Corkr

Chateau Montelena bought by Chateau Cos D'estournel for $110 million

2008-10-05T17:53:36Z

Chateau Montelena in Napa Valley California has been bought by Chateau Cos D'estournel the second growth Chateau for $110 million. The deal has just been authorised by the US Authorities in October 2008. The new owner Michel Reybier of Chateau Cos D'estournel and Jim and Jo Barrett of Chateau Montelena struck the deal in July 2008 but were waiting for the US Authorities for authorisation.

Chateau Montelena became famous in the 1976 tasting now known as "The Judgement of Paris" when Steven Spurrier visited Chateau Montelena and returned to France with a sample of the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay. The wine was entered into a blind tasting competing against the best white wines of France and won. This tasting has been turned into a film which has been released in 2008 called "Bottle Shock" staring Alan Rickman as Steven Spurrier.

The UK agent for the Chateau Montelena wines Dick Wallingford will be relinquishing the distribution of the wines in January 2009, when the only way of purchasing will be through a Bordeaux Negociant.

If prices especially for their top wine Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon increase in comparison to Chateau Cos D'estournel we could be looking at an increase from around £50.00 per bottle to over £100.00.

If you have not bought this wine you should consider it, as it is not only a spectacular wine, made in the same way as a Bordeaux with excellent potential for laying down for 10 plus years, but it also may turn out to be a good investment wine.

Link - 2008 Vintage year for Investing in fine wines

2008-05-27T12:46:15Z

Fine wine prices have soared to a record high as traditional investments are shunned in favour of vintage claret- Article in Scotland on Sunday

Link - Fine Wines beat Stock Market with 39% gains

2008-05-07T12:50:48Z

An informative article from the Independent in December 2007 - The Independent

Link - Article by Decanter - Fine Wine led by Lafite top investment of 2007

2008-05-07T12:32:11Z

This is an excellent article from the Decanter Magazine detailing how wine has performed in 2007 - Fine Wine Investing

Article written November 2007 in the Wine Post and in the Commuter Newspaper with regards to wine supplied by Corkr

2008-05-07T12:22:55Z

1976, Paris, and wine critic Steven Spurrier gathers some of the most eminent names from the world of French wine to a blind tasting of wines, comparing the best that California has to offer with the best of French. This tasting which has become known as The Judgement of Paris rocked the wine world as a Californian Cabernet beat off the best that Bordeaux could throw at them.

What is less well known is that a white tasting took place at the same time, of Californian Chardonnay and white Burgundy in which Chateau Montelena from Napa Valley won.
Until now, the wines of Montelena have been hard to find in the UK, however Corkr.com have just secured a small parcel of their wines for shipping to the UK, and any serious wine lover should get serious about considering getting hold of some. In addition to their very serious Chardonnay 217.99 for 12 are two wonderful Cabernets to get hold of, the Estate Cabernet 275.99 for 6 and the Napa Valley Cabernet 245.99 for 12. Clearly these wines are not cheap, but with Robert Parker giving them between 89 and 93 points each they are really good wines.

Chateau Montelena was founded in 1882 and is one of the oldest wine estates in California, with a Chateau that would look more in place in Tuscany than the US, and is famous for producing old style wines with traditional values rather than the more fruit forwards styles adopted by many modern wineries. That is both the charm and the problem for the wines. On one hand they can lack mass market appeal, but on the other they are supremely made in a delicate European style that demands food to be seen at its best.

The Chardonnay is good old fashioned Californian Chardonnay, with a little use of oak and fresh lively acidity this is a wine that not only shows off lovely fruit character but also goes to show that it is possible to make wines with real sensitivity and finesse. Put in a line up with good quality Burgundy and this would be hard to spot - I am not sure that I would try it against the very best possible but at around 20 pounds you would be hard pressed to find anything much better.

The Napa Valley Cabernet is a delicate Cabernet with blackcurrant and eucalyptus flavours with firm tannins that will really reward being kept for a couple of years before being drunk, at present it lacks a little charm but the potential is certainly there to develop into something better, but for me I would prefer to see a little more fruit in a wine that is not meant for long term ageing.

The Estate Cabernet is a serious step up into top quality Napa Cabernet that shows a little austerity and some great fruit touches and for my money will go on for another 10-15 years and certainly wants 5 before it really comes into its own. Drinking it right now is not a hardship, but neither do you feel like you are drinking nearly 50 pounds worth of wine. On the other hand you would never choose to drink a four year old classed growth from Bordeaux, so why do the same to a Californian Cabernet designed to age in the same way? My tip would be to buy 6 bottles and then pop it somewhere safe, forget about it for 10 years or so and come back and find out just how good it is - go on I dare you!

Link - Pillitteri Ice Wine News

2008-05-07T12:11:45Z

The news from the Pillitteri Estates Winery in Canada - Pillitteri News

Link - FT REPORT - WINE INVESTMENT

2008-05-07T12:03:57Z

Why investors should always be aware of Robert Parker - The Financial Times - The power of Parker points

Link - Article by the Independent - The Booming Wine Market

2008-05-07T11:25:40Z

An excellent article on Investment Wine and the Wine Market in 2008- The The Booming Wine Market

Link - BBC Radio 4 - The Wine Programme

2007-01-23T22:57:51Z

You can catch the latest edition of Radio 4's The Wine Programme on the BBC Website.

Link - Jamie Goode 'Defending Screwcaps'

2007-01-20T19:13:15Z

In defence of screwcaps by wine writer/scientist Jamie Goode is a rebuttal of the reports in the press this week regarding 'rotton-egg' smells in screwcapped wines.

Corkr guide to drinking older wines

2007-01-20T12:51:58Z

Older wines require a bit of care when opening and serving - so here is the Corkr guide to opening and serving wine with a bit of age to them!

Step 1

An aged wine may contain quite a lot of sediment that doesn't taste that nice and turns the wine cloudy. Ideally you should store the bottle upright for a couple of days before you intend to open it to allow the sediment to fall to the bottom of the bottle. When preparing to open the bottle - keep it upright and try to avoid shaking up the sediment.

Step 2

Carefully cut the capsule (the outer sheath covering the cork) to reveal the cork. There may be some general grime and dust - but don't worry that's a normal side effect of being left alone for so long!

Older wines may have a lead capsule instead of an aluminium one, and if that is the case make sure that you give the rim of the bottle a wipe with a damp cloth to remove any trace lead particles.

Step 3

As corks get older they can sometimes crumble as you try to remove them. Lever corkscrews (the ones with arms that you push down and the cork is pulled up) work best here - try and avoid the 'waiter's friend' style if you can.

Insert the corkscrew into the cork and very gently remove the cork. If the cork does snap (which is not uncommon) - insert the corkscrew into the middle of the cork and try again.

Step 4

Now you can decant the wine into a suitable container - any vessel big enough to hold 750ml should do - you don't need to buy a special decanter, although they do add to the occasion.

Somewhere where there is a lot of light - or over a lamp or candle -
Slowly pour the wine into your chosen vessel in one smooth motion - do not allow the wine to slosh back into the bottle.

Whilst you are pouring keep an eye on the neck of the bottle. Stop pouring when you start to see the sediment in the neck of the bottle. There should be about a couple of table spoonfuls of wine left in the bottle. Add this to your gravy!

If you did not have time to store the bottle upright for a couple of day it is possible to strain the wine through some muslin or a fine mesh - just make sure that whatever you are filtering the wine with does not impart its own flavour - like damp paper if you filter through a coffee filter!

Step 5

The most important bit - enjoy the wine! Older wines can change quite dramatically over the course of a bottle as they react with the oxygen that they had been deprived of for so long, therefore, you may find the wine takes a little while to open up and blossom and then they may fade quite rapidly after a few hours exposed to the air.

Welcome to the Corkr Journal

2007-01-18T18:03:12Z

We're very excited by this new section of the site where we shall be providing in depth wine reviews, interesting articles and the latest announcements on upcoming events. Make sure that you don't miss out by bookmarking this page or subscribing to the RSS feed.