In the vineyard – Page 44 – Le blog iDealwine

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:26 January 2018

The 2016 vintage in France (part 1)

It’s here! The long awaited 2016 vintage is starting to appear on the shelves and, apart from having to endure a few freaks of nature, it was another good year in keeping with the excellent 2015 This week we are focusing on how the northern French regions fared from Alsace, Jura, Savoy and Burgundy to Beaujolais, Champagne and the Loire Valley. Alsace Dry whites: 16/20 Sweet wines: 14/20 Reds: 15/20 2016 will go down in history as an as unusual year, particularly concerning the staggering of the harvest from mid-September until the beginning…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:19 January 2018

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande: a first-class second cru

"A First-Class Second Cru"... it's hard to improve on Wine Spectator magazine's description of Château Pichon Lalande! The estate, which is now in the hands of the Rouzaud family (Roederer group), has benefited from the efforts of a succession of owners whose passionate efforts have gradually elevated it to "super second" status. Consistency and reputation: it takes a woman's touch The estate can trace its origins back to 1694. In 1850, following the death of the Baron de Pichon Longueville, his Pauillac estate was split between his two children. His daughter, Virginie de…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:10 January 2018

Bordeaux wines now contain three times fewer pesticides than less than 4 years ago

The topic of pesticides in wine and particularly in the wines of Bordeaux has become a recurring topic in the news and specialised media over the past several years. A UFC Que Choisir study has recently given a rather positive assessment of the changes in pesticide residues in Bordeaux wines, showing that they have been reduced threefold over four years. The consumer protection magazine UFC Que Choisir published a survey of pesticides and Bordeaux wines at the end of December (No. 565, January 2018). The consumer association looked at the pesticide residue content…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:19 December 2017

Obituary: Robert Wilmers from Haut-Bailly

The proprietor of Château Haut-Bailly, a classified cru vineyard in Graves, died at his home in New York on Saturday, 16th December. The world of wine has paid tribute to this businessman who was CEO of the American M&T Bank Corporation and also a great lover of wine and art and supporter of many French and American cultural institutions. An entrepreneur, Mr Wilmers was both a financier and a wine connoisseur. He was Chief Executive of the American M&T Bank Corporation and acquired Château Haut-Bailly in 1998 and Château Le Pape in 2012.…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:19 October 2017

2017: a historically low harvest

After the superb 2015 and 2016, will the 2017 fall under the curse of the vintages finishing by "7"? If the quality is generally there, the quantities are lacking in certain regions or appellations, with a historically low harvest. Complicated weather conditions On 1st October 2017, the French Department of Agriculture reckoned the harvest was going to be down 18% compared to the five-year average[i]. Wine production is estimated at 36.9 million hectolitres, 19% lower than 2016. The harvest is thus historically low, and even lower than 1991, which also experienced a historic…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:27 September 2017

Champagne Bourgeois-Diaz: head in the stars

In the kingdom of Pinot Meunier, in Crouttes sur Marne, halfway between Reims and Paris, the vines from Champagne Bourgeois-Diaz have thoroughly become biodynamic, since 2009. Over a few years, Jérôme Diaz became the preacher of this philosophy which glows through his sharp cuvées. Would you like to taste them? Back to basics In his youth, Jérôme Diaz didn’t want to work at the domain. He used to help his parents in the vineyard, but it bored him. He wanted to work in the trade and ended up in an industrial supply company…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:21 September 2017

Pol Roger, the excellence of champagnes since 1849

With an exemplary regularity, Pol Roger champagnes are recognizable by their winey aromas, depth and roundness; they are often matured for a long time in the house’s cellars and still have a long ageing potential. In 1849, as he was only 18 years old, Pol Roger founded his trading house in Aÿ before settling in Epernay in 1851. In 1855 he began to favour the production of brut champagnes, much appreciated by English consumers. He died in 1899, leaving behind him a house of enviable reputation. At the beginning of the XIXth century,…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:19 September 2017

Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret: Burgundy wine between wisdom and ambition

Let’s go to the Côte d'Or, with a focus on Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret located in Vosne-Romanée, between the legendary Château du Clos Vougeot and the small village of Nuits-Saint-Georges. The family has been taking care of the vines for more than eight generations! The story begins in 1620. The reputation of Mongeard-Mugneret is due to its old-age, the finesse of its wines, the subtlety of its terroirs and the extent of its domain. The combination of the vines of Eugène Mongeard and his wife Edmée Mugneret gave birth to an important property of 30…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:25 May 2017

The “Pope of Condrieu” dies

The wine industry was recently saddened to learn of the death of Georges Vernay. Fondly known as the “Pope of Condrieu” he was a tireless advocate of the Viognier grape and fought throughout his life to promote wines from a village abandoned by producers after the war. “I preferred the wines from the slopes to those from the plains which I thought were mediocre” Georges Vernay stated last November. It wasn’t that long ago in fact that wine from the Rhône Valley was sold in bulk, and producers in the Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:24 May 2017

Maison Albert Bichot: United in Diversity

Maison Albert Bichot was founded in 1831. Over the years the company has developed and expanded considerably to become one of Burgundy's most prestigious winemakers. Much of its success can be attributed to the philosophy of Albéric Bichot. Somewhat echoing the motto of the European Union, he firmly believes that that each of his wine estates should keep to a human scale and have autonomy: in varietate concordia! On Monday, 15th May, the whole iDealwine team enjoyed a day trip to Burgundy. Maison Albert Bichot kindly welcomed us to show us around…