2001 Chateau Ferrand-Lartigue

This was the second wine we shared last night and it too was delicious. This St. Emilion Grand-Cru was made by Vincent Rapin (as consultant wine maker), the quality crazy owner of the up and coming Domaine de Valmengaux (AOC Bordeaux). I met Vincent last summer at the vineyard site of Dom. Valmengaux, which is situated up in the hlls above Fronsac. The thing that impressed me the most with Vincent was that right after we shook hands he took me to the vineyard, not to the cellar. Normally, when I meet wine-makers they take me straight to the chais and never to the vineyard. Not Vincent. He instead took me on a one hour tour of his 3 hectare vineyard, showing me the health of his soil and of his vines. He passion was infectious, and what I hope you take away from this aside is that the passion with which he runs his own Domaine is replicated in his consulting job for Chateaux Ferrand-Lartigue. In the end, for Vincent, most of what makes the wine comes from the vineyard.

For us, on this night, this wine was a big hit (especially for my Bordeaux-loving wife Valerie...oh, well, she's almost perfect). Its color was deep garnet with a slight hint of orange at the rim. In the nose is was big with blackberries, tar, eucalyptus, and mint. In the mouth, it was rich with and tannic, with a mouth watering acidity and a pleasing cherry finish. Seems to be dominated by Merlot but I actually do not have the blend composition of this wine. To learn more check out the links below.


Chateau Ferrand-Lartigue
Domaine Valmangaux
Gite de Domaine Valmangaux