Friday, December 29, 2006

Brilliant end of the year

Domaine Fayat-Thunevin : Yesterday we had a serious tasting of the 2006 vintage in our new property in Pomerol and Lalande de Pomerol, with the participation of the previous owner. The malolactic fermentations were finished and the sulphite added 15 days ago, which allowed us to have a more accurate opinion.
Regarding this Pomerol, I think we have a bomb: full wine, rich, very ripe, concentrated, long, complex. Some violet like in certain Syrah, hopefully it will hold its promises!
The Lalande is more “normal”, smooth.
I can’t wait to see how these wines will compare to their peers, and in which categories we will be placed. In Lalande, we will certainly be in the 15 best, and I hope the same in Pomerol. This shows how high I set my mark.

Valandraud 2004 is finally pumped back in the vat to end the aging (2 wooden vats and 1 concrete), as suggested by Patrick (technique used in Burgundy to refine wines which are “too hard”). Aging should go on for a few more months and we will finally be able to bottle this wine, which, like 1994 and 2001, gave me a hard time, me who likes silky wines… These 3 vintages were tiring.

On the website of Château Loisel (site in French and link available on our French blog), there is a great comment on the Calvet-Thunevin Constance 2004 with a simple rating system easy to understand. This site contains plenty of information. The Constance 2005 is still aging and looks promising! For the ones who are interested, we still have a few bottles of 2002 which are certainly the best deal available in our stock, all wines included.

Again today and to finish the year brilliantly, in the February issue of Decanter, an article by Andrew Jefford listed Haut Carles and Haut Mazeris (I appeal to all responsible journalists to help the Fronsac appellation still greatly ignored by consumers looking for good values), in this same issue, there is also an article by James Lawther on the Roussillon and specifically on Fenouillèdes. And in In Vino Veritas, 2 pages on Chateau Fleur Cardinale, sorry for so little!

In the meantime while preparing for this New Years Eve celebration, which will take place in my home with a group of fine gourmets, I wish you the best for the rest of 2006 and a Happy New Year 2007.

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