Saturday, 3 March 2012

TN : Chateau Clement-Pichon 2005, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France



Château Clément Pichon is located in the commune of Parempuyre, approximately 15 kilometres north of Bordeaux.  The domaine was acquired in 1976 by Clément Pichon who recreated a 25 hectare vineyard that produces the Cru Bourgeois Supérieur.

The Château's history goes back to the fourteenth century where it was known as la Motte Caupène.  After a succession of a number of families and the passage of Louis XIV who came twice, the Château was reconstructed by the Durand-Dassier family in 1881 following a fire.  The architect Michel Louis Garros, built this neo-Renaissance architectural curiosity in the style of Chenonceaux.  In 1976, Clément Fayat became the owner of the domaine, which he renamed Clément- Pichon and which became the family house. In 2003 with the official classification of the Crus Bourgeois of the Médoc gave Château Clément-Pichon the rank of Cru Bourgeois Superior.

This wine received 86 points from Wine Spectator (Web only, 2008). There was 9,000 cases of this wine made.





Colour : Dark red, blue hues

Aroma : Blackcurrant, plums, cedar, herbs

Taste : Blackcurrant, plums, cedar, powdery tannins on finish, light on fruit but long finish

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 164 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Chateau Clement-Pichon

Saturday, 21 January 2012

TN : Los Vascos Rose Cabenet Sauvignon 2010, Vina Los Vascos, Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite), Colchagua Valley, Chile



This wine is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, and 5% Malbec.




Colour : Bright strawberry pink

Aroma : Strawberry, blackcurrant, herbs

Taste : Fruity, strawberry, blackcurrant, herbs

Alcohol :  13%

Price : 98 SEK (The Wine Company, Hamburg, Germany)

Mark : C+

Website : Vina Los Vascos
Website : The Wine Company

Sunday, 15 January 2012

TN : Minuty Rose 2010, Chateau Minuty, Cotes de Provence, France



Francois Matton is in charge of the viticulture, while Jean-Etiennce Matton is responsible for the marketing and sales. Both of them join forces for the vinification of the wines of Chateau Minuty. The vineyard is situated on the slopes of the villages of Gassin and Ramatuelle, overlooking the bay of Saint-Tropez.


 This wine was imported by Ward Wines AB.


Colour : Copper

Aroma : Oranges, herbs, redcurrants

Taste : Very dry, oranges, herbs, redcurrants, pithy finish

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 99 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Chateau Minuty

TN : Anselmann Weisburgunder Spaetlese Trocken 2010, Weingut Werner Anselmann, Pfalz, Germany



This wine was sealed with a screwcap.



This wine was imported by ITM-Wine AB.



Colour : Lemon

Aroma : Lemon, honey, spice, mineral

Taste : White grapes, honey, pear, lemon, spice, orange peel

Alcohol : 13%


Price : 139 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Weingut Anselmann

TN : Montes Alpha Pinot Noir 2008, Vina Montes, Casablanca Valley, Chile



This wine was aged in French oak for one year.



This wine was imported by Hjo Grosshandel AB.

Colour : Raspberry, blue hues

Aroma : Red fruits, spices, oak, coca cola

Taste : Very fruity, strawberry and raspberry, spicy finish, woodyness on finish

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 169 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Vina Montes

Saturday, 7 January 2012

TN : The Prickly Pear Viognier Marsanne 2009, d'Arenberg, McLaren Vale, Australia



D'Arenberg was founded in 1912 by Joseph Osborn. Since 1984, Chester d'Arenberg Osborn has been running the winery and is also the winemaker. This wine was sealed with a screwcap.



This wine was imported by Vinovum AB.

Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Pear, apricot, herbs

Taste : Oily texture, apricots, pears, mango, bitter almond finish

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 99 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : d'Arenberg Wines

Sunday, 1 January 2012

TN : Termes 2008, Bodega Numanthia, Toro, Spain



This wine is 100% Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo). The winemaker was Manuel Louzada. Fermentation lasted eight days with two daily pump-overs. The grapes were 100% destemmed and the temperature was controlled between 26 and 28 degrees. The wine then underwent an extended maceration on skins for 21 days in total with light pump-overs.This wine spent 16 months in new French oak. The wine was racked every four months. The wine was bottled in June 2010. This wine received 91 points from Wine Spectator and 91 points from Tanzer's International Wine Cellar.

The Vineyards are situated in Valdefinjas and Toro at an average altitude of 700 metres. The average age of the vines was 30 years.



This wine was imported by Moet Hennessy Sverige AB.

Colour : Dark blackberry

Aroma : Blackberry, toast, vanilla, milk chocolate, plums, herbs

Taste : Blueberry, blackberry, milk chocolate, vanilla, toast, smooth tannins, herbs

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 179 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Numanthia

Saturday, 31 December 2011

TN : Chateau Ducluzeau 2005, Listrac-Medoc, Bordeaux, France



The chateau was owned by Mr. Ducluzeau at the end of the seventeenth century. In 1870, it was sold to Mr. Astien, a wine-grower from Moulis. He then married Miss Hugon de Listrac who at her death handed down the property to her daughter, Marie-Louise, wife of André Rochette. When Marie-Louise died in 1976, the estate returned to Monique Rochette Borie, who was born and bred at Château Ducluzeau. Today, her son, Bruno-Eugène manages the estate.

Château Ducluzeau was listed in the 1932 crus bourgeois classification of the Médoc, just after
the fifth classified growths and kept the rank of cru bourgeois in the updated version of 2003.

Château Ducluzeau is located in the communal appellation of Listrac-Médoc. The ten hectares of Château Ducluzeau are divided up into several plots which are all situated on a plateau in the village of Listrac, around 400 metres above sea level. The soil and sub-soil are made up of light gravel with a clay-siliceous structure.

The average age of the vines is 45 years old. The vineyard is made up 50% Merlot and 50%  Cabernet Sauvignon at a density of 10000 plants per hectare. The vineyard is managed traditionally : Medoc, double Guyot pruning, leaf-thinning and crop-thinning in July to favour ripening and concentration.



This wine received 85 points from Wine Spectator (web 2008).

Colour : Red

Aroma : Plums, tobacco, wood

Taste : Grainy aged texture, Plummy, redcurrant, blackcurrant, tangy acid, wood

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 213 SEK

Mark : C

Thursday, 29 December 2011

TN : 3 de Valandraud 2005, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Ets Thunevin, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France



Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Plums, chocolate, cedar, oak

Taste : Lacking concentration, oak, cedar, coffee, plummy fruit, overoaked, drying tannins on finish, tobacco, opened too early ? going through a dumb phase ? opened too late ?

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 293 SEK

Mark : C-

Website : Ets Thunevin

TN : Vieux Chateau Des Jouans 2009, Calvet, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France



This wine is a blend of 99% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine spent ten months in French oak barrels of which one third was new and the rest was second and third fill.



This wine was imported by Brandpartners AB.

Colour : Dark red, blue hues

Aroma : Plums, oak, blackcurrant, cedar, herbs

Taste : Cedar and oak on finish, plums, blackcurrants

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 109 SEK

Mark : C+

Wednesday, 28 December 2011

TN : Chateau Croizet-Bages 2005, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France



This wine received 86 points from The Wine Advocate, 16.5 from Jancis Robinson, and 15.4 from Decanter.

This property lies  on Pauillac's Bages plateau, between the town of Pauillac itself and Saint-Julien-Beychevelle. Château Croizet-Bages also takes its name from its original creators, the Croizet brothers. One a court clerk, the other a local lawyer, the two men bought up parcels of vines from their neighbours duirng the first half of the 18th century and created their own successful vineyard.

At the time of the Revolution, and much involved in local government, the brothers sold the estate to a family from Gascony, the Puyteracs, who in turn sold it to a Bordelais, Jean Calvé, just two years before the 1855 classification of the Médoc. The current proprietors, the Quié family, acquired Croizet-Bages in 1942 from American entrepreneur Jean-Baptiste Monnot (he bought the struggling estate at the end of the first World War). The Château is today managed by brother and sister team Jean-Philippe and Anne-Françoise Quié.This chateau was classified as one of the eighteen fifth growths in the 1855 Bordeaux classification.

Colour : Red, blackcurrant

Aroma : Blackcurrant, plums, cedar, liquorice

Taste : Simple, watery texture, blackcurrant, green cedar, liquorice, talcum powder tannins and white pepper on finish

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 226 SEK (bought at Systembolaget 14th November 2008)

Mark : C

Thursday, 22 December 2011

TN : Argento Bonarda 2010, Mendoza, Argentina



Argento was established in the wine region of Mendoza in 1998. The word Argento is Latin for silver.




This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

This wine was imported by Vinunic AB.

Colour : Raspberry, blue hues

Aroma : Blackberry, violets, raspberry, oak

Taste : Very fruity, raspberry, violets, blackberry, graphite

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 79 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Argento Wine Company

TN : Beaujolias Villages Nouveau 2011, Quinson, Beaujolais, France



This wine is 100% Gamay This wine was sealed with a screwcap.



This wine was imported by Stellan Kramer AB.

Colour : Plummy red, blue hues

Aroma : Blueberry, raspberry, herbs

Taste : Blueberry, herbs, acidic finish, raspberry

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 69 SEK

Mark : C

TN : Chateau Poujeaux 2008, Moulis-en-Medoc, Bordeaux, France



This wine received 87 points from Wine Spectator in the March 31st 2011 issue.

This wine is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot. 25,000 cases were made.

The chateau owner is Philippe Cuvelier. The vineyard soil type is Gunzian gravel. The vines are planted to a density of 10,000 vines per hectare. The average age of the vines is thirty years. The wine spent 12 months in barrel of which 30% were new. The grapes were harvested from the 6th to the 24th October 2008.



Colour : Plummy red

Aroma : Blackcurrant, plums, cedar, herbs

Taste : Tobacco, tannic finish, blackcurrant, plums, green cedar

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 267 SEK

Mark : C-

Website : Chateau Poujeaux

Saturday, 12 November 2011

TN : Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Vina Los Vascos, Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite), Casablanca Valley, Chile





Colour : Very pale lemon

Aroma : Gooseberry, blackcurrant leaf

Taste : Crisp, blackcurrant leaf, lemon, gooseberry, passion fruit, earthy zingy acidic finish

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 109 SEK (The Wine Company, Hamburg, Germany)

Mark : B

Website : Vina Los Vascos
Website : The Wine Company

Saturday, 5 November 2011

TN : Altos Las Hormingas Malbec Reserve 2008, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina








This wine is 100% Malbec from ancient riverbeds in the Uco Valley. 90% of the grapes are from Vista Flores and 10% are from Eugenio Bustos. The average yield was 6.3 ton per hectare. The grapes were destemmed and softly pressed  into small stainless steel tanks for five days at ten degrees, for cold maceration.  Alcoholic fermentation began using native yeasts whilst cap management was conducted with systematic rack-and-returns.  The time between crushing and pressing was approximately 20 days.  Immediately after malolactic fermentation the wine went in to tight grain French oak barrels for 18 months of ageing.  The Total Acidity is 5.78 grammes per litre, the pH is 3.6, and the Residual Sugar is 2.23 grammes per litre. The winemakers were Alberto Antonini and Attilio Pagli.





This wine was imported by Arvid Nordqvist.

Colour : Dark blackberry

Aroma : Toasty oak, blueberry, herbs

Taste : Oak, tight structure, blueberry, violets, herbs, warm finish, opened up after an hour

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 199 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Altos Las Hormingas

TN : Chateau Les Roches Gaby 2009, Canon-Fronsac, Bordeaux, France



Chateau du Gaby is located in  Canon Fronsac, 40km north-east of Bordeaux,  near the market town of Libourne. Canon Fronsac is also just 15km from St Emilion and Pomerol and is geologically a continuation of the St-Emilion cote or hillside.

Vinification was peformed in temperature-controlled epoxy-lined concrete vats. The wine was matured in 45% new casks, one year old and two 2 years old. The winemaker was Damien Landour. This wine is a blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc.




Colour : Dark red, blueberry hues

Aroma : Oak, blackcurrant, herbs, cedar

Taste : Oaky, coffee, blackcurrant, chocolate texture

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 139 SEK

Mark : C+ 

Website : Chateau Du Gaby

Thursday, 3 November 2011

TN : Mount Athos Vineyards Metochi Chromitsa 2006, Domain of Monastery Agios Panteleimon Evangelos Tsantalis, Chalkidiki, Greece



This wine is a blend of 50% Limnio, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Merlot.



Colour : Red, blue and brown hues

Aroma : Blackcurrant, plums, vanilla, spice

Taste : Spice, blackcurrant, plums, aged, talcum powder tannins

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 129 SEK (The Wine Company, Hamburg, Germany)

Mark : C

Website : The Wine Company

TN : Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Villa Maria Estate, Marlborough, New Zealand



This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

This wine was imported by Fondberg.



Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Earthy, gooseberry, lemon, tomato leaf, pineapple

Taste : Earthy, zingy lemon, blackcurrant, nettles

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 108 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Villa Maria Estate

Sunday, 30 October 2011

TN : Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Robert Mondavi Winery, Oakville, Napa Valley, USA



This wine is a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, 2% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot. The total acidity is 0.63%, final pH was 3.64, and residual sugar is 0.5.



Napa Valley’s 2006 vintage began with a wet winter that extended into spring, delivering more than twice the average rainfall for March and nearly four times the April average. The precipitation delayed bloom, but once the skies cleared, the vines had good fruit set and progressed slowly and steadily through slightly warmer than usual June weather. In July, a brief hot spell of four consecutive days over 100°F had the effect of putting the vines “on hold” before ripening continued when mild weather returned in August. Lower temperatures extended through September and October, with some fog and cloudy days. Overall, the 2006 growing season was significantly cooler than average, and harvest began generally later. Picking began in Oakville on September 28 and finally finished on October 31 when the leaves were turning yellow. All the fruit was in the winery before light rains came in early November.

The majority of grapes, 86%,  for this wine came from the To Kalon Vineyard surrounding the winery in Oakville. To Kalon’s older Cabernet vines are 25-35 years old and yield small-berried clusters; newer vines are planted in higher density for enhanced flavor intensity. The balance of the fruit, 14%,  was sourced from nearby Oakville Bench vineyards. The average Brix was 26.4 with 0.70% initial acid and initial pH of 3.5.

Designated an American Viticultural Area in 1993, Oakville lies in the geographic center of Napa Valley and is distinguished by an alluvial fan extending from the base of the Mayacamas Mountains on the valley’s western border. Oakville Bench vineyards along the Mayacamas foothills have well-drained soils that allow deep rooting and development of complex flavors. To Kalon soils are thinner and rockier, producing fruit with intense concentration.

After harvest, the grapes were hand sorted in the To Kalon Fermentation Cellar, then destemmed and lightly crushed directly into 17-ton oak tanks for fermentation. The wine received an additional 36 days of extended skin contact (maceration) to soften tannins. After the free-run wine was drained, the pomace was conveyed by gravity into a gentle basket press, then followed the flow of gravity to the aging cellars. After a secondary malolactic fermentation, it aged 18 months in French oak barrels of which 70% were new. Cabernet Franc and small portions of Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot were blended with the Cabernet Sauvignon midway through aging to marry flavors and enhance the flavor profile.

This wine received 93 points from Wine and Spirits Magazine.

Colour : Dark red, blue hues

Aroma : Coffee, blackcurrant, herbs, mineral

Taste : Concentrated sweet blackcurrant and cherry, coffee, minerals, noticable tannins on long finish, this wine opened up after 30 minutes

Alcohol : 15.4%

Price : 349 SEK (The Wine Company, Hamburg, Germany)

Website : Robert Mondavi Winery
Website : The Wine Company