Arthur Sellers Bulletin Archive
Château Robin
Côtes de Castillon
Robert M. Parker, Jr., has this to say about the Côtes de Castillon (now renamed Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux) in the fourth edition of his book ‘Bordeaux’ – “Now the most fashionable of the satellite appellations (of Bordeaux), the Côtes de Castillon is a hotbed of activity as well as a fertile breeding ground for a bevy of overachievers. Located east of Puisseguin-St-Emilion approximately 25 miles from Bordeaux, the appellation is named after the commune called Castillon-La-Bataille, which commemorates the Battle of Castillon. This 1453 battle marked the conclusion of the Hundred Years’ War when the English Commander, Talbot, died during the defeat of his army. As one of the older wine making regions in the area, viticultural practices can be traced to Roman times. Appellation status was awarded in 1955 and there has been significantly more interest expressed in the wines as an alternative to the wines of St-Emilion.”
In fact, when he was here hosting some wine dinners, Jérôme had his guests compare Château Robin with a Grand Cru St-Emilion of the same vintage costing four times as much. The guests unanimously preferred the Château Robin!
The 2009 Vintage in Bordeaux – “May be the Best Vintage in Decades”
Here is what Robert Parker reported in his February 2012 edition of the ‘Wine Advocate’ after spending two weeks swilling fine Bordeaux the previous month (and some say I’ve got the best job!!) - “Unquestionably the greatest Bordeaux vintage I have ever tasted. 2009 may well go down as…….the single greatest vintage ever produced in Bordeaux since records have been kept. That’s a long time.”
He concludes that 2009 is the finest vintage since 1982 (therefore surpassing 1989, 1990, 2000 and 2005) but believes that the standards of winemaking are much higher than they were in 1982 and that therefore the wines are significantly better. This is, as he says, “1982 but greater”.
This sounds a lot like the usual marketing hype that emanates annually from the shores of the Gironde, but it is largely echoed by the rest of the wine pundits. Safe to say, 2009 is a very, very good vintage in the Bordeaux region.
The 2009 Château Robin – 14.0% Alc./Vol. $29/$174 for 6
The 2009 Château Robin comes in convenient six-bottle cases (but you’ll wish you had more)!! We will be taking your orders to the LCBO on Friday, July 22nd.
This lovely, elegant and round wine is made from 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes were hand-picked, hand-sorted and destemmed and came from vines with an average age of over 40 years. The yield was 40.9 hectolitres per hectare. The juice went through a fairly complex aging process with a little over half aging in concrete tanks while 42% of the remainder spent a year in new oak barrels and the rest in one-year old oak barrels. The barrels were 90% French and the rest American.
Here is how some of the wine press describe the 2009 Château Robin:
This is truly terrific Bordeaux at a most reasonable price. All the little birds on J-bird Street love … Château Robin! Try some for yourself.
Note: the above price includes a $1 handling fee.
Know any lovers of superb, very well priced Bordeaux? If so, we would greatly appreciate it if you would pass this bulletin on to them.
Many thanks and cheers,
Jim and Hélène jaswalker@arthursellers.com hbuisson@ofrance.ca www.arthursellers.com
