VertdeVin Wine Magazine Winter 2020

It is with great pleasure that I invite you to discover this 2020/2021 Winter edition of VERTDEVIN magazine that is my 16th edition. For this issue we chose to explore and taste some wines from France, Italy and Portugal… This magazine wasn’t made as usual, the result of exhilarating trips because of Covid-19, but it is a result of a lot of amazing tastings! ! More than 1250 reviews are here to read in the following pages ! Well, in the first part of the magazine, the interview session I chose to put a spotlight on great winemakers from Saint-Emilion, Sauternes, Pessac-Léognan, Jura and Armagnac. After that Joanie Metivier, a talented Canadian sommelier and journalist well known thanks to her blog and Instagram will introduce you to Domaine de l’Aigle…

Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey is a 1er Grand Cru Classé of Sauternes whose origins date back to the 15th century. This vineyard, owned by Silvio Denz, a Swiss entrepreneur passionate about wine, covers 35 hectares, 32 of which are planted. 15 hectares are dedicated to the production of the first wine (Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey), 15 hectares to the second wine (Chapelle de Lafaurie) and 2 hectares to produce Bordeaux Blanc (dry). Each year the property produces between 20,000 and 40,000 bottles of Sauternes. I suggest we go together to discover this property, enlightened by the explanations of David Bolzan (General Manager of Vignobles Silvio Denz). Where does the name of the property come from? David Bolzan: This is the name of the previous owners. It is a composite name that comes from the…

Château Haut-Bailly is a family property located in the Pessac-Léognan appellation, and a Graves Classified Growth (Cru Classé) since 1953. “It’s probably since the Middle Ages that we have been making wine in Haut-Bailly. Our terroir has always interested remarkable men who have known how to unseal its potential and have never ceased to reveal it. As early as 1461, local archives have recorded the excellence of these lands for growing vines.” As the vineyard grew by acquiring plots located around the château, plots still present today in the Haut-Bailly vineyard. From the middle of the 17th century, thanks in particular to Firmin Le Bailly, the plot of the property began to be well established, resembling the current plot. The property remained in the hands of the Le Bailly family…

The Perse Family Vineyards brings together five properties located on the right bank of Bordeaux, Château Bellevue Mondotte, Château Monbousquet, Château Pavie-Decesse, Château Pavie and Clos Lunelles. Even though Pavie, whose origins date back to the 4th century, was not the first property acquired, it is currently the flagship of the family vineyards. For a little anecdote until the end of the 19th century, the property was known as Domaine Pimpinelle. Over the past two centuries, three great families have marked the history of the property; the Bouffard family, the Valette family and today the Perse family. Château Pavie is a 37-hectare (91.5 acres) property majestically set on the Pavie slope, thus dominating the Dordogne valley. In 1955, it obtained recognition as a “Premier Grand Cru Classé” for the undeniable…

Domaine Baud Génération 9 is a family property in the Jura region whose origins date back to the middle of the 18th century. Even though the cellar is located on Le Vernois, the estate is the proud owner of 25 hectares spread over three large sectors: L’Etoile (3 hectares), Château-Chalon (3.5 hectares) and Côtes du Jura (18 hectares). Today Domaine Baud Generation 9 is managed by Clémentine and Bastien Baud. Together they produce 25 different cuvées, or around 150,000 bottles per year. This includes crémants, whites, reds, rosés, Macvins and of course yellow wines. They also distill some fruit liqueurs (mirabelle plum, pear) and produce fruit juices (apple, grape). These allow children in particular, during visits, to do as the grown-ups while tasting. Let’s go together to meet these united…

Château Garreau is a property of the Landes, producer of Armagnac and Floc de Gascogne. The property covers 85 hectares of which 27 hectares of vines are planted in a terroir of tawny sands. The rest of the estate is occupied by forests and ponds. Each year Château Garreau distills around 150 hectoliters of pure alcohol (i.e. 300 hectoliters of Armagnac) and produces around 30,000 bottles of Floc de Gascogne (red and white). The production of Armagnac is divided into four main cuvées: VSOP, XO, Cuvée du Siècle Extra, Cuvée Royale then vintages. The estate also has a production of Blanche d´Armagnac. The estate was built in several stages, but from the 17th century there has been a production of Armagnac combined with polycultural agriculture. The property specialized in the…