Jonathan Maltus, producer of cult St.-Emilion Grand Cru Le Dome, released his inaugural 2008 Napa Valley wines last week under the brand name “World’s End,” an homage to the American wine lover. The red wines range from exclusive single-vineyard cabernet sauvignon wines from Oakville to regional Napa Valley wines.
Making Napa Valley wines was a natural move for Maltus, who was born to be a man of the world. Although English by citizenship, he comes from a family of expatriates going back to the …

Stephane Derenoncourt, deemed the “world’s hottest winemaker” by Wine Spectator last November, will release his 2007 Derenoncourt California wines at a dinner and fundraiser for Wine to Water at Las Vegas restaurant Twist by Pierre Gagnaire on March 3rd.
Wine to Water is an international aid organization that seeks to help the more than 1 billion people in the world who don’t have access to adequate or sanitary water, leading to water-related childhood deaths every 20 seconds.  To date, they have helped communities in …

Domaine Clarence Dillon is the holding company of Premier Grand Cru Classe Chateau Haut-Brion as well as for the branded wine, Clarendelle, launched in 2005.  In the 75th anniversary year of Clarence Dillon’s acquisition of Chateau Haut-Brion, I had the chance to speak to Prince Robert of Luxembourg, President of Domaine Clarence Dillon, about the future the Bordeaux and the role of brands.

Chateau Haut-Brion, one of the five premier cru classes and arguably the first grand cru classe, has always demonstrated it is first-in-class.  The only 1855 grand cru classe …

HRH Prince Robert of Luxembourg was in Los Angeles Wednesday for the 7th of 8 grand dinners being held around the world celebrating the 75th anniversary of the acquistion of Bordeaux’s first grand cru classe Chateau Haut-Brion by his great grandfather, American investment banker Clarence Dillon.  The lavish dinner held at the Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles was prepared by Chef Thomas Keller of Napa Valley’s French Laundry for an exclusive group of wine lovers, industry tastemakers and the creative elite including Jennifer Aniston, Marg Helgenberger, Quincy Jones and Adrien Brody.
Clarence …

Iconic Bordeaux consultant and winemaker Stephane Derenoncourt introduced his small, 1,500 case production Napa Valley wines to an intimate group of wine professionals at Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford today.  The wines represent the 2006 vintages of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, and 575 cases of Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Hills Vineyard.  The consumer allocations of the 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc have been pre-sold, with the 2007 vintages expected to be released sometime between September and November. 
These are not Bordeaux-style wines but …

The inaugural Wine Entre Femme trade tasting of over 50 international wines by female winemakers/owners will take place on February 2nd  at the Metropolitan Club, 640 Sutter Street, San Francisco from 1 – 4 pm.  Founder Sharon Harris calls the trade tasting “the most beautiful wine tasting in the world” tongue-in-cheek, but there is no question that it is the most beautiful if measured by quality.  The trade seems to recognize this as the rsvps are already more than three times larger than expected.  According to Carissa Chappellet, only winemakers and/or …

Wine Entre Femme, a consortium of quality-minded female winemakers and winery owners from around the world will be meeting next week in the Napa Valley to share best practices and learn the latest in viticulture, winemaking and marketing techniques.
Wine Entre Femme has grown organically from its inception in 2007, with the first official meeting between Napa Valley and Bordeaux winemakers in January 2008.  The group was organized by founder Sharon Harris, owner with her husband of Amici Cellars in Napa Valley.  Having a second home in Bordeaux and knowing many …

The good news is that inexpensive, everyday Bordeaux wines are widely available in the US, ranging from under $10 to $25.  The major names to look for on the label are: 

Basic Bordeaux red, rose, white, semi-sweet and sparkling wines, from the greater Bordeaux region.  Reds predominantly merlot and whites predominantly sauvignon blanc.  Bordeaux  and Bordeaux Superieure appellations represent about half of the 60 million or so cases the region produces each year.  Bordeaux Superieure requires slightly higher minimum potential alcohol, slightly lower yields/hectare and for the red wines, longer minimum ageing of …

Today’s global wine is market is in net oversupply, but in specific markets, it is still growing.  The US is the world’s leading wine consumer by value and growing.  According to the 2009 Impact Databank, Americans are buying more of the big “brands” – the everyday, fruit-driven, easy-drinking and inexpensive wines.  In Germany, demand exceeds supply by 2 to 1, at average prices of a meager €2.00/liter primarily purchased at discount chains.  Over the past 25 years, demand has shifted from sweeter whites to red wines.  Asia is the fastest growing market and the major …

Last week I tasted through quite a lot of wine in Bordeaux!  Here are some of the whites which show the range of sauvignon blanc wines made today in Bordeaux.
2007 Chateau du Cros, Bordeaux AOC.  This chateau is also known for its sweet wines from the Loupiac appellation, just on the other side of the Garonne river on the right bank.  This dry white is typical of the modern, fruit-driven, clean and sleek wines made today.  90% sauvignon blanc, 10% semillon, some skin contact and cool 16-18 celsius ferment temperatures result …