The results I tasted from both Clos Cantenac and Château Séraphine are downright delicious. Distinctly different from the two previous vintages, the reds are slightly more approachable at this stage than their predecessors, and they have a decisively bordelais flair. The rosés and white crackle with freshness and structure. All made in very small quantities, these are worth seeking out.
Read MoreOnce again, Martin Krajewski and his daughter, Charlotte, deliver focused, precise wines with immediate appeal yet evident ageability. Each offers ample delight, but as with the 2019s, I find an electrifying je ne sais quoi element with the Clos Cantenac.
Read MoreA world almost entirely closed to travel, a cancelled Bordeaux En Primeur Campaign and persnickety, new DHL compliance requirements in the US are nothing compared to the tenacity of Martin Krajewski, owner of Château Séraphine and Clos Cantenac. And so it was that I held a mini En Primeur chez moi.
Read MoreMerlot isn’t a grape that particularly moves me, except when it comes from Saint-Émilion. Yes, those wines are blended with Cabernet Franc and sometimes Cabernet Sauvignon, but Merlot almost always predominates in both flavor and structure. From Saint-Émilion comes Merlot in all its svelte, not hefty, glory. That’s a style I can relish.
Read MoreVintage 2005 was among the best Bordelais vintages in the last 20 years. This wine epitomizes its force. Nine years on, it isn’t showing a hint of development. It’s belligerently youthful.
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