VertdeVin Wine Magazine Spring 2021

It is with great pleasure that I invite you to discover this 2021 Spring edition of VERTDEVIN Magazine that is our 17th edition. For this new issue we chose to explore and taste some wines from France, Italy, the United-States and Spain… This magazine wasn’t made in our usual way, the result of exhilarating trips because of Covid-19 (unfortunately still present !). But it is a result of a lot of amazing tastings! Maybe there are less non French wines due to difficulties to travel and to collect wines however you will find more than 1300 reviews are here to read in the following pages ! Well, in the first part of the magazine, the interview session we chose to put a spotlight on great winemakers from Pomerol, Médoc, Bordeaux…

Château Cantenac Brown is a 3rd Grand Cru Classé located in the commune of Cantenac, in the appellation Margaux. The winery is well known to wine lovers as being a good and reliable value for Médoc! The property which extends over 95 hectares consists of a charming and unique Tudor castle, an English garden, a nature reserve of 14 hectares and a vineyard of 53 hectares. It was created in 1806 by John-Lewis Brown, a Scotsman who immigrated to Bordeaux for the wine trade. He decided to give him this architectural style to remind him of his native Scotland. Château Cantenac Brown was bought in December 2019 by Tristan Le Lous. He recently unveiled an ambitious plan for the future: a unique winery designed by architect Philippe Madec, which will…

Château Laurence is a small family property owned and operated by Philippe Nunès. The winery is located on a clay-limestone plateau, close to the village of Montusson. The property was created in 2012 by Philippe Nunes and partners with the project of producing excellent Merlot offering very good value wines. For the anecdote, the Château takes its name from a small river that borders the plots of the property. Today Château Laurence produces fifty thousand bottles: two reds, two whites, one rosé, two sparkling wines made in the “Méthode Champenoise”. Why did you start making wine? Philippe Nunès: I’m feeling like Obelix, I fell into wine when I was young. I used to help my parents in the Margaux region and then at 18 years old I had to decide…

Château Gazin is a family owned and operated winery of Pomerol, located in the eponymous village. This estate has been in the hands of the De Bailliencourt family since the beginning of the 20th century. It was bought in 1918 by Louis Soualle, great-grandfather of the current owners, wine merchants from the North of France. Gazin is famous for the quality of its production since a long time. The old village of Gazin already appeared on the Belleyme wine map in the 18th century. More generally, some writings attest to the creation of the Pomerol vineyard by the Knights of Maltes, of Saint John of Jerusalem and of Rhodes. For the “anecdote”, the current chateau may be located on the old site of the “Hospital de Pomeyrols” built by the…

Barboursville Vineyards is one of the most iconic wineries of the Virginia state. It was created in 1976 by Gianni Zonin, descendant of an old italien winegrowers family who started to work vines at the beginning of the 19th century. The winery was created in place of the previous estate of James Barbour, who was a former governor of Virginia in the early 1810s’. Barboursville Vineyards extends over 364 hectares (900 acres) of which 180 are planted with vines and is located in the Southwest Mountains (Virginia Piedmont) region. Its vineyard, which is located between 150 and 250 meters above sea level, offers a beautiful range of terroirs mainly composed of different types of clay, alluvial deposits and limestone. Let’s go with us to meet Luca Paschina, the passionate winegrower…

The Domaine de Montcalmès, a family property, is one of the most famous estates in Languedoc. Located about thirty kilometers from Montpellier, the cellar is located in the town of Puéchabon. It was in 1998 that Frédéric Pourtalié decided to take over the family’s vineyard and made it take an important turn. Wishing to produce under his own label, he decided to no longer deliver his grapes to a local cooperative but to vinify them himself. Rich in his previous experiences with renowned winegrowers such as Alain Graillot (Crozes-Hermitage), Allary family (Domaine Oratoire St Martin) or Laurent Vaillé (La Grange des Pères), he soon raised the Domaine de Montcalmès to the rank of one of the most famous and qualitative wines of Languedoc. In 2012 he started a conversion to…