Château Pabus - Tasting in Bordeaux

During a recent media tour set up by Planet Bordeaux, our group headed to Château Pabus in Sadirac for our first on-site tasting of the trip. The 19th century chateau and vineyard were purchased by New York financier Robert S. Dow at the suggestion of his daughter due to his love of Bordeaux wines. After extensive searching throughout the region, the property was chosen for both its history and its future potential.

In 2012, Dow asked Belgian winemaker Kris Couvent who was the property's former owner to help manage the estate with the help of wine consultants Michel Rolland and Bruno Lacoste. The goal was to bring the 6.47 hectare or sixteen acre vineyard area to peak health using no herbicides while using what they call rational cultivation techniques like encouraging natural grass cover crops. The vineyard soils are a mix of silt, sand and clay and are planted with 85% Merlot some of which is pictured on the right and 15% Malbec. They are planted at a density of 5,500 vines per hectare, all of which is harvested by hand.

A new winemaking facility was also built along with a vat house addition and an outdoor tasting terrace to take in the vineyard views. The new construction reflects the modern vision for the Château's future. We gathered up there after our tour of the property for a vertical tasting of the chateau's wine.

The tasting:

Château Pabus 2012 - Lush, juicy, rich and balanced, very drinkable.
Petit Pabus 2013 - Soft, charming, red fruit character with a hint of freshly tilled earth.
Château Pabus 2014 - Leaner, more linear structure with chewy tannins and a spicy finish. Planet Bordeaux ambassador, Michael Madrigale made the comment that there was "a pureness to the fruit" in this glass.
Château Pabus 2015 - Big tannic structure, more muted aromas and flavors, not quite ready to drink yet.
Château Pabus 2016 barrel sample - Oak nuances and fruit are not yet integrated. This wine will go another six months in barrel before it is ready to be bottled.

The team's commitment to quality at Château Pabus is apparent on the property and in the glass, enjoy the top three now and lay down the 2015 for a treat at a later date, all are recommended wines.

An Immersive Introduction into the World of Asolo Prosecco

Dinner Views at Osteria Alla Baracca. I was very excited to visit the Asolo DOCG Prosecco region at the end of May on a press trip as it is an Italian area that I have not previously traveled through. Asolo is located in the Province of Treviso at the foot of Monte Grappa in the high hills to the west of the Piave River with views of the Dolomites. The grapes are grown in 17 communes surrounding the town of Asolo. The days were very warm while I was there but I needed a sweater or light jacket on most evenings due to the diurnal swing that makes it a great area for grape growing. Wines from the Master Class Tasting. Asolo was elevated to the DOCG level in 2009. The majority of the Prosecco that I have found in Houston is Prosecco DOC which is mostly from very large producers. Asolo was separated from this category and the region was given this higher status because there are terroir elements that make it distinctive in the world of Prosecco. The Sant'Anna Vineyard. Many of the vin

Lust Zinfandel 2007

My husband loves this wine so he purchased quite a few bottles at a recent Michael~David dinner that we had attended. Last night, I decided to open a bottle to serve with dinner. I was making a roasted southwestern pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries (w/ chipolte ketchup) and a salad consisting of baby lettuce (fresh from my garden) with strawberries, red bell peppers, red onions and walnuts tossed with a white balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette. This turned out to be a great pairing. It is a bold wine that really stood up to the strong chipolte seasoning while complementing the fruit flavors. I opened the bottle a 1/2 hour before I served it as I have found this wine to be more enjoyable when I do so. The Lust Zinfandel by Michael~David 2007 was a dark purple color with a ruby rim. It has intense aromas of very ripe mixed berries and baking spices-both allspice and ginger with hints of cedar. It has flavors of creme de cassis, milk chocolate and also more of the baking

Effervescent Elegance

In the December 2023 issue of Galveston Monthly , I explore the world of classic method sparkling wine. The holiday season is always an excellent time to enjoy some effervescent elegance in your glass!

Wine Life - Houston

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