David
Since it’s acquisition in 2006 by the Saint Emilion First Growth Château Cheval Blanc and subsequently LVMH, La Tour du Pin has undergone a quiet renaissance culminating with Robert Parker scoring the 2009 vintage 92 – 94. In Parker’s words: “Pierre Lurton, the director of Cheval Blanc, has completely resurrected this estate since it was acquired by the owners of … Read more
With a Blog title of China’s First Growths everyone will be expecting a blog about Bordeaux’s First Growths but this is about China’s home grown First Growths. In other words I wonder if in 20 years time we will be talking about star Chinese wines that the West is snapping up at equally stellar prices? This … Read more
The Press are reporting that a rare Imperial bottle of Cheval Blanc 1947 was sold to a private collector for $304,375 (£192,000) on Tuesday, setting a world record price for a single bottle. The Imperial bottle was sold to a private collector during a sale at Christies, Geneva. Christie’s wine expert, Michael Ganne, said the sale constituted a … Read more
There are very few wine makers who produce both Burgundy and Bordeaux but the First Growth Château Latour is one of them. When Latour’s President, Frédéric Engerer visited Hong Kong recently to promote Latour he also cast the spot light on his new venture: Burgundy wine. In 2006, Château Latour’s owner, François Pinault (also owner of the French … Read more
You may have heard about the buzz over James Nash’s invention earlier this year on Dragon’s Den. His Cup-A-Wine – a single-serve plastic glass of French wine with a tear off lid – was laughed off the UK television show but is now being hailed as a successful invention. Indeed Marks & Spencer, which bought the concept, “struggles to keep up … Read more
You may have heard recently that Château Chenu Lafitte in the Côtes de Bourg appellation has been bought by a Chinese investor as a gift for his 20 year old son. One of the minority shareholders, Guolong Yin, has been running the estate since April 2010, when the purchase was complete – although negotiations began over three … Read more
I am always on the lookout for unusual grapes and I spotted two Cabernets that are decidedly different recently. Cleggett Wines in Langhorne Creek, South Australia have two new grape varietals that are a Bronze and a White Cabernet Sauvignon. A chance discovery of pinky bronze fruit on a Cabernet Sauvignon vine in 1977 provided Mac Cleggett and Anne McLennan the … Read more
After the Hong Kong government announced that tax on wine had been abolished back in 2008 Hong Kong has seen its wine trade boom. It has surpassed London to be one of the biggest auction markets and is expected to over take New York, becoming the premier market in the world. Sales for the top-three largest … Read more
We are all familiar with the great wines of Bordeaux but the region has also produced liqueurs and aperitifs for centuries. You could say that Bordeaux was partly responsible for the first Coca-Cola as the original Coca-Cola was once made with Bordeaux wine! The recipe for Coca-Cola was invented by John Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia in … Read more
The Entre Deux Mers takes its name from the Latin “inter duo maria” (“between two tidal rivers”) and is a triangle of land sandwiched between the tidal waters of the Rivers Dordogne and Garonne. The Dordogne rises on the flanks of Puy de Sancy in the mountains of Auvergne and flows west through the Limousin and Périgord regions before … Read more
