. I was not expecting how delicious this bottle is.....Lead pencils, blue and black fruits burst from the glass with notes of earth, mushroom and asian spices. This classical Pauillac at 20+ years old is seductive and continue to change throughout the night, noticeable evolution. It certainly gave the other wines (the Burgs) a run for their money. A well-drinking, great Mouton that is second to none. I'd say open the 2000 Mouton anytime from now but it will also last easily in the cellar for another 5 to 8 years. This week's offer for 2 bots of 2000 Mouton-Rothschild are here....
The festives are here. Christmas and New Year are around the corner so don't forget to secure those bottles you need for the festives from our marketplace. If you are intending to withdraw some of your own bottles in preparation for the festive, remember to do it early to avoid any last minute rush.
After our first mailer on Tuesday (two parcel listings: 1 Champagne parcel and 1 Penfolds Grange parcel), we continue today with an assortment of Bordeaux and Burgundy from some Wine Bond collectors. These are some mature wines that have perfect provenance and begging to drink now. Further into mid and end December, there will be assortments of wines from California, Italy, Australia, Rhone and others. Then, if everything falls into place, we should be able to have a "Return of the Burgundies" towards January 2022. I know many are still looking forward to more CLB and SC....so like what I mention "If everything falls into place" and let's see if "fate" allows....Have a great December
7/12/2021: Spot Offer: 2002 Champagne Parcel | Penfolds Grange Assortment Parcel
Yes! This 2002 Champagne parcel comes once in a blue moon. Have you ever wanted to own all these rare 2002 Champagnes at one go? Today's spot offer we have 2 separate parcels, and the first is a parcel of all 2002 Champagnes (Bollinger Grande Annee, Krug, Dom P2, Cristal, Salon, Taittinger Comtes de Champagne), and going at $3400 nett; no need to go hunting anymore, this is here....now! Regrettable, only 1 set is available for a single collector hence we will take the first order via email. See below for more details of this Champagne parcel.
Also available is another rare "Penfolds Grange" parcel (also 1 set only) going at $4400 nett for this parcel. The collector took years to assemble this Penfolds Grange set, with 2 bottles (1991 and 1993) being recorked by Penfolds in 2017. This is the ultimate assurance you get when buying any recorked bottles (see picture of the recorked labels on back of these two bottles). This is a 4 bottle + 1 MAGNUM set which is as rare as it gets. Like the 2002 Champagne Parcel, we will take in one single order via email only.
30/11/2021: Burgundy Assortments | Fourrier..JF Mugnier...Hudelot-Noellat
BIG THANK YOU to everyone who supported last Thursday's SC and CLB offers. These back vintage bottles are as rare as it gets. If you had the chance to buy a few bottles, I am sure some of the better vintages like 2005 and 2009 will be able to lie down in the cellar for more years. From my experience with Cathiard's wines, the 2000s are spectacular. I started to take notice of SC's 2004 and 2005 back then (not that the earlier vintages were not good). Prices were already going up steadily by the time I was buying them but the wines grew from strength to strength. It was potentially going to be a superstar! Ditto for Comte Liger Belair. In my first encounter with Louis-Michel's wines, not everyone believed in paying top dollars for his wines namely the 1er Cru Reignots or the La Romanee Grand Cru.....His first commercial vintage was 2004 (or it could be 2003, as I've not seen any 2002 released commercially), but the followers then were few and far between. I remember the Hong Kong distributor then was Watson's Wines, and whenever I flew to Hong Kong, I would pick up some bottles from the TST Watson's wine store. Those bottles on retail will be either the Clos du Chateau / Colombiere / Les Chaumes or Aux Reignots....The prices then, can never be compared to prices today.....and the next answer is: Yes....I drank all my CLB bottles over the years. I know some had missed out on the SC and CLB offers last week; but look out for our future offers for the next few months as these two producer's wine offers may re-emerge....hopefully soon....
This week is going to be another Burgundy offer to end November: These are producers whom I hold in high regards throughout my Burgundy journey. We start with two individual offers: Dugat-Py with 5 bottles of the 2009 Coeur de Roy Tres VV, and 1 bot of the 2018 Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares...then we move to Fourrier, three vintages of the 06, 08, 09 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Combe Aux Moines VV. These three vintages are awesome and well-priced. JF Mugnier returns with a 2005 Chambolle and 2006 NSG 1er Cru Clos de la Marechale. The Clos de la Marechale is probably one of the more popular wine on marketplace, as it always get snapped up quickly. Last, to wrap up November, some cuvees not offered in our previous Hudelot-Noellat offer, some 2012 Les Charmes, 2010, 12 , 13 NSG 1er Cru Les Murgers, and two vintages of the 2008 and 11 Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Suchots. December is less than 24 hours away and let's count down to Christmas and New Year next month....Stay safe and see you in December~!
25/11/2021: Sylvain Cathiard and Comte Liger Belair | Rare Back Vintage Villages
SC and CLB has landed! Few weeks ago, I had been working on this list of rarities, and I cannot explain how excited I am to finally see these wines! These bottles come from a wine connoisseur who has a collection of Sylvain Cathiards and Comte Liger Belairs. These wines had been in Wine Bond since he started his collection years ago, so provenance is impeccable, impeccable, impeccable!
For the first time (and I believe for all the followers and collectors here at marketplace), you will surely understand the rarity of these bottles. Even though we only have a list of their village wines, these back vintages wines (priced to sell), will see an assortment of vintages from 2005 to 2011 from both producers. From Comte Liger Belair: the Vosne Romanee, Vosne Romanee Clos du Chateau Monopole and Vosne Romanee Colombiere. And from Sylvain Cathiard: one Bourgogne listing, couple of Vosne Romanee in different vintages, and last but not least: my favourite Chambolle-Musigny Les Clos de l'Orme. Btw, I had removed all ratings for these wines. They will still come with tasting notes though....I shall not delay you further, have a great Thursday!
23/11/2021: David Leclapart Champagnes | Remarkable and Rare
With a mere production of less than 15,000 bottles a year, this is how rare David Leclapart's Champagnes are! Since 1998 when David started, these ultra rare cuvees were seldom seen being offered in the open market. Even if there were offers, you get some, and sometimes you don't get any because it gets snapped up quickly. Which is why the offer today is not to be missed....Big thank you to a single collector who had kept his collection of Leclaparts in Wine Bond all these while.
In today's offer, we have a small parcel of Leclapart's Champagnes, namely the L'Amateur, L'Apotre and L'Artiste....There are only two vintages available for each cuvee, all in limited quantities....and these back vintages Blanc de Blancs are simply "MUST HAVES". If you had not tried Leclapart's Champagne, or if you were unable to find some of these back vintage bottles, today is the day! I am sure these remarkable and rare bottles will bring a lot of pleasure to new owners....Enjoy!
18/11/2021: Burgundy In November Part 2 | Bruno Clair..Arnoux Lachaux..Hudelot-Noellat Collection
The second part of this Burgundy offer is making me relook into some of these vintages between 2011 to 2015. Some of these vintages (2012, 2015 which I like so far) could be vintages that are not to be missed. If you had been buying these offers, I am sure these bottles are in good hands and you will know when to open them. These bottles will certainly give pleasure in drinking for many years to come.
Looking at past offers, these extraordinary listings certainly spice up our marketplace...I assure you, more are coming. On a side note: some listings do not get relisted so if you are still thinking about that certain bottle, it's time to click in and buy (in case the listing is gone)....Let's roll!
In this second part, these three producers need no further introduction: Bruno Clair, Arnoux Lachaux and Hudelot Noellat. Bruno Clair makes a crazy 1er Cru Clos St Jacques that equals some of the best Clos St Jacques from other top producers. And his Clos St Jacques remain price-friendly. The 2015 in today's offer is a good example. Another rare listing of their 2015 Bonnes Mares (from a less than 2 ha parcel) is also available today. For those who understands the richness of Morey-St-Denis, and elegance of Chambolle.
Moving on to Arnoux Lachaux. A lot had changed since the days of Robert Arnoux and Pascal Lachaux. Pascal was Robert's son-in-law and had been winemaker since the 90s. Today, Charles Lachaux (Pascal's son) is in charge and he is no stranger. This disciple of Lalou Bize-Leroy had changed the way his vines are tended. He stop hedging his vines in some of the vineyards, and it allows more photosynthesis, getting more energy to each grape. It takes twice as long and four times the effort for this canopy management, but the results are stupendous. The wines have an incredible energy, elegance, and are some of the best expressions. Today's offer will include the 2013 Latricieres-Chambertin and 2015 Echezeaux Grand Cru.
Last in our line-up today, is none other than the unrivaled Hudelot-Noellat. The Noellats have a long history in Burgundy, and their Romanee-St-Vivant and Richebourg are often compared to DRC and Leroy. The Richebourg (vines from 1920-1950) is sandwiched between Jean Grivot, DRC and Thibault Liger-Belair, while the Romanee-St-Vivant (vines from 1920) is between DRC and JJ Confuron, with Leroy's vines not far away. This is one producer, many connoisseurs constantly try and get on every release. Charles van Canneyt (grandson of Alain) took over in 2008, and their Clos de Vougeot had also improved by leaps and bounds. Production was reduced by 40% after some lower slope plots of their Clos de Vougeot were sold, and they only kept two parcels, one of it is next to Leroy. The smaller Clos de Vougeot plots made tending more precise. It will be interesting to line up Alain's and Charles' Clos de Vougeot side by side if the opportunity arises. Today, offers from Hudelot-Noellat include: 2015 Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Suchots (100+ year old vines), 2012,13 and 15 Clos de Vougeot, and of course, a miniscule offer of the 2012 Romanee-St-Vivant and Richebourg....Enjoy and have a great Thursday!
16/11/2021: Burgundy In November Part 1 | Bernard Moreau..Sauzet..Dujac..Henri Boillot Collection
After last week's incredible Bordeaux offers, we continue this week, with these equally "price to sell" Burgundy selection. Not just any Burgundy, but this Burgundy collection (again coming from a single collector) is going to blow you away with scarce bottles (at times unattainable). This week's Burgundy offers will be split into two parts.
In Part one today, we have a good mix of whites and reds: This offer will mainly feature a nice collection of Domaine Henri Boillot wines with two rare listings from Domaine Dujac. Let's start the ball rolling with a 2015 Bernard Moreau's Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeots, an opulent Chassagne 1er cru from a tasty vintage, not to be missed. Next (in miniscule quantities), only 3 bottles of the 2017 Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Combettes. Sauzet's whites never fail to impress. Followers of Sauzet will know their whites age beautifully and gain weight. A 2006 Sauzet Combettes which I opened back in 2019 was still holding its voluptuous minerals and stones on my palate like sticky-sweets.
Onwards to the Henri Boillot collection. I had followed Boillot's wines, actually back then when it was Domaine Jean Boillot/Jean-Marc Boillot (J.M Boillot). The vineyards were split in 2005 between J.M and Henri Boillot. In my first experience with Henri Boillot's wines, especially the mid to end 2000s vintages (which I drank a lot of their whites), the potentials of this Domaine was growing from strength to strength, like their Corton Charlemagne and premier cru Clos de la Mouchere Monopole. Henri Boillot is a producer who really respects terroir, and makes wines with passion from the heart. The whites have a certain precision especially the Clos de la Mouchere Monopole, a premier cru Puligny which can be easily be blind tasted as a Grand Cru. In today's offer, other than the Clos de la Mouchere (2014 and 2015), we also have a 2014 Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru Folatieres and 2014 and 15 Meursault 1er cru Genevrieres. In the Rouge selection, a 2015 Volnay 1er cru Caillerets, followed by these "big guns": the 2013 Clos Vougeot, Chambertin Clos-de-Beze and Chambertin Grand Crus. And to complete Part 1 offers (certainly this will not end here), two wines from Domaine Dujac, I mean two really rare wines....the 2014 Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Malconsorts, and my favourite Grand Cru vineyard in the Morey-St-Denis commune, the 2014 Clos St Denis Grand Cru. Enjoy and don't miss Part 2 on Thursday.
9/11/2021: November Bordeaux Offers | The Biggest Collection in One Offer
We are back with our Bordeaux offers, but not without having this year's Biggest Bordeaux Collection in one single offer. November is going to be awesome, not because this list is big, but the prices in this mightily Bordeaux collection are priced to sell. These bottles all come from one single wine connoisseur and today will be a short write-up; I am saving all the space below for these interesting tasting notes. Also note there are no pictures in this emailer (or you'll have a long time scrolling). In marketplace, as usual all pictures are available.
Now all you need to do is scroll down to see the listings and prices, really hard to resist prices I mean. If you are intending to load up wines for year-end festives, now is the time. We're talking about well drinking vintages, assortments of classified growths, spanning from left to right bank. Today we have unprecedented 40 listings, but some are available in limited quantities. Certain wines will be snapped up quickly for sure, so fastest fingers get the wines. Enjoy!
2/11/2021: Spot Offers: 1994 DRC La Tache and 2015 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche
We start November with two special spot offers: One elusive (hard to get and priced to sell) bottle of the 1994 DRC La Tache Grand Cru Monopole and 6 bottles of the 2015 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet "Marquis de Laguiche" Grand Cru.
The 1994 DRC La Tache comes from the official USA distributor (Wilson Daniels). Front and back photos of the actual bottle as per below. Condition is awesome, around 9.5/10. Serial number is 03042. Don't miss as only 1 bottle is available.
Also in today's spot, a rare listing for 6 bottles of the 2015 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet "Marquis de Laguiche" Grand Cru. This "White Marquis" as I like to call it, is one of my favorite Montrachets of all time, one that is always showy, never disappoints.
As you are reading this mailer, another awesome Burgundy collection is being consolidated for this month's marketplace listing. This time round, the collection will be mostly from 2012 to 2015 vintages. Producers will be revealed on actual mailer, but I assure you that if you are a Burg fan, then you know you must not pass these, which includes a good collection of Rouges and Blancs. Also, another Bordeaux list (of strong back vintages) are being discussed . Fingers crossed this Bordeaux list will realize as well. If you are looking to buy more wines for the coming festive, then look no further. As Thursday is a public holiday, we will resume all the "great" wine offers next week. Have a great Tuesday!
29/10/2021: Friday Spot Offer: Marie-Courtin Champagne Collection from a Single Collector
Dominique Moreau of Champagne Marie-Courtin began her first steps in viticulture in 2001 when she leased a small vineyard, which she eventually took over and in 2005 she founded "Champagne Marie-Courtin" (in Polisot) on the Cote des Bar under the name of her grandmother. With a humble beginning of 1 hectare, she later expanded her vineyards to 2.5 hectares. In a slightly warmer climate in this area, it is particularly suitable for Pinot Noir grapes. Combined with the Kimmeridgian limestone sub soils, her Champagnes possess a freshness similar to Chablis, which is more of a neighbour to Polisot than Epernay or Reims. Few years ago, in my visit to Troyes, my Southern drive from Epernay to Troyes was around two hours. Polisit is South-east of Troyes, while Chablis is South-West. To reach either place is around 20 minutes from Troyes.
When Dominique started, she dedicated everything to her model goal of “Single Vineyard-Single Grape-Single Vintage” and not interfering with the natural mechanisms of nature. Although she mostly produces single vintage Champagnes, these are not shown as vintage Champagne. In isolated cases it can also combine two vintages (MV). The largest vineyards are planted with Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay makes up a small portion. A few Pinot Blanc vines are also cultivated occasionally, which, however, have only been used in her husband's cuvees (until later when she decided to make a blend). He is the owner of Domaine Piollot Père et Fils, whose vineyards border Marie-Courtin's. Most of Dominique's fruits come from a hillside vineyard of 40-45 year old, massale selection. Some are located in the next town over Celles-sur-Ource where Cedric Bouchard is. The grapes are all harvested by hand, fermented with natural yeasts that have been selected from their vineyards and cultivated separately. These native yeasts are used for both the primary and secondary fermentation. Lastly, there is no dosage added upon disgorgement.
Dominique makes several cuvees, but the bulk of her production is split between her “Resonance” and “Efflorescence”. Resonance is fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged sur lattes (on the side) for 24 months. Efflorescence is fermented and aged in used barriques, followed by 36 months sur lattes. The fruits for Resonance are from the top of the slope, whereas Efflorescence fruit comes from the bottom of the hill, which has greater power and potential. The third Blanc de Noirs is a zero sulfur cuvee known as “Concordance”. In addition to the three Blanc de Noirs, Dominique also produces two tiny amounts of a Blanc-de-Blancs name “Eloquence” (barrel-aged Chardonnay), and "Presence" (Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc), along with two macerated Roses known as “Indulgence” and “Allegeance” (zero sulfur). In 2006 Dominique began conversion to organic certification. The 2010 vintage will be the first to be officially certified organic
The combination of low yields, clay-limestone soils, and great exposure gives Marie-Courtin’s Champagnes both power and cut, coupled with astonishing minerality. These are the cuvees that will leave you a long lasting impression. In today’s offers, we have a neat offering of some rare and back vintages by Champagne Marie-Courtin. This collection come from one single collector, and today's "Friday Spot Offers" are definitely not to be missed!
28/10/2021: Burgundy Assortments Part 2 | Domaine d' Eugenie Collection
Domaine d'Eugénie is the reincarnation of the famed Domaine Rene Engel, who started his Domaine in 1894. In 1934, Rene who was making wines for two decades, founded the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, based in the Château du Clos de Vougeot together with his friends Camille Rodier and Jacques Prieur. In 1949, the son of Rene, Pierre Engel took over the Domaine from his father who retired. Unfortunately, Pierre went ill and the Domaine was more or less neglected in the 1970’s. Pierre passed away in 1981 and subsequently Rene passed away in 1986. Pierre’s son, Philippe then took over and he continued to bottle the Domaine wines instead of selling them to negociants.
In 2005, Philippe passed away suddenly and the Domaine was sold to Francois Pinault, owner of Chateau Latour in Bordeaux. Francois’ right hand man Frederic Engerer had long had a passion for Burgundy and with his new team including vigneron Michel Mallard from Ladoix (Domaine Michel Mallard et Fils), started with the 2006 vintage. Yields from the Domaine’s Clos de Vougeot had always been lower when Philippe was in charge, and the vineyards have been meticulously looked after, including a substantial programme of replacing missing individual vines. A decision was made by the new team in 2006 to exclude stems for the Clos de Vougeot, and an experiment with one of the two fermentation tanks of Clos de Vougeot the following year was positive. The blend of half with and half without stems showed textural qualities and a sense of energy over and above either individual version. This became a truly impressive Clos de Vougeot that Domaine d’Eugenie would make (for years), and subsequently this method was in 2008 extended to the Grands Echezeaux.
Domaine d’ Eugenie wines have improved tremendously over the years, reaching new levels of refinement and delicacy. The winemaking team certainly know how to give the wines proper time and respect, making lovely wines and a legendary Clos de Vougeot. Domaine d’Eugenie is what one could call an iconic producer: Having these historical vineyards of the old Rene Engel, and continuing to acquire new vineyards. These expressions are truly worthy of continuing Domaine Rene Engel’s legacy.
26/10/2021: Burgundy Assortments Part 1 | Faiveley...Louis Jadot...Bouchard
Holla if you bought some of the Burgundy sneaks last week! Those sneaks were great wines to own with unbeatable prices. Just randomly choose any wines from last week sneaks and do a search on Wine Searcher, and you will know what I mean. For those who are always on the move (like me sometimes) and go "Hey Siri!", personally I think Siri is not synced to Wine Searcher....yet....but this future is probably imminent.
Technology in wine is advancing quickly, not just in wine-making but for other related tools for businesses. There are constant emerging new technologies and we are advancing quickly. One example will be a new breed of Wine authenticators. These authenticators inspect and certify bottles using photographs and blockchain, creating a permanent digital record. General consumers or wine traders/merchants whom are suspicious of their bottles can send in their high resolution wine bottle photos for authentication, and physical bottles (if needed). Fake and real bottles are then recorded digitally so that they get traced. It uses these digital records and help protect everyone from buying fake bottles, and authenticate real ones. Wine authenticators in this instance, are reliant on the wine community to provide information in order to build this digital database. In a few years time, I believe every rare bottle of Burgundy will see its spot in this database, as will the fake ones to prevent more trading of these bogus bottles.
Vivino is another APP (No sponsors here just to clarify) which had been using consumers postings to keep a record of all the wines in their database. What started as a simple APP to record the drinker's own wines (using own photos and simple rating score of 5) has one of the biggest database and tasting notes of wines now. It also has one of the best photo recognition technology so that the APP gives correct name suggestion when you post a photo. The accuracy is quite amazing. If you are a "Pioneer" Vivino user like me, gone are the days when we had to key in the producer and wine name in their database. If only Vivino can reference these wine bottle prices to Wine Searcher (the biggest database of wine prices for worldwide merchants). Not far from now, all we need to do is scan a photo of a bottle (or type the name), to get all the data we want. With all these new technologies, the wine industry will definitely move towards greater assurance of bottles and bottle information: by consumers...for consumers.
Now, back to our Part 1 of our Burgundy offer this week: Burgundy is certainly all old school IMHO. Other than technologies to aid wine-making, the farmers are really at the mercy of weather. The offers today, come from three respectable and historical producers: Faiveley, Louis Jadot and Bouchard. Referencing to our previous Faiveley offers, today's offer is a wish come true for many of the White Grand Cru lovers. We have some 2010, 2011 and 2012 Batards and Bienvenue-Batards by Faiveley, plus a rare 2012 Montrachet (actual bottle photo). Then some 2011 and 2012 Batards by Louis Jadot. Moving on to the reds, 2012 Jadot Chapelle Chambertin and Clos de la Roche are two not to be missed Grand Crus (and frankly very affordable). Bouchard will complete this Part 1 offer with a 2015 Bonnes Mares and Chambertin, and a rare 2011 Chambertin Clos de Beze by the same producer. Today is Grand Cru galore again, then on Thursday we will complete part 2 of our Burgundy offer with Grand Crus by Domaine d' Eugenie....Stay tuned
21/10/2021: October Bordeaux Collection Part 2 | Pessac-Leognan - Pauillac - St-Emilion | Burgundy Sneaks
For Part two of this October Bordeaux offer, we start with two amazing wines from Pessac-Leognan: The 2008 La Mission Haut Brion and Haut Brion, both priced competitively. Then, a bountiful listing of wines from Pauillac: Three vintages of Les Forts de Latour (2008, 2010 and 2011), then the super second growths of Pichons: 2008 & 2010 Pichon Lalande and the 2010 Pichon Baron, followed by the perfect and highly sought after vintage of 2010 Pontet Canet. Moving towards St Emilion, two rare listings of Pavie (2007 and 2008) which are drinking awesomely. Last but not least (and it's been a long time since we saw this listing)....for all the Cheval Blanc lovers out there, 6 bottles of the 2008 are available. With this, we close our October Bordeaux offer. Do continue to scroll down this mailer to see the sneaks of the Burgundy offers....
19/10/2021: October Bordeaux Collection Part 1 | St Estephe - St Julien - Margaux
We are back with our Bordeaux offers for October. In this week's offer, it comes in another two part series. With more Bordeaux listings at unbeatable prices, we are thankful for the support of all the members (sellers and buyers) in support of our marketplace. Especially for those who are constantly in touch with me, and asking for assistance in valuation, or confirmation of the weekly listings, thank you ??!
Mid October, I am sure everyone is looking forward to F&B opening up to 5 or 8 pax dine in soon. I am so looking forward to it, hoping to catch up with some customers (and not just on whatsapp chat). With just two months away from Christmas, it is indeed time to load up wines for the year-end festive (Christmas and New Year). Note that all our marketplace listings stay online for just one month, and they may never appear again (depending on the sellers relisting options, whether sold or unsold). And with the Bordeaux today (and on Thursday), it'd be hard to miss these well-priced and drinking Bordeaux. Note that these are all listed as duty free hence we had included the duty paid price in the mailer below.
Today's offer will only be wines from these appellations. St Estephe: 2008 Cos d'Estournel. A nice collection of St Juliens: 2011 Leoville Barton, 2010 and 2011 Leoville Poyferre, 2007 and 2008 Leoville Las Cases and 2008 and 2010 Ducru Beaucaillou. Representing Margaux: The rare 2008 Palmer along with 2010 and 2011 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux. Looking at these wines, I suppose the true connoisseur will know what to aim for after reading this mailer. Its not hard to zero in on some of these wines....for e.g both the Ducrus (which I have a soft spot for). I am sure you will find something interesting. On Thursday, don't miss as we bring you the second part offer of our October Bordeaux from appellations: Pessac-Leognan, Pauillac and St-Emilion, featuring some First Growths and other interesting "must buy" Bordeaux.......RS
18/10/2021: Spot Offer: Australia Assortments for Drinking
These Australia assortments today, will feature one of my favourite white from Australia: The Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay. Often guessing this wine wrong in my blind tasting, the Art Series Chardonnay can be compared to some of the best Puligny-Montrachets from Burgundy. The other Australian Chardonnay that comes close is Giaconda. Today, only 3 bots of the 2006 Art Series Chardonnay available. Along with this, the 2005 Tatiara Cambrian Shiraz is one that is in its drinking window and will drink well for the next few years. Catch it now. The 2004 Mount Mary Quintet, a classic Bordeaux blend from Australia, is hard to find nowadays. Last but not least, the 2012 Mollydooker Carnival of Love Shiraz by Sarah Marquis, the most charismatic winemaker I had known. All you have to do is sit beside Sarah in a Mollydooker wine dinner to fall in love with her wines. Log in to buy these wines now!
14/10/2021: Domaine Faiveley Offer Part 2 | Completing the Collection
In Part two, I want to share a bit more on the whites from Faiveley, as they had always been on my radar ever since Erwan took over. The Domaine had always made majority reds (over 90% of the production). Not counting the negociant wines, Domaine Faiveley's production stretch from the Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru of "La Combe Aux Moines" at the northern end of the Côte de Nuits, via the monopole of Corton, Clos des Cortons Faiveley in the Côte de Beaune, down to Les Joncs in Montagny at the southern end of the Côte Chalonnaise. But Erwan always wanted more whites in the Domaine, especially the 1er and Grand Crus. He will not settle for a few meagre village whites and in 2008, the Domaine announced they had acquired five hectares of Domaine Monnot in Puligny-Montrachet, adding Batard-Montrachet, Bienvenues-Batard-Montachet, Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatieres, Les Referts, La Garenne and village Puligny-Montrachet to the portfolio. Unfortunately, this time we will NOT have these whites on offer.....however, if you missed out on the Corton-Charlemagne offer on Tuesday, then look again. The Corton-Charlemagne plot from Faiveley, was Domaine owned at the same time as the Clos des Corton Monopole from 1874. This is a historic vineyard not to be missed. Erwan took a serious change into making the whites including their Corton-Charlemagne. In a few vintages helmed by Erwan, he had gotten the right formula. Their Corton-Charlemagne is impressive and consistent, with silkiness, purity, tension and minerality. This white will only go from strength to strength!
Back to our offers today. After Tuesday’s offer, today we resume with the rest of the reds from Domaine Faiveley. We start with my favourite commune of Clos-St-Denis: expect funky, fruity and floral notes from the awesome 2015. Then two very rare Echezeaux (2010) and Echezeaux En Orveaux (2015). The En Orveaux was added to the Echezeaux label in 2015, as the vines are next to La Combe d'Orveau and Petit Musigny. Don't miss the only Vosne Grand Cru offer: coming from a very special plot that gives a bit of Vosne and a bit of Chambolle altogether. The miniscule 2010 and 2011 Mazis-Chambertin (1.2ha, smaller than their Clos de Beze) are as rare as it gets, and I will certainly not miss the 2010. And to conclude our Faiveley mailer, 2010 Latricieres-Chambertin and the 2011 Chambertin Clos-de-Beze. The Grand Crus of Domaine Faiveley are only going to become better under Erwan's vision (and sister Eve, now also involved in the Domaine). Owning these treasured bottles are just a start to collecting a new era of Domaine Faiveley’s wines.
12/10/2021: Domaine Faiveley Offer Part 1 | Knowing Faiveley and The Transition
The Faiveleys firmly believe that the quality of the wine comes first from the fruit, and they keep yields to a minimum through the controlled use of organic fertiliser and strict pruning. The development of rootstocks suited to specific soil types together with a high average vine age in the Faiveley vineyards also contributes to low yields. The finished wines are classic Burgundies with wonderful longevity, aromatics and a unique, elegant style. Enter Erwan Faiveley, the seventh generation owner in charge at Domaine Faiveley since 2005.
When I met Erwan back in 2009, he mention the Domaine is going through a transition period. Before Erwan, Francois always had this idea of making great, long-lasting red burgundies. He always vinified them in a very strict way (which is about extraction) in all his 30 years at the Domaine. With the tannins and power, these wines were quite tough at the beginning and needed decades to become drinkable. When Erwan realised that things had to change, he start to scrutinise all the details. He wanted wines that were approachable in their youth, with age-ability as well. He came to the conclusion that they had to change the barrels in 2006, as the coopers whom they were working with, were supplying barrels with wood that were not dry enough. The green tannins became evident in the wines. Erwan replaced the coopers with Francois Freres, Taransaud and others. In addition, the winemaking team also employ gentler wine pressing. From 2007 the wines were evidently fresher and fruitier, yet with real intensity.
Over the years, I had seen the changes in Faiveley’s wines, and it didn’t take them long to achieve what Erwan wanted. As every vintage is different, a lot relies on how the winemaker deciphers each vintage. From vintages 2007 to 2012 (mere 6 vintages), the wines were going through changes that Erwan believes, will give an identity to Domaine Faiveley in this new era. He will be proud to call wines from the vintage 2012 onwards, an achievement he had finally wanted, it was the beginning of the Domaine’s new style.
In this week’s offer (Part 1), we are going to bring some of these rare offerings of Domaine Faiveley’s wines. These offerings will include vintage before and after 2012, but all “Erwan style”. To start, two vintages: 2011 and 2014 Faiveley’s Corton Charlemagne. This was a plot of old vines Chardonnay that Erwan always mention that they were very lucky to have. The Corton-Charlemagne is an impressive and delicious white. Next, we have the 2009 and 2010 Clos de Vougeot. Not only were these two vintages good to begin with, but I think it will be interesting to taste the Clos Vougeot in good vintages from the period of change. And to end part one offer, we are fortunate to be able to offer three vintages (2010, 2011, 2012) of the “Corton Clos des Corton Faiveley Monopole Grand Cru”. These three vintages will showcase and bring you to the 2012 finale! I highly recommend buying all three vintages of the Clos des Corton if you want to own a part of this transition.
Thanks to a serious and friendly wine connoissuer at Wine Bond, who has decided to sell some of his Faiveley prized collection, these wines are available in hard to resist prices on our marketplace today. On Thursday, don’t miss our Faiveley Part Two offer that will include: Clos-St-Denis, Echezeaux/Echezeaux En Orveaux, Mazis-Chambertin and Latricieres-Chambertin. Vintages to be revealed on Thursday. Stay tuned.
7/10/2021: Loving Those Merlots | Redigaffi - Messorio - Masseto
It is no co-incidence that today's Italian offer include mostly Merlots from 2006 vintage. This collection comes from one great collector whom I had known for years. Throw back to 2006, I was just starting in the Wine Trade, and less than a year of working in this industry. Switching over from the hospitality industry, it was tough and I had to pick up new skills and read everything about wines, the names, regions, etc. I remember my mentor taught me to start tasting wines from Australia and Italy. Other than blends, the single varietal Merlot was one which I tasted frequently whenever I get the chance and was attracted by its characters of bright red fruits, easy drinking with balance tannins and age-ability. One of the first Merlot (then in 2006), which blew my mind and palate, was actually the 1997 James Irvine Grand Merlot......
Fast forward to 2021 mid Sep 15 years later. Through a dinner hosted by Mr "Y" (when 5 pax dine in was allowed, and honestly I was not expecting this bottle). I got reacquainted with the 1997 James Irvine Grand Merlot. What are the chances right? This bottle was uncorked for more than one hour before we started drinking it, and boy are we glad we let it breathe. No prizes for guessing where this bottle had been stored. As I took the first whiff, it was clear to me....this is a perfectly aged Merlot that had withstood more than 20 years of time. The naysayers about Merlot are wrong! It was as though my memories of this wine flowed back as I re-tasted it. The characters of this wine is different now, albeit some red fruits still remain. Gone are the extraction, full bodied, juicy tannins. What's left now are silky and soft tannins, strawberries and a light cigar box finishing. I am so loving this...what a revelation!
Today, our marketplace offers include three Italian Merlots, all from 2006 vintage, from three different and top notch producers: Tua Rita, Le Macchiole and Masseto. My experiences with these producers are mostly great. Some vintages I tasted recently showed they can age easily for 20 years and more. 2006 especially, was a promising vintage that made balance wines for the long haul, and promises rewards after aging. The 2006 Tua Rita Redigaffi will certainly be greater after 15 years, and today's Redigaffi pairs up with the miniscule, limited production 2006 Tua Rita Syrah. I reckon the 2006 Messorio (which was sold out multiple times in our marketplace previously) will be another superstar. 2006 Masseto (the perfect one) in today's offer, pairs up (with another perfect) 2010 Masseto, but only 3 bottles each available....Don't miss these awesome Merlot offers today, and stay tuned next week for some Burgundy offers.
5/10/2021: Star-Studded Offers: Chateau Petrus and Mouton Rothschild | Meo Camuzet Richebourg
How do we start October? By watching the last James Bond movie by Daniel Craig "No Time to Die". Yes, the bottle of wine prepare by "Q" was a Chateau Angelus (vintage unknown). And this was not the first time Chateau Angelus appeared in a James Bond movie. James drank the same wine in "Casino Royale". Like Anthony Hopkins in "The Father", his taste was as sophisticated as Q and James: another Chateau Angelus on his kitchen tabletop. And in certain shots of Anthony in the kitchen, the bottle moved to different places around the same tabletop. Maybe Anthony was feeling thirsty and drank a bottle in between takes so they had to replace that bottle.... :)
I love spotting wines bottles in movies or TV series, and over the years, I had tried to notice all these bottles and remember them. I call it my occupational disorder.....Like I could tell you that old bottle of Chateau Margaux that appeared in Sherlock Holmes movie starring Robert Downey Jr (he certainly has good taste). However, his Tony Stark character in Iron Man 3 (despite being a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist) was only drinking a bottle of Louis Jadot Macon-Village with Peppers. The director should have put in a bottle of Chateau Petrus or any DRC for his billionaire character. I could go on forever with other wine-related movies like "Sideways" and "Bottle Shock", but let's save these for another mailer down the road....
In today's offer, these are some really rare bottles. I consider them star-studded gems (though they have yet to appear in any movies, or maybe I had not spot them). Like the perfect 2016 Chateau Petrus, the 2015 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. And the elusive 2007 Meo Camuzet Richebourg with only two bottles available today. Tony and James would be jealous! Don't miss these offers today......and don't forget to watch that James Bond Movie....Have a great start to October!
