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Collecting Bordeaux

 

SEVEN-MINUTE READ

 

From prized bottles and once-in-a-lifetime experiences to simple tips on buying better wine, we asked some of our Claret-loving colleagues to share their Bordeaux insights

 

Alexandra Gray de Walden

Account Manager

Alexandra Gray de Walden

Account Manager

Who’s your favourite Bordeaux producer?

Château La Gaffelière. I only discovered them last year, and what an eye-opener it was. It’s not all about big-name châteaux and budget-breaking wines in Bordeaux. La Gaffelière seem to have found that perfect symbiosis of heritage (the family have been on the Right Bank since the 1400s) and modern winemaking. Their grand vin is a real gem for any collector, and their second wine, Clos La Gaffelière, is the ideal “drink now”. It’s a serious wine but with a remarkably approachable exterior.

If you could go back and give yourself one tip for collecting Bordeaux, what would it be?

I should have started with the region’s sweet wines sooner. They are eminently age-worthy, with high acidity. And there’s just something a bit more fun about wines which come in half-bottles, as most of them do. Not to mention that when you get to tasting them, the honeyed citrus-peel and blossom flavours, and that voluptuous mouth-feel are such an indulgent treat.

What’s your go-to second wine?

La Dame de Montrose. This was the first Bordeaux second wine I ever tasted, and I really didn’t know what to expect. I was anticipating some disparity in quality or complexity but was gladly proven wrong. Atypically for a Left Bank wine, it’s predominantly Merlot – a point of difference in and of itself. It was brimming with aromas and flavours of black cherry and blueberry with the slightest hint of leather from its time in bottle.

What’s your best Bordeaux wine memory?

My first glass of Château d’Yquem. I was very new to the wine world and didn’t realise it was going to be sweet, but the moment I smelt that honeyed, dried-apricot nectar, I knew it was something special. What really struck me was the freshness. Many people expect sweet wines to be sickly, but Yquem always manages to retain the vivid, ripe-fruit flavours which are so refreshing. Sadly, I have yet to sample the fabled 2001.

 

Siggi Gunnlaugsson

Wine & Spirits Advisor

Siggi Gunnlaugsson

Wine & Spirits Advisor

Who’s your favourite Bordeaux producer?

Château Cos d’Estournel. One of my favourite tastings featured the 1983 Cos along with some other Bordeaux and Super Tuscans. That Cos towered over the others.

If you could go back and give yourself one tip for collecting Bordeaux, what would it be?

In 2008, I was thinking about buying 2000 Château Mouton Rothschild, but I didn’t. It was about £140 at the time. And then the economic crash happened.

What do you wish more people knew about Bordeaux?

The diversity between the different appellations, which people only see when they taste them side-by-side. Too many people think that all Bordeaux’s appellations taste the same – but that’s what we are here for.

What’s your go-to second wine?

Les Tourelles de Longueville, from Château Pichon Baron. It’s always such a good value and the quality is very consistent.

What do you wish more people knew about Bordeaux?

The diversity between the different appellations, which people only see when they taste them side-by-side. Too many people think that all Bordeaux’s appellations taste the same – but that’s what we are here for.

Where can you find value in Bordeaux today?

The northern Médoc. Look at estates like Château Potensac, owned by the Delon family of Château Léoville Las Cases. These are great-value wines.

What’s your best Bordeaux wine memory?

My friends and I have a little wine club, and we shared a bottle of 1964 Château Pichon Baron. It was still alive and kicking. Simply put, it was beautiful.

 

Philip Moulin

Fine Wine Authentication Manager

Philip Moulin

Fine Wine Authentication Manager

Who’s your favourite Bordeaux producer?

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste. I’m kicking myself for writing this because “GPL”, as it is known, has long been a trade secret – and for some reason, this fantastic property remains just under the radar. Every year, they produce wines which challenge the finest in Pauillac, if not the whole of Bordeaux. Meticulously made by a charmingly modest and understated family, the Bories, this is the epitome of all that is great about Bordeaux.

What’s your favourite appellation?

It has to be Pauillac. It’s the benchmark for the whole of the Médoc. It has, arguably, the finest terroir for Cabernet Sauvignon in the world, and not for nothing are three of the five First Growths found here. True, the wines of Margaux can be more charming on occasion. And St Julien is certainly more consistent across the board. But for me, Pauillac remains unchallenged for the top spot.

What’s your best Bordeaux wine memory?

Bordeaux has been enormously important to me, and some of my fondest memories are linked to the wines, and the region.

1988 Château Figeac

I remember waking up on a friend’s living-room floor with a half-drunk bottle beside my head. It followed an instructive night of learning the basics of blind tasting; I had an exam the following day (I somehow passed). To this day, Figeac remains my benchmark for how St Emilion should taste.

2003 Château Latour

This was an extraordinary wine from the heatwave vintage of 2003. A group of us tasted at the château in 2004 and left the tasting room in silence. As we climbed back into the van, there was a collective sigh. With one accord we all said, “I have got to buy a case of that.” With hindsight, I’m relieved that I couldn’t afford a case on release; the 2003 is not a classic by any means. But at that moment, it was the most remarkable wine any of us had tasted.

2001 Château d’Yquem

I first tasted this one summer’s evening at a friend’s house; it was spellbinding. It’s one of the most ethereal wines in the world.

“To this day, Ch. Figeac remains my benchmark for how St Emilion should taste”

- Philip Moulin, Fine Wine Authentication Manager

Rob Whitehead

Spirits Buyer

Rob Whitehead

Spirits Buyer

Which bottle of Bordeaux has pride of place in your cellar?

Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2005, the last bottle from a case I bought En Primeur in my first few months working at Berry Bros. & Rudd. It was far too delicious in youth and thus most of the bottles succumbed before their true “peak”. I am resolute that this last one will see its 20th birthday.

Who’s your favourite Bordeaux producer?

Château Haut-Brion, for their unstinting excellence in both white and red. Quiet, self-assured magnificence, year-in and year-out.

If you could go back and give yourself one tip for collecting Bordeaux, what would it be?

Buy 2008s upon release during the global recession – they were extremely keenly priced.

What’s your favourite appellation?

Pomerol. It’s always hard to find; it’s never the cheapest bottle on the shelf. But when it’s lusciously on form, it’s hard to beat.

What’s your best Bordeaux wine memory?

Drinking 1995 Haut-Brion on my very first day working at Berry Bros. & Rudd. We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto!

 

Henrietta Gullifer

Account Manager

Henrietta Gullifer

Account Manager

What’s your most vivid Bordeaux wine memory?

When I first started out in the business, I tasted a 1990 Petrus. It was revelatory and, despite the age, the balance between pure fruit and savoury notes won me over to the uniqueness of the region.

If you could give your younger self one tip for collecting, what would it be?

I should have purchased more 2016 En Primeur. But other than that, buying larger quantities of some of the best-value wines, like Château Batailley and Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste. Buying Bordeaux is a game of patience, but it can be so rewarding being able to frequently pull out something from your cellar to enjoy now rather than just waiting for a special occasion.

What’s your go-to second wine?

I’m a big fan of La Dame de Montrose. Not only does it have a place in my heart as one of the first Bordeaux wines I ever tasted, almost 15 years ago, it also has remarkable longevity for a second wine. This Christmas, I opened a 2009 and it was really at its peak.

Where can you find value in Bordeaux today?

Look out for châteaux which are linked through consultants or ownership to big names. For example, the owners of Château Calon Ségur also own Pomerol’s Château Vray Croix de Gay, St Emilion’s Château Le Prieuré and Château Siaurac in Lalande-de-Pomerol – having bought them in 2020 from the owners of Château Latour, no less. At these estates and others like them, the stream of quality from the owner runs through at a competitive price.

Which bottle of Bordeaux has pride of place in your cellar?

I was lucky enough to get a case of 2016 Château La Gaffelière when it was at a slightly lower price. After their revamp in 2014, the popularity of this fantastic St Emilion producer is growing – and I expect big things to come. The wine is completely delicious, of course; I’m looking forward to drinking it in a decade or so.