Surrounded as it is by Grand Cru Classé properties, Château d'Angludet would almost certainly have been included in the famous 1855 Classification, had the property not been broken up as part of an inheritance settlement. In an act of faith (given the property's state of decay) and belief in Angludet's potential, the Sichel family bought the estate in 1961. Since then, the Sichels have worked tirelessly to restore and, indeed, improve the vineyard and cellars, giving Angludet back the reputation its exceptional terroir deserves. When Benjamin Sichel took charge of wine-making operations at Château d’Angludet in 1989, he set himself the task of optimizing the vines’ natural balance. This aim continues to inspire the never-ending search for the best possible expression of Angludet's extraordinary soil, which produces perfectly balanced wines with a finesse and complexity that only nature can create. Technology should be discreet, limiting itself to serving nature.

71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. Young in colour, a deep red with crimson tints and a deep purple sheen. The equally harmonious bouquet is a marriage of black fruits (cassis, raspberry, cherry) and spices with more roasted notes of cocoa and mocha resulting from finely controlled aging. The finesse and elegance found on the front of palate give way to a smooth, generously rounded texture underpinned by mouth-filling tannins; these grow rounder right through to the finish while retaining their velvety feel. This is a high-class, seductively elegant Margaux which begs to be left at least until the next decade to be able to offer up its full potential.

The modern era for Beaumont began in 1986, with the acquisition of the property by the Société Grands Millésimes de France, a joint business venture created by Groupe GMF and Suntory, the latter already having had a presence in Bordeaux since 1983 as proprietors of first Lagrange, and the following year Beychevelle. The vineyard is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), with 35% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all with an average vine age of 25 years. The harvested fruit is fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats, with three weeks of maceration. The oak is one third new each vintage, after which the wine resting in barrel for up to fourteen months.

A dark, intense hue. Meaty, claretty, smoky and full of appeal. Mineral, iron-edged character, and a full, concentrated, mouthfilling palate, which satisfies and yet also refreshes with an elegant poise and a beautifully styled structure. Very good indeed, and great value.

The fourth generation of the Dubois-Lachaud family still run Château La Ganne and its second wine, Vieux Château Brun. Michel Dubois, proprietor of the ‘Grand Moulinet’ vineyard, is an award winning winemaker known for his beautifully crafted wines - always produced true to the traditional methods of Bordeaux. Pomerol is the smallest of the great appellations in Bordeaux. Soils of sandy gravel over a subsoil of clinker give the wine it’s incomparable smoothness and delicate tannin structure. Hand harvests, selective picking, thermoregulation, no filtration, and long maceration times all help Dubois produce wines in Pomerol that are structured, full of fruit, and rich in flavor.

Made of 80% Merlot, and 20% Cabernet. This Pomerol shows a deep red ruby color. On the nose the expression of the terroir is unavoidable; black current and chocolate aromas boom. On the palate, the attack is smooth. The wine is round and fat, with amazing persistence. Hand harvested and bottled unfiltered.

The estate has been owned by the Reaut Family for several generations and is today conducted by Mr. Claude Reaut. The vineyard of Château Bujeau la Grave is 22 hectares in size and is located on the right bank of the Garonne river in the village of Saint Laurent du Bois, very close to the prestigious vineyard of Château Thieuley. Both vineyards sit on a limestone and clay shelf, and take advantage of direct exposure to the sun. The wine has won a medal almost every year in Bordeaux, Paris, Macon. These wines have always an incredible colour, with beautiful tannins.

50% Cabernet Sauvignon 42% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc has a beautiful deep red color, and has aromas of ripe cherry and cranberry. Lovely structure and concentration of fruit. Soft tannins lead to a long finish.

André and Janine Chatonnet decided in 1967 to buy the 12 hectares of vineyard (and later the estate) in the smaller commune of Néac, at the place known as "Chaigneau", in the Lalande de Pomerol appellation. Château TOUR SAINT-ANDRÉ is made in a pleasant, easy-to-drink style. This wine is best enjoyed in its youth, when it is full of ripe fruit. Care is taken during winemaking to produce a soft, fruity, elegant wine that is pleasant to drink young. It will continue to improve for about five years, although it can age for much longer. Tour Saint-Andre is the second wine of Château Haut-Chaigneau. Their vineyards sit atop siliceous clay and gravel (for most of the vineyard) on the Chevrol plateau in the commune of Néac, close to Grand Ormeau and Les Cruzelles in the Lalande de Pomerol appellation.

55% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. 10-14 months in oak barrels, 70% of which have been used to age two vintages and 30% for one vintage.

Château Le Coteau is a marvelous example of the elegance of Margaux. A rising star here, Eric Leglise of Arsac, is making wines of distinction. The vineyards lie in the most southern of Médoc's appellations, and make almost exclusively red wines. The 1855 classification in Bordeaux contained more wines from Margaux than from any other appellation, it lays on a soil of white gravel - a special kind of gravel brought from the mountains by the river which lends its wines their full-flavored bouquet and magnificent elegance.

65% Cabernet Sauvignon 25% Merlot 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. It pours a fairly opaque garnet/ruby color with slightly tawny edges. On the nose, a wonderful array of scents arise, including cherries, green pepper, violets, mocha, oak, vanilla, cured meats and tobacco/cigar box. On the tongue, the drinker can enjoy a fair amount of bell pepper and cassis from the cabernet, paired with strawberries and cherries from the merlot.

Haut de Domy is the second wine of the esteemed Château Lafargue of Graves. The appellation of Pessac-Leognan has a unique terroir in the larger appellation of Graves, from whence it came. Pessac-Leognan borders on the city of Bordeaux and possesses a soil more favorable to Cabernet Sauvignon than the rest of Graves, and is home to all of the Cru Classé Graves wines such as Haut-Brion and La Tour Martillac. Jean-Pierre Leymarie took control of winemaking from his father in the late 1980's, and now produces both red and white wines that are rich and full flavored and truly represent their terroir.

40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 3%Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. Offers depth and complexity in both aromas and flavor and is deeply colored. The palate is filled with dusty black fruit flavors, dried leaves, pipe tobacco, and drinks far beyond it's pricetag.

Since the early 1980’s dozens, if not hundreds, of chateaux here have been taken under new fanatical management, and pushed to the limits of quality and desirability without seeking official ranking. Many independent local producers began making wines more modern in style – generally made to be smoother and more concentrated – from a few tiny parcels of vines. Saint Emilion wines are considered the most robust of Bordeaux. The wines of Lussac are diverse, a satellite appellation of St-Emilion, and soil compositions are similar to those of the main appellation.

80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Merlot-rich, this wine boasts ripe blackberry and liquorice fruit with velvet tannins and a long, mocha-scented finish. Sumptuous, elegant Saint-Emilion from the vintage of a lifetime.

The Fourcas-Dumont Castle is located in northern Medoc. The hilltops of Moulin du Bourg and Fourcas stretch themselves on fifteen hectares on the north edge of the château, and have very deep gravelly soil on a clayey subsoil. Château Fourcas-DuMont has been following the Cousinié Method for over five years: this method is based on a simple axiom; a healthy vine on a sound soil will become resistant to both diseases and parasites. Varietals composing: 50% of Merlot, 40% of Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% of Petit Verdot. Merlot gives fullness, fruitiness and flexibility to the wines, Cabernet Sauvignon gives them body, brilliance as well as a good ageing potential, and finally, Petit Verdot reinforces the wine's color, structure and the richness of its tannins.

50% Merlot 40% Cabernet Sauvignon 10% Petit Merlot. Very beautiful dark ruby color. The nose is elegant - finely spiced with mature musky fruit and hints of toast. The 2003 vintage is associated with power and distinction. Fat and fleshy, with subtle leathery, cherry, and spices.

A perennial best buy from the house of Alain Aubert, winemaker of the Grand Cru Classe Chateau La Couspade!
Cote de Castillon is located just east of St-Émilion and south of Fronsac. The region is Merlot-based like its surrounding neighbors and produces great value wines with right bank characteristics. Wines of Castillon are delicious & affordable, they also have the additional benefit of being approachable when young, but also able to age and improve with a few years in the bottle. Drinks smoothly and brilliantly, with flavors of soft, ripely dried black fruit, currrant and spice.

Château du Glana is literally across the street from the legendary Saint Julien Châteaux Ducru-Beaucaillou, Beychevelle and Léoville-Barton. As one of the few Cru Bourgeois Supérieur in this small commune, Glana is always one of Bordeaux’s best values. Built in 1870, its 5-hectare vineyard was made up of plots bought from Château Saint-Pierre. In 1961, it was acquired by Gabriel Meffre who extended the estate to 46 hectares by buying plots from 3rd Growth, Château Lagrange. The meticulous care and attention to detail in the vineyard as well as in the vat house, and the judicious use of traditional and modern wine making - have all contributed to the reputation of Du Glana, which was given Cru Bourgeois Supérieur status in the new classification of 2003.

67% Cabernet Sauvignon 27% Merlot 6% Cabernet Franc. This is a bright ruby red wine with a bold aroma of cedar and aged black fruit. Dark fruit and spice flavors on the palate, and a beautiful finish of integrated tannins and well-seasoned oak.

The Bergerac AOC vineyards are spread out in the heart of the Perigord in the Aquitaine. Traditionally the aromatic and generous wines of Bergerac were seen as country bumpkins beside the sophisticates of Bordeaux, but there is now a critical mass of producers determined to prove Bergerac capable of producing far more serious wines – of all three hues and, in whites, all sweetness levels. Thanks to a combination of lower yields and mastery of cellar hygiene and oak-aging, the new wave of ambitious wine producers are producing deep-flavored, well-structured wines to rival some of Bordeaux’s smartest appellations.

A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon: A brisk, dry expression of Bergerac. Clean minerally nose gives way to a refreshing palate of citrus and stony fruit. Dry and persistent, a wonderful companion at the rawbar...

The Côtes De Blaye area became an official controlled appellation area 70 years ago, and most recently modified 12 years ago. The area is situated around Anglade and Générac is on the right bank of the Gironde River, north of those more familiar areas Pomerol and St-Émilion. Merlot is the chief grape in Côtes De Blaye (the first coasts of Blaye) just like in the swankier neighborhoods to the south.

Chateau Labadie lies close to the village of Bégadan in the Médoc area. The name comes from an ancient abbey (the term Labadie meant abbey in old French language) that now runs right through a block of vines. The vineyard is situated in the northern Medoc, between the Gironde river and the Atlantic ocean. The vineyard of this family-run estate is split into two: one part is clay limestone soil, providing the wine with good structure; and another is large heavy gravel, which adds finesse and a certain fruitiness. In 1932 Château Labadie received the Crus Bourgeois distinction for the quality of the wine, and that distinction was confirmed in the recent classification of 2003. Yves and Adelaide BIBEY dismantled the co-operative in 1988, and have made beautiful wines for nearly twenty years. With the help of their son Jerome, they now apply a double Guyot pruning system, natural weed control, and modest clipping to keep yields low.

50% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. Deep color with a purple hue. Bouquet is powerful: fig and ripe black fruit. Well-rounded palatte, with firm tannins, some good volume. Long and aromatic.

This exceptional wine has a well-known pedigree—it used to be part of Château Lagrange, which was a classified third growth in the 1855 classification. It lies in the on the road between Beychevelle and St-Laurent-de-Médoc between Château Talbot and Château Lagrange. Mr. Meffre acquired this property in 1964 and has been producing excellent wine for many years. The property is almost 80 acres in size and is planted 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot Noir, and 5% Cabernet Franc, yielding a wine with power and elegance. The wine is treated in thermo-regulated vats and ferments for 25 days on average. You will see that the winemaker is able to pull excellent fruit from this wine as well as excellent structure.

From the varied terroir in Saint-Sulpice de Faleyrens, Mr. Gonzales has accomplished miraculous things at Longa, and has turned it into one of the more stunning, modern-styled wines of the East Bank. The name “Longa” comes from Occitan (local language) meaning “long”, his parcel is very long and narrow - nearly one kilometre. The harvesters in their native tongue would call it “Longa”. It was exhausting and long to harvest but this parcel has always produced the best wine of this location. Born in 1855, the estate had belonged to the Mallet de Roquefort family, and is located right next door Château Monbousquet - which in 2006 was elevated to St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe. Mr Gonzales is now the proprietor, he owns 4 hectares where he has implemented the use of cement thermo-regulated vatting, a completely green harvest, thining out of the leaves, and Bordeaux pruning. A rising star in St. Emilion.

Two-thirds Merlot, One-third Cabernet Franc, and roughly 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine has all the muscle and grip of the great growths of the right bank. Earthy, leathery and full in body - this wine shows extremely pure Saint-Emilion Merlot varietal character. Heady and aromatic, good concentration, and supported by a firm tannin structure.

Without a doubt and without comparison, Sauternes is the world's greatest sweet white wine. Sauternes is famous for sweet wines such as Yquem, Raymond-Lafon and Rieussec. They are among the best dessert wines in the world. Its prestigious growths and its quality yield fruit of rigor and passion. A microscopic fungus, Botrytis cinerea, transforms the healthy berries of Semillon, Sauvignon, and Muscadette - withering and concentrating them to reveal complex and delicate aromas. Luxurious and feminine, mysterious and divine, and impossible to resist. Château Menota in the tradition of Sauternes grows vines on very diverse soils.

The wine is a clear bright medium deep golden color. It has a pronounced and aromatic nose, fresh, clean with hints of tropical fruit, grapefruit and honey. Full bodied this is a soft luscious wine with hints of peaches and spices on the palate accompanied by a slight orange peel twist. Elegant.

Château Milon, an estate that's been family-run for seven generations, covers 20 hectares, 6.5 hectares of which are part of the Saint-Emilon Grand Cru appellation situated at the base of the slopes. The terroir is very much typical of the appellation, comprised of hard sandstone, lying above clay and iron-rich soil. The vines are painstakingly tended (with farm-compost and manure used as fertilizers). The vines are short-pruned and yields are kept low ( 40 to 45 hectoliters per hectare), the leaves are thinned and green harvesting is carried out in order to obtain optimally ripe grapes at harvest, the key step in the making of a great wine. The wines are bottled at the estate.

A wine of a ruby color of good intensity with shadings ranging from inky-violet to purple and mauve tones at the edge of the glass. A very refined nose - harmonious ripe varietal aromas include blackcurrants, blueberries, Rosés, violets and licorice. Proper barrel aging adds subtle black pepper, light tobacco, cardamom and smoke. Full of substance and freshness, the wine has a round, smooth tannin structure.

One hectare and a half, not more… that means 100 meters long by 150 meters large; a garden in the heart of Pomerol, planted with Merlot, of course. It is from this parcel facing Château Petit Village and near Château Beauregard that they make the few thousand bottles of Château Monregard La Croix every year.

In 1931, Jean Baptiste Audy bought the clayey parcels of Pomerol which today produce the Clos du Clocher but also a great parcel of clayey gravels located at the exit of Pomerol – Catusseau, in the direction of Saint Emilion.

Formerly considered as the second wine of Clos du Clocher with which it shares the technical equipment, Monregard La Croix has today a separate identity: it comes from a well delimited parcel and produces a different expression of the Pomerol appellation. The grape varieties are 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc.

Chateau Pedesclaux has held a 5th Grand Cru Classe distinction since 1855. The vineyard was founded by Mr. Urbain Pierre Pedesclaux in 1810. In 1950 Lucien Jugla, a tenant farmer, purchased Chateau Pedesclaux. The second label of this wine castle (Lucien de Pedesclaux) is named after him. Since 1996, the estate has been administered by his relatives and together they pursue the ultimate goal - quality of fruit and traditional vinification.

50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc 5%. This wine has a beautiful dark ruby hue and an aroma of blackberry with a rich smokiness. There is an amazing concentration of plum and cherry that linger on the palate balanced by tannins that add the Grand Cru Classe finesse.

Grand Plessis is a medieval term meaning enclosed fort or a field naturally enclosed by nature (trees, hedges, etc...). This wine, made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc, came from such a vineyard, protected from harsh winds by old trees. Lively and fresh, the Grand Plessis offers a lovely balance between acidity and fruit, and features flavors of citrus fruit, gooseberry and a slight herbal character.

From a dynamic and forward-thinking estate, Château Prieuré Marquet, which has belonged for several years to the Despujol family, it's not hard to see why it is one of the critics' favorite Bordeaux Superior. The vineyard is planted on the best argilo-limestone and faces directly south, allowing Frederic Despujol to create a wine of resilience and plentitude.

60% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc. A deep nose dominated by earthen fruit notes. A full and fleshy mouthfeel is complemented by meaty and masculine flavors, with a four-square structure and plenty of longevity.

Named after the brightest star in the universe, Sirius is a perennial medal winner in international wine competitions. Produced by the Sichel family of Château Palmer, this wine stretches the boundaries of what is expected of a standard Bordeaux classification. In fact, Sirius is made with the same care and attention that is usually reserved for Grand Cru Classe wines - a strict selection of grapes, the latest vinification techniques, and aging methods. The result is a rich, soft wine with excellent length, and definite aging potential.

Deep, brilliant purple color that reveals an exceptional concentration level. On the nose - it’s very expressive, the body offers good weight with mature black fruits, and a pronounced tannin structure. Sirius combines elegance, finesse, and character.