Paris1972-Versailles2003

So let me tell you a bit about Bordeaux wines! huh! wait the title says Saint Emilion !!!  Yes, a bit of French international confusion. The whole area around the city of Bordeaux which covers a huge area can be call Bordeaux wines in its genetic form. Then, you have areas that can use their respective names for the better wines according to INAO the French wine regulatory agency in charge of guarding this National heritage ,indeed! This instroduction will be on my black and white series, no pictures, Hope you enjoy it as I.

I will tell you my five cents on the Saint Emilion wines that are on the right bank of the Dordogne river.  The town of Saint Emilion is in the Gironde department 33 in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is about 48 km from Bordeaux, The oldest economic entity and very related to wines here is the Jurade , established in 1199 by Jean sans Terre, king of England. There were designated to delegates economic ,political, and judicial power, as well as nobles, and magistrates to guide the general administration of the town that was part of England at the time. In 1948, the winegrowers within the vineyards syndicate/union brought back the jurade in the form of a confrérie(brotherhood)  that becomes the ambassador of the wines of Saint Emilion in all the world. It is composed of 54 juras, it is administered by the Council of the Jurade which has 12 members including the 1st Jurat, the cleric, the great treasurer, the great baker, the churchwarden ,who is the master of ceremonies.

I must confess I am a Bordeaux specialist if can say such a word with humility. I am diplomé on the wines of France and Spain, and have visited major houses in all major wine areas of the world, including some now never heard of like Yugoslavian and Cuban wines!  However, the Saint Emilion wines are not my favorite due to their over abundance of the Merlot (up to 79%); even if also use the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc (Bouchet here). Also, in minority of Malbec, petit Verdot and Carménère.

A bit on what is a Saint Emilion. It is dedicated to red wines, the vineyard of Saint-Émilion extends over 7500 hectares (18530 acres) around the village of the same name, on the right bank of the Dordogne river. The Saint-Émilion appellation is divided into two quality levels: the Saint-Émilions “Grand Cru” and the Simple Saint-Émilions. The latter can be produced throughout the territory of the appellation. They are simply subject to a quality label that is less demanding than the wines that aspire to the term “Grand cru”. In general, they are simpler wines and easier to access in their youth.   The term “Grand Cru” is considered to be a full-fledged appellation. The conditions for getting it are more stringent. Very heterogeneous in its production. The ranking of Saint-Émilion was born a century after the historical ranking of the Médoc wines, in 1955. This nomenclature consists of three categories: first Grands crus classified “A”, first grands crus classified “B” and grands Crus classified. Contrary to the ranking of 1855. Thereafter, really into two with some exceptional name with an « A » , The Saint-Émilion is revisable every ten years, with the latest middle of this year 2022.

The 82 crus in the AOC Saint-Émilion classification, The 2012 classification names 82 estates: 64 Grands Crus classés and 18 Premiers Grands Crus classés.

Premiers Grands Crus Classés: Château Angélus (A) ,Château Ausone (A) ,Château Beau-Séjour (héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse) ,Château Beau-Séjour-Bécot ,Château Bél Air-Monange ,Château Canon ,Château Canon la Gaffelière ,Château Cheval Blanc (A) ,Château Figeac ,Clos Fourtet ,Château la Gaffelière ,,Château Larcis Ducasse ,,La Mondotte ,Château Pavie (A) ,,Château Pavie Macquin ,,Château Troplong Mondot ,,Château Trottevieille et Château Valandraud,

Grands Crus Classés : Château l’Arrosée ,Château Balestard la Tonnelle ,Château Barde-Haut ,,Château Bellefont-Belcier ,,Château Bellevue,, Château Berliquet ,Château Cadet-Bon, Château Cap de Mourlin,, Château le Chatelet ,,Château Chauvin, Château Clos de Sarpe ,,Château la Clotte ,,Château la Commanderie ,Château Corbin ,,Château Côte de Baleau, Château la Couspaude, Château Dassault ,Château Destieux ,Château la Dominique, Château Faugères, Château Faurie de Souchard ,Château de Ferrand, Château Fleur Cardinale, Château La Fleur Morange Mathilde, Château Fombrauge ,Château Fonplégade ,Château Fonroque, Château Franc Mayne, Château Grand Corbin, Château Grand Corbin-Despagne, Château Grand Mayne, Château les Grandes Murailles, Château Grand-Pontet ,Château Guadet, Château Haut Sarpe, Clos des Jacobins, Couvent des Jacobins ,Château Jean Faure, Château Laniote,Château Larmande ,Château Laroque ,Château Laroze Clos la Madeleine ,Château la Marzelle, Château Monbousquet, Château Moulin du Cadet,, Clos de l’Oratoire, Château Pavie Decesse, Château Peby Faugères, Château Petit Faurie de Soutard, Château de Pressac, Château le Prieuré, Château Quinault l’Enclos,, Château Ripeau, Château Rochebelle ,Château Saint-Georges-Cote-Pavie ,Clos Saint-Martin ,Château Sansonnet ,Château la Serre, Château Soutard, Château Tertre Daugay ,Château la Tour Figeac ,Château Villemaurine,et  Château Yon-Fig

Then, you have others a bit down the ladder but equally good indeed such as those from Lussac Saint Emilion and Puisseguin Saint Emilion. And what is going on in the vineyards of France lately and especially in Saint Emilion, well many buys and sells going on and even by foreigners. Therefore, watch out the landscape of French wines are blending well to the world; after all the world simply copy our grapes, production methods, vinification, and marketing lol! In five years, 25% of the 82 Crus Classés from Saint-Emilion have changed hands.

The official Saint Emilion appellation on their wines : https://vins-saint-emilion.com/en/our-wines-2/

The official Wines of Bordeaux on Saint Emilion : https://www.bordeaux.com/us/Our-Terroir/Classifications/Grands-Crus-de-Saint-Emilion

The official INAO : https://www.inao.gouv.fr/eng/

The town of Saint Emilion on its heritage/tourism info : https://www.saint-emilion.org/decouvrir-la-ville/office-de-tourisme

There you go folks, another nice wine from Bordeaux, but totally different , this is Saint Emilion. Take a look at the niche wines here and hope you enjoy the post as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health,and many cheers to all !!!

I admit right off the bat, this would be the least experience with as the region is mostly whites and I am mostly red. However, over the years I have my share of Alsacian wines and even done a bit of the wine route of Alsace. I like to update this older post, now that I am more inclined to write about one of my favorite hobbies, wine drinking, Therefore, let me tell you a bit of the wines of Alsace! Hope you enjoy it as I.

The Alsatian vineyard is a long ribbon 170 km long, located at the foot of the Vosges massif, which stretches from Marlenheim in the north to Thann in the south, completed by a wine-growing island on the border of Germany, around Wissembourg and of Cleebourg.  In 1828, the vineyard thus extended over 30,000 hectares (ha) , but competition from wines from the south and phylloxera in the second half of the 19C and then the world wars of the 20C led to a long process of decline, In 1948, the vineyard had only 9,500 ha. Today, the vineyard covers more than 15,000 ha, a quarter of sales being exported; and ironically mostly to Germany. Recognised in 1962, today the protected designation of origin AOC Alsace represents ‘ over 70% of the production including 90% of white wines. In 2011, AOC Alsace was supplemented with two geographical names: the Communales (villages) and the Lieux-dits (localities).

The majority of Alsatian wines are dry whites (around 80%), aromatic, fruity and floral, well typified by their grape variety. Most of the wines come from a single grape variety, with the exception of a few grands crus (Kaefferkopf or Altenberg for example), crémant and edelzwicker. Frequent, on the label, the mention of the grape variety is not mandatory. Recognized in 1984, the Alsatian “late harvest” and “selections of noble grains” are sweet wines from overripe harvests and subject to very strict production conditions, particularly with regard to the sugar level of the grapes. There are also 51 grands crus in Alsace, corresponding to terroirs defined according to geological and climatic criteria, and meeting strict production and development criteria (limited yields, manual harvesting, use of limited grape varieties, etc). Finally, Alsace is at the top of the production of crémants (sparklers méthode champenoise) in France.

The grapes are  Riesling, the driest of Alsace wines. The Sylvaner, dry, fruity and fresh.  The Gewurztraminer, full-bodied and fruity. The Pinot Blanc, all in balance Pinot Gris, ample and fragrant. The Pinot Noir, the only red of Alsace wines, Light, dry and delicately fruity, is drunk chilled and replaces the usual summer rosé. Crémant, festive and sparkling from Pinot blanc, Pinot noir or Riesling, Crémant d´Alsace is a sparkling wine. Muscat d ‘Alsace comes from the assembly or not of three varieties of muscat: white muscat with small grains, pink muscat with small grains and muscat Ottonel.  Only the Alsace wine called either “Edelzwicker”, or “Zwicker” or “Gentil” is a white wine made from the assembly of white grape varieties. The AOP Alsace, AOP Alsace Grand Cru, which has 51 identified terroirs, and finally, for sweet and syrupy wines, Vendanges tardives (VT) and Sélections de grains nobles (SGN).

The latest tasting ratings shows  2016 excellent, 2017 good, 2018 very good, 2019 excellent., 2020 very good, and 2021 good.

The wines of the Bas-Rhin are, by nature, more discreet than those of the Haut-Rhin. They can sometimes reach peaks of finesse (terroir d’Andlau) or power (terroir de Barr), The Haut-Rhin crus the northern part of the department, from Bergheim to Kaysersberg, produces the most balanced and attractive Alsace wines. The Rieslings are the finest and most distinguished, the Pinot Gris and the Gewürztraminers more elegant than powerful. The Alsace appellation may or may not be followed by the name of one of the authorized grape varieties. In this case, the wine is vinified exclusively from grapes of this variety. Blended wines are also classified under this appellation. The Alsace grand cru count 51 terroirs can claim the Grand Cru appellation. And four noble grape varieties can access this level of terroir: Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer. The sylvaner can also be authorized, but only on the terroir of Zotzenberg. And the Altenberg de Bergheim and Kaefferkopf terroirs can claim the Grand Cru appellation even if they come from a blend of defined and regulated noble grape varieties. The Alsace late harvest (VT) and Alsace selection of noble grains (SGN) are the top of the quality, thanks to a strict control of the grape and the wine, subjected to a compulsory tasting. VTs are made from grapes rich in natural sugar and generally retain some residual sugar. SGNs, as their name suggests, are made from grapes enriched with noble rot and rival the greatest sweet wines in the world., The Crémant d’Alsace are sparkling wines, produced using techniques identical to those used for champagne. An appellation in constant progression.

 I like to show some of my latest tasted into the world of Alsace wines chez moi !

My wonderful red Klipfel Pinot Noir: produces rustic, light wines that give off aromas of cherry, cranberry, strawberry and raspberry with supple, smooth tannins. Pinot Noir in Alsace is required by law to be bottled in tall flute-shape bottles, just like the white wines produced in the region. Webpage: https://www.klipfel.com/en/family-house.html

Louis Hauller Family.  A pale gold color, limpid and brilliant Riesling 2012. A nuanced nose revealing aromas of white flowers, citrus fruits and mineral notes. Its attack on the palate is lively with fresh acidity. In the mid-palate, a nice volume with these mineral notes that we found on the nose. webpage: https://www.famillehauller.com/en/

Wolfberger is cooperative whose history dates back to 1902 with the grouping of winegrowers around the cellars of Eguisheim and Dambach-la-Ville. Wolfberger continues its development and counts, in 2021, 420 vine growers members of the cooperative and more of 1200 ha of vineyard. Produced from the seven Alsatian grape varieties (Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sylvaner and Muscat d’Alsace). It also produces wines from localities producing Appellation Alsace Grand Cru wines which include: Rangen, Pfersigberg, Eichberg, Kirchberg-de-barr, Steinert, Ollwiller, Steingrubler, Mandelberg, Hatschbourg, Hengst, Florimont, Pfingstberg , Spiegel, Muenchberg, and Frankstein. Also produces and markets AOC Crémants d’Alsace. In addition to wines and crémants, Wolfberger also produces Eaux-de-Vie and Liqueurs. These range from traditional eaux-de-vie, such as Mirabelle or Raspberry, to innovative liqueurs such as the NEO range of liqueurs. I have tried what you see in the bottles ! Webpage: https://www.wolfberger.com/en/

The official wines of Alsace on its wine routes: https://www.vinsalsace.com/en/vignoble-route-des-vins/

The wines routes of Alsace : https://www.wineroute.alsace/wine-of-alsace/

The Alsace tourist board on the wine routes: https://www.visit.alsace/en/the-alsace-wine-route/

There you go folks, a dandy selection of Alsace, and some small introduction to the wines of Alsace. We do love wines, and its shows in my blog. Hope you the Alsace wines and this post as I !

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!