Freddy R. Troya

8.9

Les Portes de Bordeaux – Sauvignon Blanc 2024
Bordeaux, France 🇫🇷

Overview
From one of the largest Châteaux in Bordeaux, this Sauvignon Blanc is crafted to highlight the region’s fresh, crisp, and citrus-driven style. A classic daily sipper, approachable and vibrant, perfect for casual enjoyment.

Aromas & Flavors
Zesty lemon, grapefruit, and lime zest upfront, with subtle notes of white peach and fresh-cut herbs. Mineral hints of wet stone add a nice lift.

Mouthfeel
Light-bodied, dry, and refreshing with a lively acidity that keeps it tangy and clean through the finish.

Winemaking Notes
100% Sauvignon Blanc, fermented in stainless steel to preserve fruit purity and its signature crisp profile.

Food Pairing
An easy partner for fish, shellfish, goat cheese, and light pasta dishes. Also a refreshing aperitif choice.

Verdict
Straightforward, vibrant, and budget-friendly 💶—a very reasonable price point for casual sipping. A wine that over-delivers for everyday enjoyment! — 10 months ago

Mark S.

9.0

Ruby. Oak, vanilla, black currant. Tannic. Later on, turned into smooth with cosmetic. Elegant! Is that Hermitage? Enough decanting is necessary to enjoy the real taste. Fayolle Fils & Fille Les Dionnieres Hermitage Syrah 18 @11440, AD, 240509 — 2 years ago

Glenn Fiddich

9.2

this full body complex soft tannine easy going beauty comes like a wishful bomb of gentleness. a little like châteaux neuf du pape but different. I recommend, especially for its price of 14€ — 3 years ago

Roberto Carli

9.3

Lovely! Had it blind and couldn’t pin it, which makes sense because I almost never drink marsanne. Just ripe white peach, bright acidity, some floral notes and really good oxidative notes which to me came across as salinity more than nuttiness, a bit like fino sherry. Great wine! — 5 years ago

farzad farzin

9.1

Perfect Hermitage — 5 years ago

Soon Suk Kim

9.3

역시 ws!!!! 맛과 가격이😭 — 5 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.3

Friday night and it feels as though it will be a Bordeaux weekend. Tonight I have opened from one of my favorite Châteaux the 2017 Château Montrose La Dame de Montrose. A blend of 49% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. A classic Bordeaux blend and for a second label this would be a 1st growth at any other Château.

On the nose there is black cherry, blackberry, plum sauce, black currant, chocolate, violet and minerals.

On the palate there is cherry, blackberry, raspberry, red & black currant, creme de cassis, violet, a minerality and earthiness.

This wine is medium + to full bodied with a lovely silky, velvety mouthfeel and medium + acidity and medium+ smooth polished tannins that leads into a long fresh fruit mineral finish. What a beautiful wine at a reasonable price. I hope everyone is doing well and your weekend will be a joyful one. Please stay healthy and safe and have an enjoyable weekend. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 6 years ago

Jeff Lander

9.0

Tour de france 2025 for the cross to Alps stage. Great depth and body — a year ago

Mark S.

9.2

Deep cherry red with violet. Transparent edge. Oak, vanilla, chocolate, blue and black berry, black currant, black cherry. Pepper and spices. Petrol. Earthy. Smooth, mild and silky tannin. Leather. Concentrated. Elegant. Roasted. Leather. Drinkable now, 2 hours decanting is much better. Dionnieres is special!! Domaine Fayolle Fils＆Fille AOC Hermitage Les Dionnieres Rouge 19 @9900, Uk, 240601-240622 — 2 years ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.0

Third wine of 2nd growth #stjulien Bordeaux châteaux. Richer, almost New World style, black currant, bramble fruit, cigar box nose, decent balance on palate. Medium plus tannins that build over time. — 2 years ago

Megann El

9.1

Good easy drink — 4 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.2

High tone nose with a touch of va/ acetone. Translucent and almost no sediment in the bottle.. really old school a la Bel Air-Marquis D’Aligre. Palate is electric, very classically structured and fresh as a daisy. Nose takes a day to start showing floral and fruit notes and classic st Julien character. Very good, almost great; the aromatics never really soar. Bought at the domaine; Jaugaret is an organic and small production family winery (surrounded by mega châteaux). — 5 years ago

J. Kim

9.0

More compact and defined than the Yann Chave 2017, has a lot of reserve but also forward fruit. — 5 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.2

2018 vintage. This historical estate has been in the hands of the Chanfreau family for over 50 years. They also own Château Fonréaud in Listrac and 2 Moulis estates (Châteaux Caroline and Chemin Royal). Lestage is the only Listrac granted Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in the 2020 classification. The 2018 vintage is a blend of 62% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot. The nose is a bit oaky at first, but the wine starts to truly shine after an hour in the glass, so take your time or decant. Cherries, cassis and cedar wood in the nose. The fruit is concentrated and layered, embedded in a powerful tannic structure with very good balancing acidity. While the warmth of the vintage is unmistakable, there is no sign of jamminess. Impressively long finish too. Incredible value at 11,90 euros. If you open this in 7 or 8 years you will curse yourself that you didn't buy more. Kudos to the owners and consulting enologist Antoine Medeville. Abv. 14,5 %. — 6 years ago

Vanessa

9.2

We’re loving this beautiful Laurent Fayolle Syrah from “Clos Les Cornirets,” one of only 3 monopoles in the Crozes-Hermitage appellation of the northern Rhône Valley, France.

Crozes-Hermitage AOC sits on the eastern side (left bank) of the Rhône River, wrapping around the town of Tain L’Hermitage and the famous hill of Hermitage.

Clos Les Cornirets is a small, steep, and terraced site exposed to cooling and drying influences of the Mistral wind. It’s situated on the northern (back) side of Hermitage hill above classic, stony, granitic soils. These conditions, coupled with the 70+ year old vines, create an ideal struggle for the vine, leading to smaller, more concentrated fruit with a strong spine of acidity that brings balance to the final wine.

Laurent Fayolle is the 6th generation to run this family-owned and -operated winery, farming organically, and producing both red and white wines, including several Crozes-Hermitage “crus.” He takes a lower intervention approach in the winery fermenting with wild yeast, using mostly neutral barrels, and no fining or filtering.

As for this particular wine, it’s deep ruby in color with medium (+) aromas and flavors of ripe, fresh black cherry, red and black plum, mulberry, violet, star anise, black licorice, fennel seed, clove, leather, meat, pepper, nutmeg, graphite, tobacco, crushed stone.

It’s dry with medium (+) acidity, a full body, high alcohol (15% ABV) that is balanced by the intensity of aromas and flavors. The tannins are medium (+), smooth and well-integrated. It has a long, elegant finish.

Cheers to family heirlooms that are meticulously cared for and shared with the world one vintage at a time!

— 2 years ago

with Deked1

Matt Waring

8.9

Ripe black fruit dominates, finish is peppery and tarry. Medium bodied but luscious feel. Very nice — 3 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.5

Lunch 🥪

K&L notes as follows, Grand Pontet is an interesting property, positioned in the neighborhood of other stars of the appellation such as Châteaux Canon, Beau-Séjour-Bécot and Clos Fourtet. It is, however, a small estate, a mere 14 hectares, and its prices are much better than some of its more prestigious neighbors. In 1980 it was purchased by Gerard and Dominique Bécot, owners of the neighboring Beau-Séjour-Bécot. They have applied the same high standards to both Châteaux in their possession, and their winemaking team crafts Grand Pontet alongside the Beau-Séjour-Bécot wines. Recently purchased in 2021 by Domaines Clarence Dillon (Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion, et al.), the property was combined with and incorporated into Château Quintus. Full-bodied and luscious, this Grand Pontet is laden with ripe blackberry fruits, savory tobacco, licorice notes, and ripe, softened tannins. It’s seamless and bold, not shy. It’s going to require something decadent to pair with, such as filet mignon or some other black-tie dish with plenty of flavor and rich umami presence. — 4 years ago

Vanessa

9.0

Châteaux Pradeaux is located in Bandol AOC, of Provence, France, near the magnificent coastal town of Saint Cyr-sur-Mer, situated on the Mediterranean Sea. I imagine there are breathtaking views of the azure waters from the vineyards and estate of Château Pradeaux. 🌊

Generations of the Portalis family have produced wines from this estate dating back to 1752. The land has seen devastation such as the French Revolution, Phylloxera, and World War II, and yet today it remains strong, carrying forward the family traditions, thanks to the fortitude, will, and courage of the Portalis family. 💪

👁 It is medium ruby with garnet rim variation. It has a subtle haze, perhaps because this wine was not fined nor filtered.

👃 On the nose this wine has a baked, black fruit quality, with notes of blackberry, plum, and black cherry 🍒 ; also notes of dried lavender, anise, clove, cedar, nutmeg, tobacco, leather, peat moss, meat, and barnyard.

👄 On the palate, this wine is dry. It has medium acidity, a medium(+) body, medium alcohol, high tannins, and medium(+) intensity in flavors that are consistent with the nose.

The grapes were not destemmed in the winemaking process, which has undoubtedly contributed to the strong and grippy tannins experienced in the glass. This wine benefits from decanting and could also benefit from more time in the bottle. 👍

In sum, this wine tells a story of commitment, perseverance, and respect for the land from which it’s cultivated. It’s made with minimal intervention and has 95% Mourvèdre and 5% Grenache. 📚

Château Pradeaux, Bandol Rouge, 2014, ABV 13%. — 5 years ago

J. Kim

9.0

Positively glistening with minerality. Super-polished outside and super-pure inside. — 6 years ago

Rob

9.2

Wine pairing for our anniversary dinner at this Relais & Châteaux property — 8 years ago