Vitibox

« The cuvee L’Etoile de Bergey has as much potential as its big brother, the Château Haut-Bergey. This Pessac Léognan wine has a nice purple robe, and combines a nice acidity, silky tannins and harmonious wood flavours. I advice you to drink this wine while eating rabbit stew. You can drink this wine now or wait five more years. »

 The robe has an intense garnet colour with violet-blue reflections and colored tears.

Farmhouse terrine
Rabbit stew

Brie Cheese

Black forest cake

 The terroir of the Château Haut-Bergey is spread on 25 hectares of vineyards cultivated on an argilo-siliceous subsoil, mix of sand and clay. We often say that the clay soils produce wines that are solid, strong and alcoholic while the siliceous soils produce fine wines, with subtle aromatic hints. The union of the clay and the silica sand guarantees a terroir of high quality. 

For this Vitibox dedicated to the wines of Bordeaux, I really felt like making you discover Château Haut-Meyreau. It is not located in one of Bordeaux top appellations, but the winemaker’s skills seem to be enough to build a reputation since the Château is out of stock six months a year. This wine is very elegant, with subtle aromas of flowers. 

 A light garnet red colour, with hints of blue and purple..

Veal carpaccio
Yassa chicken
Sheep’s cheese
Red berries pie

 The Château Haut-Meyreau is located in Dardenac, ten kilometres from Saint-Emilion. The vineyard covers 76 hectares. The subsoil is made of clay and limestone. It is an excellent terroir as the clay keeps a lot of rainwater to moisten the vines all year long. It strikes a balance with the strong sun of Bordeaux, ideal to grow great merlot and cabernet-sauvignon. 

« It’s been a couple of months I was looking for a nice wine from the Margaux AOC, one of the most well-known AOC in France. I really enjoyed this cuvee from the Château Haut-Breton Larigaudière. Margaux wines are famous for their delicacy and their feminine side, and you will probably notice this when tasting it. Moreover, it has a good price/quality ratio. »

 The robe has a garnet color with purple reflections.

Skewered offal
Lamb shoulder

Brie

Paris-Brest

 Trianon de Larigaudière is the second wine of the prestigious Château Haut-Breton Larigaudière, located on one of the most beautiful terroir of the Margaux AOC. The soil is sand-rich: sand has some drainage aptitudes that help producing light and aerial wines. 

« Pessac-Léognan is one of my favourites denomina- tion. This little château is every bit as good as big wi- neries for the quality of its wine. Its vintage 2009 stands out for its nice balance, boldness and lightness. And it will improve even more with ageing. Will you reco- gnize the delicate aromas of redcurrant that I have iden- tified? »

 Light purple colour with violet reflections.

Rabbit terrine
Veal flank with carrots

Pont-l’évêque cheese

Chocolate cake

 The Mancèdre winery extends for 11 hectares on the east side of Pessac-Léognan. The vineyard flourishes on a soil made of gravels coming from the Pyrenees. Gravels give strength and lightness to wine. Grapevines also benefit from an excellent hydric regulation and natural poverty of soil, elements necessary to obtain ripened and concentred grapes. 

« I really liked the personality of the Château l’Escart’s wines, located on the way to Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle. You can notice it thanks to the numerous shells on the domain. The members of the Laurent’s family are biodynamic practitioners since 2005. The vintage 2010 of the cuvee Eden is one of the most “nature”. The mix of the aromas makes this wine unique and surprising. »

 Light garnet colour with violet-blue reflections.

Duck terrine
Iberian pig

Old Cantal cheese

Cherry liqueur

 Located on the Bordeaux’s doors, the Château L’Escart’s vineyard is spread on 37 hectares of clay-limestone soils fine gravel. The presence of limestone gives freshness and length to the wine, while the clay brings out strength and density.  

“Roc des Mates is strong, tannic and velvety at the same time. The taste is pleasant and silky. It has a long keeping potential thanks to his 18 ageing in barrels. Here you have a fine wine, very representative of the Pic Saint-Loup denomination. This very tannic wine will seduce those who love masculine wines. Open two hours before serving to round tannins”.

 Luminous garnet colour with violet reflections.

Green olives tapenade 
Roasted herb chicken

Mont d'Or Cheese

Sugar Crepes

 Clayey soil, vegetation and Mediterranean climate are the stronger assets of terroir Pic Saint-Loup. Vineyards of this cuvee are situated on a mountain chain at 150 metres above sea level. In particular vines grow on calcareous-clay slopes that are skeletal thin and pebbly soils. 25-years old vineyards give good quality grapes since the age is in inverse proportion to quantity. Indeed smaller quantity allows grapes to grow better.  

“I wanted to let you taste this wine since I really like how the Magnaudeix family works. I herd that they have deservedly won the gold medal at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2013 (a prestigious world wine tasting championship). This wine can be sipped young thanks to its fruity and expressive aromas, but also in 10 years since it has a long keeping potential.”

 Colour is dark garnet with blue-violet reflections. Micro-bubbles in suspension. Tears are coloured and the glass disc is very thin.

Autumn sweet potato soup
Pepper sirloin steak

Maroilles cheese

Paris-Brest dessert

 Vines of Château Vieux Larmande grow on a dense layer of soil of hardpan basement covered by a calcareous-clay layer. The sublayer of hardpan is composed by clay, humus and iron and it’s a rare and very old soil. It gives stability to roots and prevents them from both dryness and high humidity and it contribute to the strength of vines. 

Mercurey is not any appellation in Burgundy. Indeed, it is the biggest appellation in the Côte Chalonnaise sub-region and it is known for the intensity of red berries aromas the terroir gives to pinot noir there. This batch is particularly remarkable as it blends the aromas typical of Mercurey with refined woody notes that bring more complexity and smoky aromas. A great wine ! 

 A beautiful ruby dress..

Rillettes
Beef stew
Epoisses cheese
Blackcurrant ice cream

 The vineyards in Mercurey benefit from a special terroir as it lies on a hilly relief that alternates gentle and steep slopes. This kind of relief has a huge advantage: it allows winemakers to harvest grapes that were grown under different exposures to the sun and with different levels of water stress so as to elaborate wine with a lot of complexity. 

The Egregore is one of the exceptional wines of the Bernard Magrez, the French wine magnate. I suggest you the vintage 2010 for his generous matter and his very long keeping potential. This cuvée Egregore is considered as a step to perfection… 

 A lovely colour with garnet reflections

Mushrooms mille feuille
Grilled rib steak with thyme and rosemary

Saint Nectaire cheese
Coffee pastry;

The vineyard grows in the lieu-dit of Guerit, close to the village of Tauriac. The grape of the Egregore come from the slopes exposed to the plain sun of the Chateau Guerry. The soil is composed of clay and sand. The Château Guerry is the oldest wine of Bordeaux and it exists since three century.

I chose for you this nice Beaujolais Village by Château de l’Eclair, a winery I especially appreciate as I used to teach there wine tasting to tourists from all over the world ! This wine is a good example of the best Beaujolais can give when it comes to produce simple yet quality wines. I suggest you enjoy this wine before dinner paired with a nice charcuterie board. Will you be able to feel the carbonic maceration ? 

 Attractive ruby dress and crystal clear..

Charcuterie board
Veal Milanese
Pont-l’Evêque cheese
Strawberry Charlotte

 Beaujolais is divided between two kinds of soils: granite in the north and schist in the south. The best wines are elaborated on granitic soils, like the ones on which Château de l’Eclair’s vines are planted. Granite is known to give refinement and freshness to the wines as it stores water deeply and slowly waters the roots one drop after another while providing soft warmth to the grapes. 

Château l’Evêché is ruled by skilled people ! Indeed, we already chose for My VitiBox their Bordeaux Supérieur and their first Saint-Emilion Grand Cru. There is their second Grand Cru that impressed us. Tannins are fine, the aromatic structure is very elegant and we get magnificent scents of ripen black berries, typical from high class merlots. On the palate, you will also find fine tastes of liquorice and hints of chocolate. 

 A purplish red dress with viscous tears..

Gazpacho
Roasted lamb
Burrata cheese
Chocolate tart

 The vines used to elaborate La Chapelle-Lescours are planted on a soil made of fine clay and large heavy round pebbles called graves. This kind of soil perfectly regulates the water supply to make sure vine stocks get all the nutrients they need but are not flooded which could result in diluted wines. 

The white version of “ Vignes du Prieuré ” was one of the first one ever to be in a VitiBox a few years ago. That’s why I’m so happy to present you this month its red version in an amazing vintage ! The colour changes, but pleasure is still there. The first nose smells orignal : it’s not that common to find aromas of fresh herbs and strawberry together. However, it’s enchanting ! Silky, fruity and powerful, it feels like biting in a ripe fruit just picked up from the tree. It’s intense and refreshing ! 

 A beautiful purple and bright dress..

Duck livers
Tripe sausage
Saint-Nectaire
Red berry crumble

 Planted on a sunny terroir, Château Gigognan’s vines are also in a place where strong winds blow, notably the warm and powerful mistral. Thus, berries ripen but keep their freshness thanks to the wind. This kind of terroir gives amazing wines : the high level of sugar and alcohol given by the sun is balanced by wind’s freshness, and the result is a powerful wine with a great length. 

Languedoc is not only about strong wines with high level of tannins and aromas of ripe fruits. Château de Jonquières is quite the opposite with its delicate aromas of flowers, slightly enhanced by white pepper. It’s always nice to see that some winemakers enjoy giving a different expression of their terroir. This freshness and length is particularly remarkable. 

 A beautiful raspberry dress..

Chicken salad
Roasted partridge
Laguiole cheese
Plum cake

 Chateau de Jonquières is located just under the Causse du Larzac plateau. The vines enjoy warm southern winds from the Mediterranean as well as fresh masses of air falling down from the nearing plateau. Therefore, the temperature gets neither too high nor too low. This kind of conditions favours a slow but regular maturation which gives to the grapes a remarkable complexity. 

Burgundy’s red wines arefascinating : they all are elaborated with the same grape variety and yet they offer an astonishing diversity. This is due to the unique diversity of terroirs in the region. This Hautes Côtes de Beaune displays beautiful aromas of raspberry and rose delicately enhanced by a gentle acidity and very thin tannins. However, pinot noir is a fragile and demanding variety : do not hesitate to aerate it several hours before service so it fully displays its bouquet. 

 A beautiful ruby dress with fluid tears..

Chicken salad
Turkey breast
Soumaintrain cheese
Raspberry tart

 Long strip bordering Côte de Beaune’s villages on the west, Hautes Côtes de Beaune are a succession of hills and valleys. Thus, vines are all planted on slopes which allow them to benefit from a good exposure to sun and wind. It ensures a good level of ripeness, which is very important in such a northern region, and keeps the wine healthy, also very important for pinot noir, a noticeably fragile grape variety. 

It’s a very typical Cru Bourgeois that I chose this month. The robe is dark and deep. The nose is complex, with hints of spice, and is very promising. On the palate, I was impressed by its perfect balance and its amazing structure. The aromas of violet and red berries perfectly pair with the aromas of licorice, sign of delicate aging in oak barrels. A very refined Cru Bourgeois, quite classical in its structure but quite original in its aromas. 

 A beautiful garnet dress with purple hues..

Paté
Sirloin steak with shallot sauce
Saint-Nectaire
Fresh raspberries

 If cabernet-sauvignon and merlot are expected as there are some in almost all the wines in Bordeaux, the presence of malbec is a bit more surprising. Malbec used to be quite widespread in Bordeaux until the sixties. It’s used to give more structure to the wine thanks to its usually thin but abundant tannins. 

Surprise ! There are not only rosé wines in Provence… Indeed, if the region that lies just behind the Riviera is better known for its rosés, there are amazing terroirs for great red wines. Mas Cadenet displays a deep cherry colour and exhales a powerful nose that let guess a lot of complexity. The palate confirms it. The aromas of spices and blueberry are perfectly enhanced by fine tannins and a bit of freshness. Very nice ! 

 A beautifull cherry dress with thick tears..

Lamb chops
Tagine
Banon cheese
Candied fruits

 Located on a 250 meters high plateau, Mas Cadenet’s vines found the perfect soil with this ground covered with gravels, a very typical phenomenon in Provence. This dry soil gives extremely low yields, an unavoidable condition if you want to get concentrated and structured wines like Negrel. 

In this month of April, I am proud to present you Origami by Chateau l’Evêché. This wine is a perfect example of the best you can find on the right bank of Bordeaux ! Its main characteristic is an amazing smoothness that will enchant your buds. Moreover, this wine is amazingly balanced and blackberries aromas pair perfectly with vanilla flavours brought by a delicate maturation in oak barrels. 

 A beautiful purple and bright dress..

Saucisson en croûte
Barbecued offal skewers
Fourme d’Ambert
Chocolate canelés

 Château l’Evêché, a rising star of Saint-Emilion, also owns 6 hectares just on the other side of the Dordogne River. Merlot and cabernet franc, the only variety used in Château Cheval Blanc, are cultivated with as much care as for the Grand Cru. The only difference is that this side of the river is sunnier and wines are therefore a little sweeter. Yummy!