Orleans Wine & Spirits

COULD THIS BE THE GREATEST VINTAGE EVER?

"WHOLESALE PRICING DIRECT TO THE CONSUMER!"

Bordeaux 2005 Offer

Bob and Alek have just returned from Bordeaux where they tasted the much heralded 2005 vintage. They spent almost two weeks tasting through well over 1,000 wines and the final analysis is what everyone has been saying - 2005 is truly an outstanding vintage and one of the greatest ever for this illustrious region!

The growing season of 2005 saw almost drought conditions but with just enough rain when needed. Also while it was warm and sunny there was not the extreme heat like in 2003 when some producers excelled but others had major problems with their grapes which almost burned on the vine. This combination of a dry, sunny summer with warm but not extreme temperatures led to a vintage with not only the highest level of tannin on record but also the highest level of natural alcohol as well! But what makes this vintage so special is that the cool nights preserved good levels of acidity which provides freshness that is normally missing in other hot years such as 2000 and 2003! While some comparisons have been made to such legendary vintages such as 1945, 1959, 1982, and 1990, the 2005 vintage seems to be a year unlike any other. While people love to compare vintages of Bordeaux, we’ve never seen a vintage quite like this one!

Robert Parker has just came out with his reviews on the 2005 vintage in issue #164 of his Wine Advocate and had rave reviews even saying that “It is clearly a singular vintage that should evolve into one of the great vintages of Bordeaux”. We absolutely agree!

One thing is for sure; we will certainly take a major position in this vintage and will have a fantastic offering of futures available. While 2005 is an outstanding year, because of the lack of rain there was a much lower quantity of wine made in this vintage. If you have any wines that you like to follow or new gems you have an interest in, please let us know so that we can let you know of the availability as soon as pricing is released from the Châteaux.

Congratulations to Monsieur Bernard Magrez!

We would also like to congratulate Bernard Magrez, owner of Château Pape Clément on his well deserved, outstanding reviews and wonderful article in the ODDS AND ENDS section of Robert Parkers’ most recent Wine Advocate. Having worked closely with Bernard Magrez in representing his excellent wines in Massachusetts for some time, we know first hand of Bernard Magrez commitment to excellence and dedication in striving for perfection! We had the great opportunity to stay at Château Pape Clément and Château Fombrauge as our base for the two weeks in Bordeaux and had the chance to taste his range of wines on various occasions, and we thought his wines were absolutely terrific!While the wines differed from appellation to appellation, there was tremendous consistency throughout and amazing quality even from obscure areas!From the 96-100 point Château Pape Clément to the 85-87 point Château Bois Pertuis, we feel there are great wines in all price categories with many of these wines being truly profound!

We included the article from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate for those of you who may not have seen this yet.

Empire Builder: Bernard Magrez

For many reasons, Bernard Magrez is one of Bordeaux’s most significant players in terms of high quality wine. He is also one of the brightest and most creative, challenging vineyard owners as well as consumers with an assortment of remarkable wines, led by one of Bordeaux’s new superstars, his flagship estate, Château Pape Clément.

Magrez has been an incredibly successful businessman, his fame and financial wealth largely emanating from his founding of the négociant society of William Pitters in 1964. In 2005, he sold William Pitters to the Marie Brizard group, and is now pumping his money into the many estates he oversees in Bordeaux and elsewhere. Along with the famous French actor, Gérard Depardieu, and actress, Carole Bouquet, he has created a series of limited production/high quality wines. He has also carved out special parcels from several of his Bordeaux estates to create luxury cuvées that represent reference points for their appellations. Since the mid-eighties, the rise of Pape Clément has been incredible, with the wines routinely being one of the top two dozen or so wines now being produced in Bordeaux.

Magrez is also doing groundbreaking work in Morocco and Algeria, as well as producing limited production cuvées in Spain, Argentina, and Napa Valley, where he has begun making a Cabernet Sauvignon with the assistance of the brilliant viticulturist, David Abreu. Magrez’s oenologist of choice is the renowned Michel Rolland.

"WHOLESALE PRICING DIRECT TO THE CONSUMER!"

We buy direct from Bordeaux negociants, which is one step away from buying direct from the chateaux. This eliminates middleman profits and results in substantial savings for the consumer purchasing the great wines of Bordeaux. Our retail prices are some of the lowest prices in the United States.