Manfred Krankl on Grenache “Grenache has a mouth-coating, all enveloping, long palate presence. The nose and the palate are in synch delivering a cascade of pleasure. Grenache doesn’t just wink at you, it delivers the goods!”
1994 California Cabernet Sauvignon are at their best, sublime. Many of these wines at 20 years of age are drinking in the sweet spot today proving that modern California do age!
2013 St Julien wines are clearly from the most consistent appellation for the vintage with their fresh, approachable style and ease of drinkability.
2013 St. Emilion is not big, bold, concentrated, opulent and bursting at the seams with ripe, ostentatious fruits like you would find in 2009 or 2010. 2013 St. Emilion wines are at their best are quiet, bright, cherry filled and refined in their early drinking character.
On Grenache… “If Grenache doesn’t get FULLY ripe, it holds no interest. One can make some skinny-ass Syrah, which is en vogue among some. Syrah under those conditions might still hold some odd interest. But that is not the case with Grenache.”
Chateau Pavie creates new label and bottle shape for the 2012 vintage to celebrating their promotion to Grand Cru Classe A status.
In the best terroir, due to the gravel soils and the level of ripeness achieved with the Cabernet Sauvignon, 2014 can be a good year to selectively purchase Cru Bourgeoisie and other wines from the Haut Medoc. There is no immediate need to buy those wines En Primeur, but when they reach the stores in bottle, savvy consumers could have an ocean of well-priced Cabernet Sauvignon based, Bordeaux wines to choose from.
