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Les Vins du Siècle est un grand site fédérateur, bilingue et mondial. Dans toute la France, « triés sur le volet », les meilleurs producteurs (la très grande majorité ayant l’exclusivité de leur appellation) sont retenus pour la typicité des vins, leur rapport qualité-prix-plaisir, l'expression de leur terroir et leur passion de vignerons.

Pas de vins à la mode, surcôtés ou de "jus de bois" dans Les Vins du Siècle. La typicité d’un vin, ce n’est rien d’autre que l’association d’un sol, d’un micro-climat, d’une plante et d’un homme. On ne peut aimer un vin qu’en appréciant celui qui le fait. Derrière une étiquette, il y a un viticulteur (ou une viticultrice) et c’est fondamental de ne pas les dissocier. Bien sûr, les sols ont une influence considérable et, dans chaque territoire, dans chaque commune, le vigneron fait la différence avec son voisin.

Il ne s’agit donc pas seulement de faire du bon vin, ce que tout le monde peut faire, mais surtout d’élever de vrais vins racés, reconnaissables entre mille, qui sentent ce “fumé” bourguignon, déploient ce “velours” libournais, ces senteurs alsaciennes, cette “chair” en Médoc ou à Châteauneuf, cette “minéralité” à Pouilly ou à Meursault, cette fraîcheur en Champagne comme dans nos grands liquoreux.

HALL OF FAME

CHATEAU MAYNE LALANDE

LISTRAC

Since more than 6 generations, the Lartigue family is attached to the ground of Listrac. It is into 1973 that Bernard LARTIGUE becomes the new master of the winegrowing estate. In truth médocain in the line of its ancestors, and deeply attached to the true values médocaines, it is with passion that it will create the properties Château Mayne Lalande (Listrac), Château Myon of Enclos (Moulis) like Les Cinq SENS of Château Mayne Lalande, its house of hosts. A perfectionist, rigorous, demanding character of a vine grower liking work well done leads it to the permanent research of excellence but also to call itself in question each day to obtain the best potential of the soil in order to work out high-class wines, having a very long aptitude for ageing. Its Listrac Médoc 2014, 60% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet franc, 5% Petit Verdot, extremely well high out of barrels (30% of new barrels), is rich in bouquet as out of matter, with balanced tannins, complete, elegant, all in mouth, with the nuances of blackcurrant, truffle and humus. The 2013 is very successful, elegant, with rich and velvety tannins at the same time, all in aromatic smoothness (leather, currant…), a wine of garnet-red color constant, quite vigorous, to envisage with a veal chop with breadcrumbs to the Milanese or skewers of lamb. The 2012, particularly tasty, of beautiful color supported crimson, with the cinnamon and raspberry notes, of a great harmony, is very scented, séveux, generous and persistent. The 2011 (50% of new barrels), is all in mouth, with dominant of roundness, closes in mouth, all in aromatic nuances (black cherry, grooves…), of very good evolution. “The year 2016, tells us Bernard Lartigue, is one year with many climatic sudden starts which required much observation of the plant to guarantee to have healthy grapes. We move towards excellence thanks to generosity of Dame Nature and with the intensive work of all the collaborators of the properties. Large a mercy!”

DOMAINE DE LA CASA BLANCA

BANYULS

Founded about 1870 in Banyuls-sur-Mer, the winegrowing of Casa Blanca is one of oldest vintages Banyuls and Collioure, located on the Vermilion Coast, in the Eastern Pyrenees (Roussillon). On 8 hectares of plantations and old vines in terraces, Laurent Escapa and Herve Levano give rise to generous wines, expressing these schist soils fully: Collioure (still wine) and Banyuls (sweet aperitif wine). Since 2001, abandonment of the plant health products of synthesis for the treatments of the vine. The artificial fertilizers were replaced by composts since 1989. The ground is worked by animal haulage (ploughing with the mule) on one the third of the estate. The remainder is weeded chemically. Tests of putting under grass are in hand to be freed completely from weeding. Here best Collioure rouge 2009, resulting from plantations of about fifteen years of Grenache black and Syrah, maturing out of barrels of occasion during 12 months with ullaging weekly, a beautiful wine, rich, with the complex nose, of silky and powerful mouth, quite fleshy, with these quite persistent crystallized cherry aromas, of excellent evolution, to enjoy on a spiced kitchen, a wine of fort beautiful evolution as proves it the 2007, of beautiful robe crimson, with the complex nose associating black spices, fruits (ripe, blackcurrant) and red fruits (cherry) on a light point of scrub and smoked, but of beautiful freshness in mouth, in which one finds the cooked fruits. Collioure blanc 2010, with a complex and persistent nose, is prevailed by the dried fruits and the pink, of ripe mouth, very beautiful color. Superb Banyuls 2009, two years of maturing out of barrels of 400 L, suave and distinguished, with the floral aromas where one finds the acacia, the cooked peach and it lily, a full wine with the nose as in mouth, of a long finale to the palate. If you find some, their Banyuls 2006 is exceptional, of Rimage type (fruity), robe ruby tile, with this brandy nose of raspberry, intense, and, in mouth, an attack kirschée, with connotations raspberry with brandy on peppered key

DOMAINE DE LA RENAUDIE

TOURAINE

They have been vine-growers for three generations; the great-grandfather, Albert Denis, set up the Domaine de la Renaudie in 1928. Since 1982, Bruno Denis has been running the estate. He is a perfectionist, thoroughly committed to his profession, and since he started making the wines, they have progressed steadily in quality. His wife, Patricia Denis, is a trained oenologist, but mainly deals with sales. The age of the vines (35 years on average) and the poor, shallow soils result in wines for laying down. The winery is a complex of buildings, each with its own specific role in the various stages of winemaking. The main, recently-built vinification winery is set apart and is equipped with stainless-steel vats and all the equipment required to turn grapes into wine and to control temperatures. The storage and ageing cellar has a capacity of 120,000 bottles and is also used to prepare orders, while a former cellar, which has been turned into a client reception, can hold up to 50 people. Several wines are most successful, such as the very fruity Touraine-les-Guinetières, the Touraine-Cabernet, a colourful, rich wine with silky tannins, aromas of raspberry and underwood, and the Tradition, rich and aromatic, with a powerful, lasting nose in which red fruit and spices stand out, a round, well-structured wine which is mellow in the mouth and which has excellent ageing capacity. The Touraine white, very typical of the Sauvignon, is fresh and fruity with characteristic notes of lime and dried fruit, combining roundness and aromatic freshness in the mouth - as does the rosé, Perle de Rosée.

CHATEAU LA VARIERE

BONNEZEAUX

Château la Varière is located close to historical Château of Brissac in Anjou. Old family property of origin of XVème century, Château la Varière produces the whole of names of its area so much in AOP Anjou Villages Brissac, Anjou rouge, Anjou blanc, Coteaux de l’Aubance, Coteaux du Layon, Bonnezeaux, Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru. Exceptional Bonnezeaux Château La Varière 2014, dense and velvety with wish, of a large aromatic pallet, of consistent and persistent mouth, quite fatty, with these nuances of flowers and quince, sublime on Bleu of Auvergne or foie gras with the jam of fig, beautiful evolution like this Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru Les Guerches, race, with the flavors of white flowers and honey, with this consistent mouth with the sharp and dense finale. Tasty Saumur-Champigny 2015, of a beautiful color, which releases much body while preserving a great flexibility, a beautiful generous wine, with notes of underwood and wild strawberry, that one can associate with a veal chop breaded with the Milanese woman. The Anjou-Villages-Brissac Chevalerie rouge 2014, traditional and powerful, fine, elegant, with matter, of beautiful supported color, with flavors of red and black fruits intense (blackberry, currant…), of a quite pretty final. Excel Coteaux-du-Layon 2015, the flowered bouquet, with these notes characteristic of hazel nut and pear, combining flexibility and structure like Coteaux-de-l'Aubance Clos La Division 2015, with the subtle nose, of a pretty persistence, a wine scented with nuances of rose, brioche bread and cooked apple.

CHATEAU LA GALIANE

MARGAUX

Château La Galiane owes its name to Galian, an English general who commanded his troops here during their occupation of Aquitaine in the 15th century. This has been a family estate for several generations and has a surface area of 5 hectares planted with 45 % Merlot, 50 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot, a combination which gives that perfect, classical balance which is so typical of the Margaux appellation. The vineyard is planted on slopes with fine gravel soils. These wine-growers from father to son produce La Galiane wines with a lovely ruby-red colour and a fine bouquet, very harmonious and smooth in the mouth. The tannins are fine and elegant and the wines have good ageing capacity. Château Charmant has 5 hectares of vines which are a hundred years old and planted on fine gravel soils with lots of pebbles which are ploughed. Harvesting is done by hand and the vatting process is long in order to extract all the aromas before maturing the wine in barrels for 12 months. Château Charmant produces an aromatic wine with good colour, very complex and elegant, perfectly balanced, well-structured and supple at the same time and opening out delightfully with age.