Ginestet

We are very proud to have been appointed the UK agent for the extensive portfolio of Bordeaux wines from Ginestet. The company has been a major player in Bordeaux wine since its inception in 1897, and as well as owning important cru classe such as Chateau Gruaud-Larose, Ferriere and Chateau Haut- Bages-Liberal, and highly rated cru bourgeois chateau such as Chasse-Spleen, they offer an exciting range of petit chateaux. Through their charter of quality, they control the entire production process of over 60 estates. All in all, this is a serious operation that covers all the bases in Bordeaux wine. It's perhaps fortunate that we have taken on the wines of Ginestet at a time when there is the impact of a trio of excellent vintages in the market - the classic 2004, the incomparable quality of the exceptional 2005, and the good but easy to overlook 2006 to follow shortly. As part of the Groupe Taillan since 1992, Ginestet have invested heavily in updating and modernizing all aspects of their operation, from grape to glass. Their HQ is in Entre- Deux-Mers in Carignan, and it is here that they house their immense maturation cellar of over 5000 barriques, and the entensive back vintages of fine wines. From the large range available, we have selected 4 chateaubottled wines to work with in the UK. The rationale behind this thoughtful selection is to reflect some of the diversity available from Left Bank, Right Bank and in between! Chateau Villepreux 2005, a 28 ha estate in Entre-Deux Mers, is owned by Ginestet's chief winemaker and technical director Bernard Laurent, and it is a lively, juicy and immediately appealing blend of 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc. No overt oak here, just a minority of the wine has 3 months in second fill oak barrels. Chateau Moulin de Curat 2005, from the Right Bank appellation Puisseguin St Emilion, is a typically Merlot-dominated effort (60% of the blend). Owned by the Robin family since the early 20th Century, Moulin de Curat was modernized in the 1980s, and punches well above its weight in quality, given its less glitzy location on the periphery of St Emilion. There is no oak in the wine, and the ripe, rich Merlot component shines out brightly, giving a fleshy, suave mouth-feel. A great advert for the 2005 vintage, and drinking beautifully now. Chateau Sissan 2004, from Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, is an upand- coming name in this relatively unlauded appellation. Owned by Pierre Yung, Sissan is a blend with Merlot to the fore (55% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc), and it has been matured for 12 months in oak. There is power and body here, rich fruitiness, some hints of cigar-box spice and the structure to allow graceful ageing over 5 - 7 years. Bailly de Camensac 2004, the second wine of the venerable 5th growth Chateau Camensac, has the class and breeding of its Left Bank Haut-Medoc terroir, deriving its structure and backbone from a major Cabernet Sauvignon component. With 12 months in new French oak, this is a cassis-laden, mocha-rich wine that can be enjoyed already, but it will continue to improve over the next 7 years. As a second wine, it is a vineyard selection of the estate's younger vines, but it receives the same care and precision in the chai as that of the grand vin itself.