As owners of the stellar Chateau Pavie Macquin and Vieux Chateau Certan, the Thienpont’s family reputation goes before them. So when they decided to make their own wine sourcing grapes from neighbouring vineyards in Lalande de Pomerol, the wine world took heed. On our recent trip to the En Primeur week in Bordeaux we made a point of hunting it down and enjoyed a bottle on our last night in the bistro on St Emilion’s pretty little Place.
Now, after a long week tasting young Claret, it takes something pretty special to ignite the jaded taste buds but L’Etoile 2012, we all agreed, did the trick. The nose has raspberry and dark chocolate with notes of tobacco and spice. The palate has an alluring, rich, fleshy feel with great depth of fruit and smoky licorice notes. The wine is from the 2012 Vintage which was justifiably praised on the Right Bank. It is drinking well now but will last another 3 – 4 years. We were lucky enough to secure a small parcel of the wine, don’t miss this opportunity to snap some up even if you squirrel it away for the cooler months.
L'Etoile 2012
Single bottle price £23.50 / €32.75
Buy 6 bottles for £123.30 (£20.55 per bottle) / €171.90 ( €28.65 per bottle )
Buy 12 bottles for £239.88 (£19.99 per bottle) / €333.60 ( €27.80 per bottle )
The Thienpont tasting is always a most welcome, relaxed affair, a chance to take a step back from the frantic pace of the Union des grands crus tastings.
So it was a pleasant surprise when Bernadette and Nicolas presented us with a glass of their new Bordeaux Rosé named after the famous Pyla sand dune which is reputedly the highest in Europe. The “pins” refers to the pine trees which have such an important role in the Bordeaux region in shielding the vineyards from the prevailing westerly, salty breezes which blow in from the Atlantic Ocean.
Pins du Pyla Rosé 2014
Bottle Price £9.95 / €15.95 - Case Price Per Bottle - £8.96 / €14.36
Magnum Bottle Price Magnum Bottle Price £21.95 / €33.75 - Case Price Per Bottle - £19.76 / €30.38
Very pale and Provençal-looking in terms of colour. Made from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, it has all the qualities we look for in a summer rosé: youth, freshness and summer berry fruit with a zesty, crisp, clean structure. Dry in style – would be a perfect match for barbecued prawns or chicken.
