Wine Journal

Have you tasted Château Figeac? Do you have it in your cellars?  Why do we ask these questions?  Allow us to elaborate.

Unlike the Left Bank classification of Médoc which dates back to 1855, Saint-Émilion revises its classification periodically.  The next revision is slated to be in 2022.  That’s where Château Figeac comes in.  Figeac is one of the estates currently classified as Premiers Grands Crus Classés.  This is a shortlist of 18 producers (out of hundreds) that represent the best of Saint-Émilion.  To be recognized as a member of this group is already quite the honor.  However, the crème de la crème would not be a French expression if we cannot identify a handful few that stand out among peers, nonetheless.  To recognize its best Premiers Grands Crus Classés, Saint-Émilion has its A list: the original two - Château Ausone and Château Cheval Blanc, and the new entrants since 2012 - Château Angélus and Château Pavie.

It has been widely

If you are in Paris, after visiting Arc de Triomphe, a 20-minute stroll down Champs-Élysées will take you to La Réserve Paris, a lovely hotel where you can enjoy either a light or a fancy lunch at the Michelin-starred La Gabriel restaurant.  If you are in the mood for wine, their menu offers a fabulous selection of different vintages from Château Cos d'Estournel.

That is no coincidence.  La Réserve Paris and Château Cos d'Estournel share the same devoted owner, Michel Reybier, who created an intensely intimate and luxurious experience that took luxury spa and hotel to a new level before acquiring the storied estate in Bordeaux.

Happy Father's Day!  If you want to top off your Father's Day gift, here is an idea: Château Canon 2020 is a must-buy of the vintage, a potential 100 point wine, according to more than one wine critic.

(Credit: Château Latour) 

At Château Latour, Cabernet Sauvignon is king.  The estate boasts the most plantings of this regal varietal out of all the First Growths at about 10,000 plants per hectare – that’s over 80% of its vineyard!  The wines of Château Latour possess everything a Cabernet-lover dreams about.  Raw, unbridled power, energy, stunning fruit, and of course – ageability.  Château Latour’s Grand Vin is one of the most age-worthy wines on the market, with the ability to lay down for decades.  

In fact, Latour wines are so robust, that in 2012 Château Latour made the radical decision to eliminate Futures and only release their wines when they were ready to drink.   It’s decisions like these – and many others – that put Château Latour in a league of its own.  The visionaries at this property do not rest on their laurels by any means.  Instead, they focus tirelessly on making innovative choices in their relentless pursuit of a perfect bottle, vintage after

Our selections for March are:

Paul Jaboulet Aîné La Maison Bleue 2016  Last month, we presented Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert.  This month, we bring you another wine from the same producer.  Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aîné is considered one of the jewels of Hermitage, producing beautiful Syrah with unparalleled complexity and intensity.  The vineyards were established almost 200 years ago by Antoine Jaboulet on the slopes of the Rhône Valley.  A small chapel, built in 1235, sits on top of the hill surrounded by vineyards.  The chapel was lived in by a hermit.  Hence, the name for the appellation, Hermitage.  The current winemaker and viticulturist, Caroline Frey, took over operations at the property in 2014 after graduating from Bordeaux University.  She converted Paul Jaboulet Aîné over to biodynamic viticultural practices and installed a 100% gravity-flow vat room.  The wines are truly stunning and continue to improve year after year.  The

We certainly live in interesting times.

Today's top news was not the all-time-high of the stock market.  Rather, it is Christie's auction of an NFT for $69 million.

What is an NFT?  You may ask.  NFT stands for non-fungible token.  It is verified using blockchain technology, and is used as a proof of ownership to digital assets that the owners can replicate and sell copies of, or just look at.

It reminds us of the other non-fungible collectibles with authenticity certified, such as the 2018 Château Lafite Rothschild 150th Anniversary Almanac Case.  In the good old physical world, the quantity of such collectibles is limited, impossible to reproduce, liquid (in the most classical and literal sense), with a dwindling supply every time someone opens a bottle.

Cheers!  May you be blessed in the interesting times we live in.

"... signal the determination of both sides to embark on a fresh start in the relationship"

A week ago, we sent you an update on the 18-months long tariffs war between the US and the EU.  At the time, we paraphrased a wise man: “This, too, shall pass”.  With President Biden having declared his intention to rebuild ties with our traditional European allies, we believed it was a matter of when, not if, the tariffs war would end.
 
Well, it happened sooner than we thought.  Barely a week later, we received the first good news since October 2019 when the last US administration imposed 25% tariffs on French wine, Italian cheese, and Irish whisky (all the good things in life, one could say).  The White House announced the US and the EU just agreed to a 4-month pause in the 18-month long tariffs war, before a lasting trade arrangement is found.  The way we read the tea leaves, the lasting agreement is already under negotiations.
 
Our phone was ringing off the hook, from customers

International Women’s Day is on March 8th - just around the corner.  At Laguna Cellar, we are proud to present wines with connection to several of the many talented and hardworking women in the Bordeaux wine trade. 

Though there are past reports of Bordeaux being a traditionally male dominated industry, more and more women are taking a leadership role in the trade than ever before.  We want to take a moment and share our appreciation for a few outstanding women-run chateaux.  Not only are these women producing knockout wines, but they are also breaking barriers and remaking the image of Bordeaux.  That’s something to be celebrated, particularly around this time of the year!

Over the past 16 years, the US and the EU have been locked in a long running dispute over subsidies to Airbus and Boeing.  In October 2019, under the Trump administration, the US escalated the dispute into a trade war by imposing a 25% import tariff on French wine, Italian cheese, Irish whisky, and a long list of other EU products.  The EU retaliated by imposing tariffs on US export of fish, cheese, cotton, tractors, spirits...  Needless to say, it was an unpleasant time for importers/exporters and consumers of the products involved.  Us included.
After 16 months of tariffs war, avid wine buyers started to notice a gradual reduction in supply and increase in price of imported fine wine.  Some customers have started asking the question: "what's wine got to do with airplanes? will the price continue rising?"

On February 25, WSJ reported, Biden Trade Nominee Seeks Solution for Boeing-Airbus Dispute.  At the Senate confirmation hearing on her nomination, the nominee, Katherine