Peybonhomme 2020 Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux Quintessence

This year's Quintessence from the famille Hubert's estate in the Cotes de Bordeaux is composed of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon from beautiful biodynamically farmed vines on clay limestone soils.  The nose is dense and ripe on opening, showing ripe cassis, blackberry and raspberry, with hints of warming spice. With time open, the wine shows increasingly complex aromatic qualities, with more tobacco and earth coming through by hour 4 or 5. On the palate, the fruit is again ripe and dense, with cassis liqueur, ripe blackberry, and black cherry balanced by bristly tannins and limestone minerality on the long finish. After some time open, the palate leans more towards cacao and earth, but the ripe fruit remains dominant. A pleasure now with butter basted rib eye steak or roast beef, it will certainly improve over the next 10 to 15 years...

Grolet 2021 Côtes de Bourg "Origines"

Chateau La Grolet has been certified organic and Biodynamic since 2000. Double Guyot pruning, spontaneous winter grass cover. Soil tillage during the spring, every other row ploughed. Treatments combining small quantities of Bordeaux mixture with herbal teas such as horsetail or nettle. The blend is 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet-Franc, 5% Malbec.  The Hubert family's great farming creates this sensational value Bordeaux which is truly a subtle, complex and profound wine. The 2021 shows a bright garnet color and very pretty aromas of wild berries, violet and rose petal. The palate is really lovely with pure black raspberry and cassis fruit in a light, elegant frame - at 12% alcohol the wine is quite pure and refreshing, a perfect Bordeaux for summer sipping or with lighter grilled foods. Serve a bit cool and enjoy!

Grolet 2019 Côtes de Bourg Tête de Cuvée

Our biodynamic friends, the Hubert family, make this lovely Bordeaux with the best juice from Chateau La Grolet, coming from old vines of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec. The 2019 shows a dark garnet color and lovely aromas of ripe cassis and blackberry with floral, cedar, brown spice and stone, really quite pretty. The palate is elegant and well-structured with deep cassis and red fruits over firm acidity with earth and mineral flavors. The wine is powerful but nicely balanced, with terrific length. This is a real Bordeaux of terroir that is delicious now especially if decanted many hours in advance or opened the night before. Serve with a steak or griled pork - cellaring for ten to fifteen years will create a lovely mature wine. David Lillie

Cru Godard 2019 Francs - Côtes de Bordeaux

65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec. Harvest by hand, natural fermentation, and zero new oak. Château Cru Godard’s vines grow on southerly exposed hillsides adjacent to the Saint-Emilion appellation,  geographically closer to Bergerac than to the city of Bordeaux. The wine is fermented by indigenous yeast in stainless steel tanks and is then matured 50% in tank and 50% in used barriques that have seen two passages. The 2019 has a dark ruby robe. The nose offers aromas of sweet black fruits, tobacco, and cocoa. The mid-weight palate has soft flavors of black cherry, cassis, blackberry, and coffee framed by savory earth notes and fine-grained tannins. A great value!

Chateau Micalet 2019 Haut Medoc

Chateau Micalet, with a few hectares in the commune of Lamarque was classified "Cru Artisan" by Feret in 1893.  Acquired by the Fedieu family in 1972 the estate was enlarged slightly, never using herbicides, and with a new generation the conversion to organic agriculture was started in 2006. The estate now has 10 hectares on deep beds of gravel, planted at 8,000 pieds/hectare; the normal blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot -  and 7% Petit Verdot,  a grape the Fedieus feel is particularly important. The grapes are harvested by hand and undergo a 3 to 4 week fermentation, the wine ages in barrique, 30% new. The nose on the Haut Medoc has dark plummy cassis fruit, with hints of vanilla and baking spice. Young leather notes and dark gravel tones as well. A little floral with dark violets and roses. The palate has deep, lush black cherry. Graphite and iron on the tongue give an earthy glimmer. Medium acid and soft tannin, but great density at its core and terriic length. Drink up - this is a sensational value for a very good Haut-Medoc!

Peybonhomme 2020 Premières Côte de Blaye Cru Bourgeois

(Last stock of the 2020) Biodynamic farming, native yeasts, wild fermentations, good value –all phrases not typically associated with Bordeaux. Yet, each year the Hubert family provides us with just that in their staple cuvee from the Côte de Blaye. The Cru Bourgeois is a blend of mostly Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and a bit of Malbec. Generously aromatic owing to the rich clay soils in which it is grown, This wine offers crushed violets, cassis, and rhubarb on the nose. The palate shows the warm vintage with finesse. Cascades of ripe red fruit, black currant, and spice, with supple tannins and an undercurrent of chalky minerality. This is a great addition to the dinner table alongside grilled meat or sipped on its own.

Peybonhomme 2021 Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux Le Blanc Arrives 11/21

(NY Times Thanksgiving pick - 48 btls arrive Tuesday 11/21) This is the twelfth vintage of the Hubert family's "Blanc Bonhomme" - the vines are now 17 years old, certified organic and Biodynamic. The grapes are hand-harvested in the early morning, pressed gently, fermented with native yeasts and the wine is aged partly in new oak, mostly in cement vats. Only about 650 cases are made. In 2020, Le Blanc is 45% Sauvignon Blanc, 45% Semillon, and 10% Colombard, and shows elegant pear, lemon, herbal and dried flower aromas, with pear, citrus and chalky mineral flavors on the palate. At 12.5% alcohol, the 2021 is lighter and brighter than the previous 3 vintages and it really shows the terroir with crisp acidity, lovely white fruit, a hint of dried pineapple, light oak and stony flavors in the finish. Really a lovely, balanced and food-friendly wine - serve with anything from oysters to grilled fish to roast chicken.

Clos Puy Arnaud 2019 Castillon - Cotes de Bordeaux

This wine is from the limestone plateau of near the village Belves-de-Castillon. It is 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, from vines averaging 35 years old. Fermented naturally in wood and cement. Aged in barrel, with 10% being new wood, for 8 months before going into cement vats for 5 more months. Clos Puy Arnaud is owned by Thierry Valette, who brought the estate into both organic and biodynamic certification. The wine is beautiful, and really shows itself 3 or so hours after opening. The nose is dense and heady, full of ripe  dark flowers, crushed cherries, with a savory waft of dried fruits like raisins and dates. The palate has a spark of firm black plum and graphite. A  broad and warming body with tannin on all corners of the mouth refreshed by straight, balanced acidity. Delicious!

Micalet 2019 Haut Medoc Origine

The Chateau Micalet Haut-Medoc "Origine" is from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and 20% Petit Verdot grown on deep beds of gravel in Lamarque. The Fedieu family created this wine to be a slightly lighter and more ready-to-drink version of their Haut-Medoc, with a shorter cuvaison and without aging in wood. The Origine has a beautiful nose, with ripe blackberries, dried blueberries and an elegant combo of orange peel and clove. On the palate, the wine is full and bold, with black pepper, dark cherry and a zesty accent of cassis and plum peel. Structurally, the wine shows just enough generous texture, a mineral zing, and medium acid. A fantastic buy at under $20! David Hatzopoulos

Planquette (Didier Michaud) 2019 Vin de France (Médoc)

Didier Michaud works 1.7 hectares in the Medoc with 30 to 100 year-old vines on limestone with thin soils of clay with sand and stones.  He has old vines of Merlot Queue Rouge and massale selection Cabernet Sauvignon, farmed organically with just a little compost and shallow plowing. Vinification with wild yeasts, no extraction and no added sulfur (total SO2 less than 2 mg/L). This is one of the most "natural" and deliciously old-fashioned wines of Bordeaux. In the glass, the '19 is rich and plummy in color. The nose is heady, with awesome smells of mint, fresh garden soil, graphite, and pungent  dark flowers. Flavors steer towards ripe forest fruits, like blueberry, blackberry, and cassis. Anise and herbs, with crunchy minerals, add flare to the wine's fruit. Great density, a velvety texture with engaging tannins and bright acidity. Definitely a bold Bordeaux, clocking in at 15% ABV, but so delicious, well structured and drinkable. Yum! David Hatzopoulos

Hauts de Smith (Smith Haut-Lafite) 2016 Pessac-Leognan

"Blended at the same time as Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, Les Hauts de Smith 2016 was crafted and aged with the same care as the estate’s Grand Vin; the entire winemaking process is exactly the same." - From the website of Smith Haut-Lafite.  "The 2016 Les Hauts de Smith is pliant, racy and inviting. This Merlot-based wine offers tons of early accessibility and sheer appeal. Super-ripe red cherry, raspberry, mint, rose petal and dried flowers add grace throughout. A range of striking floral/savory Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics add complexity, while the Merlot is felt in the wine’s fleshiness." Vinous

Cartier 2018 Saint-Emilion Chateau Cartier

The second label to Chateau Fonroque,  the Chateau Cartier sees none of the estate's Cabernet Franc. The Merlot that goes into this wine comes from under the limestone plateau of St.-Emilion, picked from biodynamically farmed vines on the limestone-clay and silty clay soils of the slopes and bottom-slopes.  All fruit is picked by hand. The wine was fermented naturally and aged in a mixture of 75% barrel and 25% concrete vats. A very impressive partner to Fonroque, mimicking the minerally character that the estate is known for.  The nose delivers scents of dark flowers and rich baked fruit - strawberry, cherry, blueberry. The palate shows deep red and black cherry and plum, with accents of warm cedar and herbs. There is great minerality, which lends the wine a structure of supreme freshness, but a textural softness making the wine quite delicious now in the sunny 2018 vintage. Great wine. David Hatzopoulos

Grand Corbin Despagne 2019 Saint-Emilion

Chateau Grand Corbin Despagne has been certified organic since 2013. The blend is 75% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. 2019 is the 208th vintage by the Despagne family at Grand Corbin!  "The 2019 Grand Corbin Despagne turned out beautifully. Readers will find a big, statuesque Saint-Émilion built on vertical energy. Black cherry, plum, graphite, spice, licorice and gravel lend nuance to this explosive, potent Saint-Émilion. Gravel, scorched earth, tobacco and incense lend gravitas on the substantial finish. This is an especially powerful, earthy Saint-Émilion. Quite simply, the 2019 is a flat out stunner. " Vinous

Mazeyres 2020 Pomerol

Another compelling vintage from Chateau Mazeyres in Pomerol, which converted to organic and biodynamic farming in 2012 under viticultural engineer and oenologist Alain Moueix. A blend of mostly Merlot, with about a quarter Cabernet Franc and just  a tiny amount of Petit Verdot planted on clay soils, with some plots having additional layers of sand and gravel. Hand-harvested, fermented in steel and concrete, aged in wood for 14 months. The wine is really outstanding in 2020. On the nose, there are deep black and red fruits, hints of spice, blood orange, rose, earth and rich woodsy aromas. On the palate, the texture is warm and generous, quite dense with bold plum and black cherry, with accents of herbs and mint. This very young wine is delicious now, with a long decant, but will be best after ten to twenty years in the cellar. From the estate's website: "Gravel soils endow this Mazeyres wine with smoky aromas and a chiselled,mineral texture. Clay brings undergrowth notes and a rounded, fleshy struc-ture. Biodynamics promotes finesse and freshness. The texture of Château Mazeyres wines consistently offers the velvety touch characteristic of fine Pomerol."