Nestling on the slope of the grand cru hill (Chateau Corton Andre, Aloxe, Burgundy)

Corton Le Chateau, Pierre Andre, "Corton-Andre". Aloxe-Corton, Cote de Beaune, d'Or, Burgundy, France

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Chateau de Corton-André, Aloxe-Corton, Burgundy, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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The Château de Corton-André in Aloxe Corton is one of the few properties in Burgundy that is rally a "château". It's in the heart of the village Aloxe Corton just north of Beaune in Côte de Beaune, at the foot of the Corton Grand Cru hill.

Chateau de Corton Andre is the property of the Pierre André company who is a négociant (wine merchant) in Bourgogne. The chateau itself is very distinctive and many people who travel in Burgundy would recognise it: It has a typical Burgundy roof with the brightly coloured tiles.

Pierre André has some 50 hectares of vineyards in various communes in Burgundy.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


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Too much Yquem makes your vision blurry (Chateau d'Yquem, Sauternes, Bordeaux)

pouring the wine chateau d'yquem sauternes bordeaux france

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Château d'Yquem, Sauternes, Bordeaux, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Yquem is in the appellation of Sauternes in Bordeaux. It produces luscious sweet white wine from grapes that have been affected by noble rot, the famed botrytis cinerea, which affects the grapes in the vineyard.

Chateau d'Yquem is the grandest, most famous, biggest and - most expensive of the Sauternes wines. It is the only chateau to have be designated as Premier Cru Supérieur in the more than 150 year old 1855 classification. It was for a long time the property of the Lur Saluces family, and was managed by Comte Alexandre de Lur Saluces. In the late 90s, due to disagreements in the family, it was sold to the luxury goods group LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) headed by the French tycoon Bernard Arnault. The vineyards extend over 113 hectares and are planted with 80% sémillon and 20% sauvignon blanc grape varieties. The vines are trained in a trellising system called gobelet pallisé, which is unusual, except here in Sauternes.

The chateau is an impressive medieval fortress commanding spectacular views over the surrounding landscape. The winery has been much renovated, a new barrel cellar has been constructed (the wines are aged for an extended period of time in new oak barriques), and everything now exudes the same richness as the wines themselves. The winemaking is under the responsibility of the exceedingly 'sympathique' Sandrine Garbay while Pierre Lurton, the director of the chateau leads the business. They also make a non-sweet (dry is not the right word) called "Y" (i-greque), which started the trend of not-so-sweet wines with single letter names (R de Rieussec, G de Giraud...).

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


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And these are the GOOD ones! (Chateau Nairac, Sauternes)

Hand picked noble rot grapes. Semillon. Chateau Nairac, Barsac, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France

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Château Nairac, Barsac, Sauternes, Bordeaux, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Nairac is in the appellation of Barsac in Bordeaux. It produces luscious sweet white wine from grapes that have been affected by noble rot, the famed botrytis cinerea, which affects the grapes in the vineyard. When this rot comes late in the season, just before harvest, it is beneficial and causes the grapes to shrivel on the vine and become more concentrated. It can also attack the vines at other times and then it can cause great damage as 'grey rot'.

Chateau Nairac is in the commune of Barsac, an appellation that has the right to sell its wines under the bigger appellation Sauternes. Many wineries in the appellation chooses to label the wine as Sauternes since it is better known internationally, but at Nairac one uses the Barsac name. Chateau Nairac has some 17 hectares of vineyard planted with 90% sémillon grape variety, and 6% sauvignon blanc, 4% muscadelle.

Nairac has a rather grand chateau building lying next to the main road south through the appellation. The winery is today headed by the brother-and-sister pair Nicolas and Eloise Heeter-Tari, Eloise taking care of promotion and management and Nicolas being responsible for the vineyards and winemaking.

At harvest a large number of pickers arrive in the vineyard to pick the shrivelled grapes almost one-by-one by hand. The grapes that arrive at the press in the winery look all mouldy and dried up, but they produce an incredibly rich sweet white wine with a deep golden colour.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


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Ah, more rot. Getting better! (Chateau Liot, Sauternes)

Bunches of ripe grapes. Nobel rot. Chateau Liot, Barsac, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France

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Château Liot, Sauternes, Bordeaux, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Liot is in the appellation of Sauternes in Bordeaux. It produces luscious sweet white wine from grapes that have been affected by noble rot, the famed botrytis cinerea, which affects the grapes in the vineyard. When this rot comes late in the season, just before harvest, it is beneficial and causes the grapes to shrivel on the vine and become more concentrated. It can also attack the vines at other times and then it can cause great damage as 'grey rot'.

Chateau Liot is a 20 hectare property with most of the vineyards lying on the mostly flat land around with winery and chateau. It is located in the commune of Barsac, on the plateau of Haut-Barsac, whose wines are often sold under the Sauternes appellation. The vineyard is planted with 85% sémillon grapes, 10% sauvignon blanc and 5% muscadelle. Winemaking is traditional, with the fermentation taking place in various style vats, mostly stainless steel. The wine is aged in oak barrels (barriques) for up to 18 months. Part of the casks are new but most have seen one or more wines. The grapes are harvested when over-ripe and when they have been affected by the noble rot.

The chateau belongs to the David family, and is managed by Jerry David. The family also produces a red and white Graves wine (not sweet, but dry) at another property, the Chateau Saint Jean des Graves.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


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Not yet rotten enough (Chateau Guiraud, Sauternes)

Bunches of ripe grapes. Sauvignon Blanc. Chateau Guiraud, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France

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Château Guiraud, Sauternes, Bordeaux, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Guiraud is in the appellation of Sauternes in Bordeaux. It produces luscious sweet white wine from grapes that have been affected by noble rot, the famed botrytis cinerea, which affects the grapes in the vineyard. When this rot comes late in the season, just before harvest, it is beneficial and causes the grapes to shrivel on the vine and become more concentrated. It can also attac the vines at other times and then it can cause great damage as 'grey rot'.

Chateau Guiraud is on the higher part of the Sauternes appellation, the plateau. It is neighbour to e.g. the Chateau d'Yquem. It is one of the bigger properties in the appellation with its 100 hectares, of which 85 ha are planted with vines. The vineyard is planted with the white grape varieties sémillon (65%) and sauvignon. The grapes are of course harvested by hand (the only option for a sweet white wine like this). At chateau Guiraud they use a lot of new oak barrels (barriques) for the aging and maturation.

The chateau building is modest in size and design (but not by any means small). However, it has a very impressive tree lined allée leading up to it.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


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Not quite the stairway to heaven, but good wines (Chateau le Boscq, Bordeaux)

chateau le boscq st estephe medoc bordeaux france

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Château le Boscq, Saint Estèphe, Médoc, Bordeaux, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Château le Boscq is yet another chateau in the group Vins et Vignobles Dourthe CVBG (Dourthe Wines & Estates). Chateau le Boscq is a Cru Bourgeois (or was, since that classification is now in limbo) in Saint Estephe in the northern Médoc in the Bordeaux wine region in France. It has been run by Dourthe since 1995. However it is not the property of Dourthe but they farm it under contract.

It is not one of the "1855 classified growths" (crus classés) which leaves it short on glamour. On the other hand the excellent red claret wines it produces is perhaps for that very reason better value for money. The 18 hectare vineyard is located far north in the Medoc on a very gravely hilltop that reaches 18 metres, which is high in the Medoc. The vineyards are planted with merlot (60%), cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot and cabernet franc.

As always at the Dourthe estates the vineyard management is meticulous and the winery work is if not high-tech, at least very technologically advanced in winemaking terms. The winery is equipped with gleaming temperature controlled stainless fermentation vats, micro-oxidation equipment, barrel cellars with new (and not so new) oak barriques. Sorting is done in two stages, before and after de-stemming. De-budding and de-leafing is meticulously done. Different lots are fermented and aged separately to follow the evolution. Etcetera, etcetera.

In contrast, and perhaps understandably, the chateau itself somewhat less gleaming, albeit a very harmonious and beautiful architectural design. It was built in 1891.

Damien Martial is in charge of the winemaking and Frédéric Bonnafous is the estate manager.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


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Separating the goodies from the badies (Chateau Haut Marbuzet, Bordeaux)

Hand selecting the bad grapes at a sorting table. Chateau Haut Marbuzet, Saint Estephe, medoc, Bordeaux, France

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Chateau Haut-Marbuzet, Saint Estephe, Medoc, Bordeaux, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Haut-Marbuzet is one of the best known "Cru Bourgeois" in Medoc. It is in the Saint Estèphe area. It is owned by the Henri Duboscq family and managed by the brothers Bruno and Hugues Duboscq.

The vineyards extend over 61 hectares. The grape varieties planted in the vineyard are cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc vines. The winery is on one side of a country road and the offices and tasting room on the other, built in a rather grandiose style.

The wine made at the winery is exclusively red, full-bodied and powerful. At harvest, the grapes that are brought in to the winery go through a manual selection on a sorting table to assure that only quality fruit go into the winery. Winemaking is classic: fermentation is big concrete vinification vats and aging in oak barrels. Much new oak is used.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


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Just imagine what the future has in store (Chateau Grand Corbin Despagne, Bordeaux)

Bunches of ripe grapes. Merlot. Chateau Grand Corbin Despagne, Saint Emilion Bordeaux France

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Chateau Grand Corbin Despagne,Saint Emilion stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Chateau Grand Corbin Despagne is located in the Saint Emilion appellation, in the Bordeaux wine region, across the Garonne and Dordogne rivers from the city of Bordeaux. It is situated a short distance north of the village Saint Emilion. Chateau Grand Corbin Despagne is today managed by the owner / winemaker Francois Despagne. The vineyards cover some 26 hectares, mainly on sand and clay soil. The grape varieties used are for the most part merlot, with some cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and malbec. The winery is equipped with both stainless steel tanks and concrete vats. All are temperature controlled during the vinification. At harvest the grapes are sorted by hand after having been destemmed, before they are crushed and the fermentation starts.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


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Guessing game: what is this? (Chateau Grace Dieu les Menuts, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux)

What is this? Very useful in winemakeing!

Write your answer in the comments.



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Chateau Grace Dieu les Menuts, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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You will find Chateau Grace Dieu les Menuts vineyards on the main road between Libourne and the town of St Emilion, on the right hand side of the road. There are several "Grace Dieu":s so you have to be careful. It is a 16 hectare vineyard planted with 65% merlot, 30% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon. It is owned and managed by the winemaker couple Thierry and Odile Pilotte Audier.

It is a medium sized Saint Emilion property with the right to carry the mention Grand Cru on the lable. Winemaking is traditional: pressing with a vertical basket press, fermentation and vinification in concrete vats, aging in oak barrels. But it is balanced by modern technology and techniques: sorting the grapes at the harvest to obtain optimum raw material, thermo-regulated tanks etc. Depending on the vintage, a protion of the wine is aged in one (or two) year old barriques to give it a balanced character.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


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Join us for a barrel tasting (Couvent des Jacobins, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux)

visitors in a wine cellar couvent des jacobins saint emilion bordeaux france

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Coiuvent des Jacobins, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Couvent des Jacobins is a small winery and vineyard in Saint Emilion on the Right Bank in Bordeaux, France. The actual winery is one of the few that are actually within the confines of the small medieval town of Saint Emilion (which is a UNESCO World Heritage site). The owner is the charming lady Rose Noëlle Borde and the winemaker is Denis Pomarède.

The name makes it clear this is not a traditional Bordeaux “chateau”, it is an ancient monastery. It was built in the 13th century but is no longer a inhabited by any monks. In 1902 it was acquired by the Joinaud-Borde family. Today it is both the house where the family lives and the winery and wine cellar.

The winery with its old fermentation tanks is on the ground floor as is the small vaulted barrel cellar. Go down the winding staircase and you arrive in what was once a quarry and what is now the aging cellar for the wines. The winemaking is very traditional. Wine is aged for 12 to 15 months in French oak barrels of which 40% to 60% are new each year. They do a fining in the barrels and no filtering of the wine.

The vineyards extend over a bit more than 10 hectares and are planted with merlot (75%) and with cabernet franc (25%) with a planting density of around 7000 vines per hectare. The wine is classified Saint Emilion Grand Cru.

http://www.couventdesjacobins.fr

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Next time I hope it will be with you! (Clos Saint Julien, Bordeaux)

Lunch table in the vineyard. Clos Saint Julien, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France

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Clos Saint Julien, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, stock photography samples, by Per Karlsson, BKWine.

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Clos Saint Julien is classified as a Grand Cru in Saint Emilion. It is a very small vineyard situated just outside the town limit on the north side of the village of St Emilion. The vineyard is on one single plot with all the vines surrounded by a wall, hence the name clos. It is mostly planted with the merlot grape variety.

It has a tiny winery building in the middle of the vineyard. Catherine Papon Nouvel manages this wine estate (which is a family owned property) since some years back when she took over from her father. The same is the case for two other Saint Emilion properties: Chateau Gaillard, which is bigger, and Chateau Petit Gravet Ainé. All three produce excellent wine, very different in style.

All images © copyright Per Karlsson, BKWine. Images may not be used without our permission.


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