The eagle eyed F1 fan may have noticed a new name featuring at the Monaco Grand Prix podium, that name, Carbon Champagne. As the name suggests, Carbon Champagne fits perfectly into the world of Formula One, with a unique carbon fibre surround crafted for the premium champagne. Contact My French Cellar (delphine@myfrenchcellar.com) to order Champagne Carbon in California !
Read MoreAs My French Cellar is preparing actively the "En Primeur" season for its customers, please find below some technical information about the very promising 2016 vintage.
The 2016 vintage unites all characteristics required for giving birth to a great vintage !
Quality
It is worth noting the outstanding quality of the 2016 grapes: crispy, both full of sugar and fresh, with intense aromas of small black berries. The skins are rich in sweet tannins; the seeds have a nutty taste.
The vintage's first red wines: intense color, very high concentration of anthocyanin, nose of small black berries (blackcurrants, mulberries, blueberries), powerful and structured length, round tannins. Superb potential!
Harvesting began around September 24th, on the earliest for the Merlot grape variety. They continued with Cabernet Franc and around October 12th with Cabernet Sauvignon being harvested the latest.
Volume
The 2016 vintage should be a great vintage with no lack of quantity either. The 2016 harvest should amount to over 5.5 M hectoliters (estimate because harvesting is still ongoing to date). The actual figures will be released in the official harvest announcement, in late November.
[For info: 2015 harvest = 5.30 M hl; 2014 = 5.27 M hl ; 2013 = 3.84 M hl]
Climatology
Jan - March : The first quarter of 2016 was mild and especially rainy.
April: Temperatures close to normal and rainfall 25% lower than the 30-year average
May: Several storms – a rainy month, in particular over the last ten days.
In the vineyards:
violent hailstorm from Saturday to Sunday, May 28th-29th with damage to the vine leaves and branches. The hardest hit appellations were those along the Dordogne river. The Graves de Vayres AOC suffered damage ranging from 20% to 60%.
Very first blossoms appeared in late May
June: sunshine shortage; rain and few very warm days.
In the vineyards:
flowering truly began in the first few days of June. Flowering occurred quickly and evenly.
July: Perfect Summer, with substantial sunshine, a period of heat and scarce rainfall.
In the vineyards:
the very first berries changed color in late July.
August: a dry, warm and sunny month.
This August, it rained only 2 days instead of the usual 7 days. The whole month was sunny, with the sun shining 71 hours more than usual.
In the vineyards:
veraison was late and uniform (August 10th: start of veraison - August 23rd: end of veraison)
September: the first 13 days of September were in keeping with August: warm, dry and sunny.
After weeks of drought, rain finally came on September 13th in the Bordeaux vineyards where 30 to 60 millimeters of rain fell. Then the sun returned with mild temperatures. Ripening continued in a very sun-filled context associated with wide temperature ranges. These ideal conditions foretell a very promising 2016 vintage.
Harvests Conditions
Very healthy conditions and bright sunshine for the harvests
source : Vins de Bordeaux
My French Cellar wish you an happy new year. May your 2017 be an exceptional vintage, with love, health, friends and wine !
My French Cellar importe votre vin.
Votre collection de vin est restée en France? Vous souhaitez constituer votre cave en France, acheter Hors TVA puis l’importer ? My French Cellar et ses partenaires ont une solution.
Combien d’entre nous ont laissé leur cave à vin en France chez la famille ou des amis ?
My French Cellar enlève votre collection privée partout en France, orchestre son importation, sous température contrôlée, jusqu’à sa livraison, chez vous, aux Etats-Unis.
The steepest hillside vineyards in Europe
Located at the very north of the Rhône Valley, the Côte-Rôtie vineyards are unique steep slopes, of nearly 60° incline facing the river and separated by stone walls. In English "the roasted slope" , these slopes receive long hours of sunlight.
Read MoreVintage Champagne are made 100% from the year indicated on the label whereas non-vintage Champagne are a blend of different years’ harvest.
The graph will help you to spot the greatest of the Champagne Vintage
Read MoreThe Chateau
Located near the village of Pauillac in the Médoc region to the north-west of Bordeaux, the estate was first the property of Gombaud de Lafite in 1234. In the 17th century, the Château was purchased by the Ségur family and later by James Mayer Rothschild in 1868.
Chateau Lafite Today
The Wine
Although vines almost certainly already existed on the site, around 1680, Jacques de Ségur planted the majority of the vineyard. In the 18th century, Nicolas-Alexandre, marquis de Ségur refined the wine-making process and introduced his wines to high level of quality and prestige.
The final blend is generally composed of Cabernet Sauvignon (between 80% and 95%), Merlot (5% - 20% ) and up to 3% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
"I have discovered the wine of Château Lafite to be a delicious, generous cordial, comparable to the ambrosia of the Gods of Olympus” Maréchal de Richelieu (1755)
First Growth - Premier Grand Cru Classé in 1855
100 points by Rober Parker for three vintages : 1986, 1996, 2003, this is an exceptional wine. The price is also exceptional.
Shop in France on Millesimes.com | Cavissima
#lafite #rothschild #pauillac #millesimes #cavissima #bordeaux #yummie
The wine belongs to a very short list of legendary wines : Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Lafite, Yquem and Paul Jaboulet’s La Chapelle…
Read More...Viognier! While chardonnay might be the most popular option, SmartSippers might considered Viognier.
Read MoreAmazing moment in Half Moon Bay thanks to this delicious Rosé !
"Made in Provence Premium " from Le Domaine Sainte Lucie
2010 Alter Ego de Palmer
Can't beat one of the best Margaux and an outstanding vintage!
This wine of Château Palmer is a rich, floral, smooth and perfumed wine. It has layers of dark plums and almost sweet acidity, with tannins that are buried in the voluptuous palate. The finish shows intense black currant acidity
Ideal to drink between 2017 - 2030
Nice quotes about Champagne to start the week
“Champagne is one of the elegant extras in life” – Charles Dickens
“Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right.” – Mark Twain
“I only drink Champagne on two occasions, when I am in love and when I am not” – Coco Chanel
“Pleasure without Champagne is purely artificial.” – Oscar Wilde
“Champagne…it gives you the impression that every day is Sunday.” – Marlena Dietrich
#champagne #wine #brimoncourt #smartsippers
Pontet-Canet is the only biodynamic estate in the Médoc cru classé. This is the fifth most highly rated Pauillac wine (based on critic scores): the 2010 vintage was given a score of 100 by The Wine Advocate and the 2010 vintage was given a score of 18/20 by Jancis Robinson.
Very little manipulation in the Vineyards
From Mélanie Tesseron, managing director and co-owner of Chateau Pontet Canet in Pauillac, there is very little manipulation in the vineyard during the growing phase: no hedging, no de-leafing, no green harvest. We allow the vines to be in balance with themselves, so they are naturally protected against disease. The more you manipulate in the vineyard the more you have to compensate in the winery.
Postier Breton horse working Pontet-Canet’s vines in place of a tractor.
The theory is that tractors compact the soil too much; horses are significantly lighter and cause less stress to the vines’ roots. At Pontet-Canet, the horses, of which there are eight, are part of a bigger picture—since 2010 the estate has been certified both organic and biodynamic.
Summer 2016 Rose Wines global pick
Rose Bonbon, from le Domaine des Diables in Provence, gets 90 points !
Read MoreCondrieu is arguably the northern Rhone’s most distinctive wine appellation.
It is a tiny white wine Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP) established in 1940 in the northern part of the Rhône Valley, just 25 miles south of Lyon.
All are 100% Viognier, the only grape permitted in this appellation.
Tiny Quantity : Condrieu’s whites, which strike an unusual balance between delicate perfume and substantial body, are produced only in tiny quantities.
Read MorePlanning a sushi party tonight at home ? Try one of the best wine pairing options for sushi : Chablis.
Chablis is a French region, located in the north of Burgundy and mainly produces chardonnay.The cool climate produces dry and crisp chardonnay, with mineral and straight flavors less fruity than Napa Chardonnay wines grown in warmer climates.
Read MoreFirst served in 1925. By most accounts, the mimosa was created at the Ritz Hotel in Paris in 1925, during a time the elegant venue was frequented by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Cole Porter. Legend ? A drink called Buck’s Fizz was invented in 1921 at the Buck’s Club in London. This drink is also made with champagne and orange juice, but with a larger quantity of the wine.
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