Arthur Sellers Bulletin Archive
We had dinner with Charles, Huguette and Héloïse in Montpellier a few weeks ago and learned that Héloïse and her partner Cédric Valade were renovating an old house on his property in St-Émilion, the storied Bordeaux appelation that includes such vaunted brands as Ch. Cheval Blanc, Ch. Ausone and Ch. L’Angélus. I asked if the property included any vines? Not only were there vines, but Cédric produced his own St-Émilion Grand Cru! (It turns out that Cédric’s family are long-time vignerons in nearby Castillon-Côtes de Bordeaux and produce the noted Château Brisson and Château Le Peyrat brands.) “Any chance I might try them?” I enquired.
The next day Charles brought us a number of bottles to try. I was astonished at how big and well-made they were. Charles mused that in his first year as a vintner, one of his wines was awarded a most prestigious two stars by Le Guide Hachette. He proudly announced that Cédric was also awarded two stars by Guide Hachette for his first vintage of Château Valade Grand Cru St-Émilion, the 2007. Then he went on to say somewhat sardonically, “And, he won a Coup de Coeur (about as good as it gets from Le Guide Hachette) for his 2008 vintage. None of my wines has ever won a Coup de Coeur. I guess this makes him a suitable partner for my Héloïse!”
Les Vignobles Valade
The Valades have a justly earned reputation for being masters of Merlot. They know absolutely everything there is to know about their vineyards, right down to the individual vines in their 30 hectares on the hillsides of Côtes du Castillon and 3.5 hectares on the slopes of St-Émilion. The family personally looks after every aspect of vineyard maintenance and wine production to ensure that the wines they offer are truly outstanding. The vines are characterised by high trellises where disbudding, leaf thinning, green harvesting (thinning the bunches) and ultimate harvesting are all done by hand. Yields are kept low and strictly managed and everything possible is done to enhance the biodiversity of the soil. The modern Château Valade winery Equal care is taken in the winery. A new cellar was built in 1991 and extended in 2001 that includes all of the modern equipment that can be found in the best French estates. Winemaking includes pre-fermentation maceration at cool temperatures, gravity flow transfer, gentle pneumatic pressing and so on. The wines are aged in French oak barrels carefully selected to marry with the unique characteristics of each vintage (I was particularly impressed by the excellent use of wood in each of the samples I tried).
The 2008 and 2009 Vintages in St-Émilion
The ‘Wine Spectator’ rates 2008 at 88/100 (very good) and 2009 at 95-98/100 (classic).
Robert Parker reports, “These (the 2008 vintage in Bordeaux) are classic and outstanding wines that represent excellent value. 2008 is an exceptionally strong vintage in Pomerol and St.-Emilion as well as Graves.” And, about 2009 he enthuses, “After spending nearly two weeks there (in Bordeaux) at the end of January, this is unquestionably the greatest Bordeaux vintage I have ever tasted.”
The Les Vignobles Valade Wines on Offer
The St-Émilion vineyard classification system is somewhat confusing and unwieldy. One shouldn’t be overly awed by term St-Émilion Grand Cru. It is simply a sub-appellation of the larger St-Émilion appellation that was created in 1954, some nineteen years after the creation of the broader St-Émilion designation. It does have more stringent production standards designed to improve the quality of its wines. However, make no mistake about it - the Vignobles Valade wines are indeed grand.
A couple of notes of caution – first these are not your father’s St-Émilions and second, I do hope you have a cellar and can keep your cotton pickin’ fingers off them for at least a couple of years, preferably more. Both of these wines are huge, full-bodied, fruit forward and complex mouthfuls that really should have a few years of rest before assaulting. We let the 2008 Château Valade that we brought to a delightful restaurant in Montpellier (L’Alliance des Plaisirs) rest in a decanter for several hours. It was just barely starting to open up when we were forced to put it out of its misery. But I can assure you that these superbly well made wines will reward you many times over for your patience and self-control.
2008 Château Valade – 14.5% Alc./Vol. $49/$294 per case of six This is a really wonderful wine. It is comprised of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc rigorously selected from the estate’s best plots of vines averaging well over twenty-five years of age. The wine is neither filtered nor fined and is aged in oak barrels (80% new and 20% one year-old) for twelve months. It is deep brooding purple, almost inky in colour with a huge, almost hyper-concentrated nose of stewed plums and black currents, cocoa, garrigue (in Bordeaux??), tobacco, minerals, cedar, mint and vanilla. It all carries through in the mouth with lovely, silky tannins - big, round and very long. This very well-made wine clearly illustrates the wine maker’s mastery of oak. Remember, it is in its infancy and really should be hidden away for three, preferably five years. If the temptation to try a bottle is too much, decant it in the morning for the evening’s meal. It will be a perfect match for confit de canard and game. In addition to the gold medal in Paris, the marvellous 2008 Château Valade earned the coveted Coup de Coeur from Le Guide Hachette. Only 8,000 bottles were made. Order your St-Émilion Grand Cru treasures now.
Château Valade Sampler – 14.5% Alc./Vol. $39 /$234 per case of six This is a great way to sample both of the Valades’ superb, St-Émilion Grand Cru wines. You receive two bottles of the luscious 2008 Château Valade and four bottles of the delightful 2009 L’Etendard de Château Valade. Great wine; great value. Order your St-Émilion Grand Cru mixed six-pack now.
The above prices include a one dollar handling fee. We will be taking your orders for these treasures to the LCBO on Friday, April 20th.
Please pass this bulletin on to others you think might like to secure some very up and coming St-Émilion Grand Cru (I think they have already arrived).
Many thanks and cheers,
Jim and Hélène Arthur’s Cellar Wine Club jaswalker@arthursellers.com www.arthursellers.com www.ofrance.ca
