Chateau Laville with Benoit Laville

The Wednesday Winemaker Series is one of the new wine education programs we have started at the Wine Down. The idea is to bring a winemaker, or someone very close to the process at the winery, and have them present their wines for the evening. Along with a modest spread of food, the whole event costs $20 per person. The Wednesday Winemaker Series is going to be an occasional event so keep reading this blog for information on future tastes.

For the first ever Wednesday Winemaker Series we were lucky enough to get Benoit Laville of Chateau Laville in Bordeaux to present his wines. Benoit (standing to the right of Joe Saady followed by me and John) was very nice and tried his hardest to explain his wine the best he could in English, which is not his first language. The Laville family has been making wine since 1510. We tasted six variations of his Bordeaux blends beginning with his blanc and finishing with his second tier rouge. Chef Tim King put out spicy sausage stuffed mushrooms, cranberry goat cheese and hot pepper quiche, grilled chicken and Hungarian pepper flat bread pizza, sesame crusted chicken satay with plum sauce, and chocolate chip chocolate brownies.

We started the taste with Chateau des Tuquets 2005 Blanc (retail $12) being the only white currently offered in this area by Laville. Chateau des Tuquets is classic white Bordeaux blend of 40% Sauvignon Blanc and 60% Semillion grown on clayed limestone soil. There is a bit of authenticity with every bottle that is exhibited by the bottle number on the labels (both red and white have them). This pale gold wine has tones of tropical fruit like banana, and papaya with a slight lemon peel essence. Nice upfront citric flavors lead to a long creamy finish that has perfectly balanced finesse and mineral content. Try drinking this wine with a salmon tartare served with mixed greens and a basil-lemon-Dijon dressing.

Next we moved to the red blend from this same vineyard and same clayed limestone soil. After reading some literature Benoit had handed to me I was shocked to see that this vineyard dates back to the age of the Roman Empire (Roman villa ruins were unearthed on the site of this vineyard) Chateau des Tuquets 2005 Rouge (retail $14) is a blend of 40% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Cabernet Franc. This fantastic wine and completely undervalued wine (it could easily get twice its sticker price) is aged in oak for an average of 12 months before being bottled. It exhibits black pepper, deep berry, and black cherry with light oak tones. Light and balanced fruit leads to a smooth subtle and delicate finish. This was one of my favorite wines of the taste and I would highly recommend this easy drinking wine to anyone just getting into red wine. Try matching this wine with a grilled swordfish topped with salsa verde and served atop roasted red pepper risotto.

The next red we tried was from the Chateau La Gaborie Vineyards. Chateau La Gaborie 2004 (retail $15) is a blend of 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc. This heavy Merlot-based wine was the crowd favorite for Laville's entry level Bordeaux blends. The nose in this wine exhibits chocolate, plum, and cracked pepper. Chateau La Gaborie has deep and full-bodied berry flavors leading to a long rounded lightly tannic semi-dry finish. I would suggest trying this wine with braised quail and parsley pasta squares with lightly salted grilled zucchini.

Chateau Davril 2005 is the third wine we offered from the excellent 2005 growing year and also retails at a modest $15. This 40% Cabernet Sauvignon 40% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc blend exhibits heavy plum, cherry, and slightly smokey scents with a hint of rose petal. Bold deep fruit upfront lead to a long dry spicy finish making this wine a great choice with char-grilled pork chops with seasoned roasted fingerling potatoes and blanched green beans and baby carrots. This wine also spends an average of 12 months in oak barrels before being bottled.

The next in the sequence of Bordeaux blends was Chateau Gonin 2004 retailing at $14. This 50% Cabernet Sauvignon 50% Merlot blend is one of the boldest entry level style wine of the blends Laville offers. This wine undergoes a 30 day extended stainless steel maceration (check the link for definition) followed by 12 to 16 months in oak. I'd also like to point out that this vineyard is wholly owned by Benoit as the label displays. Chateau Gonin is ruby in color having a huge leather, smoke, light cherry, and a hint of petrol on the nose. A deep, balanced and gentle fruity start lead to a long, rounded finish. This is a classic representation of the bold end of a Bordeaux style. The acidity levels and bold fruit in this wine make it a great candidate to cellar for an increasingly soft result. Try this wine with a dry rubbed filet mignon served with goat cheese twice baked baby red potatoes and grilled asparagus.


Six months ago when I tasted Chateau Lacombe 2000 Haut Benauge I could not believe the complexity and depth this $22 wine offered for such a low price. 2000 is a much coveted year in Bordeaux and usually get a bit more money per bottle for this vintage. As I mentioned earlier Chateau Lacombe is considered to the the second tier wine for the winery. This beautifully crafted Bordeaux offers strawberry, plum, and oak with a hint of cocoa and butter in the nose. Its subtle, complex, and balanced fruit lead to a mellow long silky finish that lasts forever. Feel free to cellar this wine for another 5 years or drink it now. As John mentioned this wine paired wonderfully with the rich chocolate chip chocolate brownies Chef Tim King offered with the taste. Keep an eye out in our racks for a new release of the Chateau Lacombe 2005 Blanc. Benoit promised the same intensity and depth in this second tier white that is offered in the red.

Frank Savelli (my European Wine Imports rep) was nice enough to open a bottle of Chateau Laville 1998 and Chateau Laville 2000. The Chateau Laville blend is the top of the line the winery has to offer. Currently they offer the 1998, 2000, and 2001 vintages with the 2005 and 2006 vintages still being aged at the winery. I asked what happened to the fruit that was produced in the missing years from the vintage and Benoit assured me that the "not-so-good" growing years were crushed fermented and blended in with the wines from Chateau La Gaborie, Chateau Davril, and Chateau des Tuquets. While it was expected that the Chateau Laville 1998 drank softer than the 2000 I was surprised that the wine was slightly more spicy in the finish. All of the low yield hand selected grapes for this Cru Exceptionnel wine were aged in new oak for 24 months before being bottled. The vineyard from which these grapes originate from was established in 1855. The Chateau Laville 2000 had a strong strawberry and nutty essence with light chocolate tones and offered a structured and balanced palate with a long smooth rounded finish and a touch of pepper and spice in the outro. This $60 Bordeaux drank just as nice as a Bordeaux twice its' price making it a value wine that would enhance anbody's wine cellar collection. Try pairing this wine with pepper crusted rack of lamb in a spicy demi-glace served with roasted shallot mashed potatoes and broccoli florettes.

I'd like to thank Benoit (and Frank) for taking the time out of his busy schedule to come visit us at the Wine Down and talk to (the best he could) the customers that love to drink his wine. Many of you that bought wine that evening had the option to have your bottle signed by Benoit making the event that much more special. I'd also like to thank those of you that took the time out your busy schedules to support a new promotion at the Wine Down. For technical notes on Laville or for winery info check out: Chateau Laville. I'll see you all soon and remember to keep an open mind and an open eye.