Jane Anson’s Post

Now in its 8th year, it has become something of a tradition for me to kick off the En Primeur season with an article checking up on the goings on in Bordeaux, and to share news that should help us all to understand what vineyard or estate changes could have an impact on the final wines. It's always one of my favourite articles to write, providing a useful barometer and background for me also as I head into the crucial tastings of these in-barrel wines. Sometimes they are dramatic changes - owners who have passed away, for example (this year that includes Philippe Raoux and Stephen Adams), or châteaux sales that will see a drastic change of style (surely that will be the case with Cos Labory going to Cos d'Estournel). Other times it is new wines entirely - there are a few fresh faces round Bordeaux for the 2023 vintage, and you're going to see Entre deux Mers red wines for the first time - or anniversaries that will almost certainly mean special bottlings, such as 100 years of the Thienpont family at Vieux Château Certan. Whatever you are looking for, it is essential reading, bringing you bang up to date with what's going on in Bordeaux, and helping you make purchasing decisions - or just lead the conversation during tastings! Come join, this #newcontentthursday, for our unrivalled En Primeur content. And remember we are entirely reader-funded, so if you like what we do, please do think of subscribing, or recommend a friend. We are running a special En Primeur offer to save 10% off the cost of our first year subscription. Just use the code SAVE10 during signup. #winecritic #insidebordeaux #enprimeur #ep2023 #bordeauxwine #bordeauxenprimeur #winenews #bordeauxwinenews #newcontentthursdays #wineeducation #cosdestournel #coslabory #newwineries #newwines #winelaunches

The 10 Most Expensive Wines in the World Few things in the world improve in quality and value with age. Aged wine is one of those things, defined by elegance, rarity and finesse. If you are drawn to the thrill of owning something truly one of a kind, this niche market will certainly appeal to you. We’ve all heard the expression “aging like a fine wine,” so you may not be surprised to learn seven of the 10 most expensive wines in the world are from 1947 or earlier. That includes three bottles that date back to the 18th century. No need to check the “best before” date. Rank  Wine   Year   Country          Price 1         Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Grand Cru   1945   France $558,000 2         Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon         1992   United States $500,000 3         Jeroboam of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild    1945   France $310,700 4         Cheval Blanc 1947   France $304,375 5         Château Lafite 1869   France $230,000 6         Château Margaux      1787   France $225,000 7         Ampoule from Penfolds, Block-42 Cabernet Sauvignon      2004   Australia         $168,000 8         Chateau Lafite Rothschild     1787   France $156,450 9         Henri Jayer, Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux        1999   France $136,955 10       Massandra Sherry de la Frontera     1775   Spain  $43,500 France leads the way for luxury wines What conclusions can we draw from the list? We all already knew that they like their wine in France, so the fact they produce the most expensive wines around won’t come as a huge shock. Seven of the top ten most expensive wines ever sold hail from France, although special mention must go to the United States’ own Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon, made in Napa Valley in 1992. Only 175 cases were produced at a time when Screaming Eagle Cabernet hadn’t yet established itself as a premium wine producer. #wine #winelovers #winenews #wineinvestment #vintagewines #topwines #wineauction #frenchwines #bordeaux #bordeauxwines #winetrends

The 10 Most Expensive Wines in the World Few things in the world improve in quality and value with age. Aged wine is one of those things, defined by elegance, rarity and finesse. If you are drawn to the thrill of owning something truly one of a kind, this niche market will certainly appeal to you. We’ve all heard the expression “aging like a fine wine,” so you may not be surprised to learn seven of the 10 most expensive wines in the world are from 1947 or earlier. That includes three bottles that date back to the 18th century. No need to check the “best before” date. Rank  Wine   Year   Country          Price 1         Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Grand Cru   1945   France $558,000 2         Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon         1992   United States $500,000 3         Jeroboam of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild    1945   France $310,700 4         Cheval Blanc 1947   France $304,375 5         Château Lafite 1869   France $230,000 6         Château Margaux      1787   France $225,000 7         Ampoule from Penfolds, Block-42 Cabernet Sauvignon      2004   Australia         $168,000 8         Chateau Lafite Rothschild     1787   France $156,450 9         Henri Jayer, Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux        1999   France $136,955 10       Massandra Sherry de la Frontera     1775   Spain  $43,500 France leads the way for luxury wines What conclusions can we draw from the list? We all already knew that they like their wine in France, so the fact they produce the most expensive wines around won’t come as a huge shock. Seven of the top ten most expensive wines ever sold hail from France, although special mention must go to the United States’ own Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon, made in Napa Valley in 1992. Only 175 cases were produced at a time when Screaming Eagle Cabernet hadn’t yet established itself as a premium wine producer. #wine #winelovers #winenews #wineinvestment #vintagewines #topwines #wineauction #frenchwines #bordeaux #bordeauxwines #winetrends

Since 2000, there have been many more great Bordeaux vintages than weak ones, with the latter merely speed bumps rather than write-offs. The bottom rung of vintages—2002, 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2013—show us how far Bordeaux has come in managing poorer harvests, while serious benchmarks such as 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018 keep raising the bar. Even the overlooked in-between vintages are good. It’s been a very blessed run, all in all. Then comes 2021. Juxtaposed against the recent trio of 2018, 2019 and 2020, the 2021 vintage isn’t just a speed bump. It’s the jagged teeth of the tire barrier that guards the entrance to the parking garage, providing a jarring experience even if you try to take it slow. My annual Bordeaux tasting report is online now (click the linkin.bio). And no, once again the first growths didn’t have the courage of their convictions, as they declined to submit their wines for blind tasting… https://lnkd.in/eSsW2Q4M

“Ever Wondered What It’s Really Like to Work on a Bordeaux Vineyard?” Decanter Magazine’s recent edition had an article on “The Problem With Bordeaux And How To Fix It” which included five suggestions; adieu to the word “chateau”, find a different bottle (shape), tell your story, make some new wines and look for holdings in other regions. In my humble opinion, this article missed the big picture problems currently facing Bordeaux; overstock, overproduction and exploitive buying practices by middlemen. Perhaps the article was more targeted at the high priced Bordeaux wines (whom I affectionately refer to as the “Gods of Wine” who only make up <5% of Bordeaux total production). Bordeaux is synonymous with tradition, craftsmanship, and, above all, quality. Yet, in today’s world, wine lovers are seeking more than the label’s prestige; they want a story, a connection, and a genuine sense of place. We are dedicated to preserving what makes Bordeaux unique while embracing what will keep it relevant. So based on the suggestion of “tell your story”, I present in this post a simple (authentic) video on what it is like working inside a wine vat removing grape skins after fermentation is completed (and it is not glamorous). #wine #vineyards #redwine #winelover

2023 Bordeaux En Primeur Prior to the campaign, there was plenty of speculation that the wines might be priced to sell in response to overall global and wine market conditions, and an acknowledgment that previous en primeur campaigns had failed to generate sufficient interest. That was confirmed yesterday when we saw Leoville Las Cases released 40% lower than last year, followed by Pontet Canet down by 27%. William Kelley (Wine Advocate) notes that, if other chateaux follow suit, “consumers will have the opportunity to acquire exceptional wines for an attractive price.” Much has already been written about the 2023 vintage so we won’t go into too much detail here. In short, it is a return to the classic, Atlantic influenced vintages of the past, coupled with advances and innovations in both the vineyard and the cellar that has seen the quality of the wines pushed to an all-time high. Neal Martin (Vinous) notes that “plenty of wines merit serious attention”. He adds that “the best 2023s are intensely aromatic and perfumed. Many wines are marked by bright acids, red-toned fruit and linear, vibrant tannins.” Kelley thinks that “the best 2023s are just as exciting as the best 2022s.” However, the most interesting thing from a consumer’s perspective is that “the 2023s may be released at prices as interesting as any we have seen since 2019.” As ever, we will be highlighting releases that we think look attractive either from an absolute quality or relative value perspective. Please let us know if you would like to be notified about Chateau Lafite when it is released on Thursday – or anything else for that matter. www.burnettandherbert.com #EnPrimeur #Bordeaux #FineWine #Investment #Lafite #Bdx23 #Bdx2023 #WineAdvocate #Vinous #Lafite #BurnettandHerbert

Latour 2005 vs Latour 2009 It is not every day that I open two bottles of the same Chateau in different vintages, especially one of my favorite First Growths. Comparing two vintages of Chateau Latour, such as 2005 and 2009, is tricky as both have similarities. Yet, they are distinctively and intrinsically different. Both were solar vintages with high temperatures and dry, hot growing seasons, which produced ripe, rich, layered, and concentrated wines. These conditions could have resulted in high alcohol, unbalanced, or cooked wines. Fortunately, some cool nights and enough rain at the right time provided juiciness, balance, and freshness while preventing drought and overripeness, resulting in wines combining complexity and depth with great aging potential. Ultimately, 2005 was an excellent vintage that produced some fantastic wines, while 2009 is considered a legendary vintage that produced stellar wines. This might explain the 200+ Euro price difference between the two. On Wine Searcher, Chateau Latour 2005 starts at around 680 Euros, and Latour 2009 starts at around 870 Euros, and it shows in the glass. [...] You have only read half of this article. If you are interested in the wine description and tasting notes, you can read the full article on my blog at www.ledomduvin.com (link in bio). Cheers! Santé! Dom @ledomduvin #ledomduvin #chateaulatour #latour #latourpauillac #pauillac #bordeaux #redwine #grandcru #premiergrandcru #firstgrowth #tastingnotes #winecomparison #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob #wineyearly

🍷 Being one of, if not the first, virtual wine tasting experiences is something we are incredibly proud of. 🙅♂️ No VC funding. 🙅♂️ No investors. ✔ Just sweat equity and long hours. Here is another topic we pride ourselves on: selecting wines that you can buy. ⬅ 🚫 We will never work with a set four-pack of wine or small samplers. That's too limiting. What fun is there in that? 🚫We won't work with a few key wineries only or cloak our tastings into a general tasting when it's really a tasting for a specific distributor. 🚫We won't hold an event and require your guests to purchase a set amount of wines. 🚫We don't sell wine. 💜 After thousands of events, our clients continue to tell us how much they appreciate the care we take in selecting wines that can be purchased at a retailer or online. Of course, this varies by state laws or distributors. 👊 There you have it. We will continue to operate as we have since Day 1. Navigating the world of wine is incredibly daunting, with so many rules and regulations that will make your head spin. But it's important to us to introduce as many varietals and price points to our customers. Thanks for the years of support, everyone! We are exciting to host these upcoming Spring events with you! https://lnkd.in/g6nmsaXr hello@bottlesnation.com #wineevents #virtualwineevent #winetasting #wine #sommelier

The 10 Most Expensive Wines in the World Few things in the world improve in quality and value with age. Aged wine is one of those things, defined by elegance, rarity and finesse. If you are drawn to the thrill of owning something truly one of a kind, this niche market will certainly appeal to you. We’ve all heard the expression “aging like a fine wine,” so you may not be surprised to learn seven of the 10 most expensive wines in the world are from 1947 or earlier. That includes three bottles that date back to the 18th century. No need to check the “best before” date. Rank  Wine   Year   Country          Price 1         Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Grand Cru   1945   France $558,000 2         Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon         1992   United States $500,000 3         Jeroboam of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild    1945   France $310,700 4         Cheval Blanc 1947   France $304,375 5         Château Lafite 1869   France $230,000 6         Château Margaux      1787   France $225,000 7         Ampoule from Penfolds, Block-42 Cabernet Sauvignon      2004   Australia         $168,000 8         Chateau Lafite Rothschild     1787   France $156,450 9         Henri Jayer, Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux        1999   France $136,955 10       Massandra Sherry de la Frontera     1775   Spain  $43,500 France leads the way for luxury wines What conclusions can we draw from the list? We all already knew that they like their wine in France, so the fact they produce the most expensive wines around won’t come as a huge shock. Seven of the top ten most expensive wines ever sold hail from France, although special mention must go to the United States’ own Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon, made in Napa Valley in 1992. Only 175 cases were produced at a time when Screaming Eagle Cabernet hadn’t yet established itself as a premium wine producer. #wine #winelovers #winenews #wineinvestment #vintagewines #topwines #wineauction #frenchwines #bordeaux #bordeauxwines #winetrends

When subject matter expertise meets necessity. That's how Michael Bottigliero and I created the online experience for wine tastings and more. His deep client base and my years of building digital things merged to create something pretty fantastic. And we are both Generation X. We built the concept and processes. >The virtual side of Bottles Nation led to 1,000 events in the first 10 months >For close to two years, we were the sole source of income for many out of work beverage experts around the country. >We created a million dollar business by taking what we knew and applying digital tools to make it something new. If you are a GenXer, you have loads of experience in a field that can be shifted to something else - you just may not know it yet. #genx #midlife #midcareer