From a single vineyard where mostly Merlot (70% in this blend), Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon is grown on clay and gravel slopes near the river Garonne. This classic Bordeaux blend was aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. The 2004 vintage received 91 points from Galway based wine critic Frank O’Brien.

To view product page and for more details, click on Chateau Bauduc Clos des Quinze.

In 1985, a new concept in Bordeaux wine-making was created to answer the question ‘How good can regional Bordeaux be if it is made with the same care and investment usually reserved for the top Châteaux?’.

Named after the brightest star in the universe, Sirius was an attempt to show that, through strict selection of grapes and the latest vinification techniques and ageing methods, it was possible to make a regional Bordeaux that punched way above its class. The flagship brand of Maison Sichel shows that regional Bordeaux really can excel.

A classic Merlot/Cabernet blend from obsessive wine-maker Ben Sichel, Sirius is a rich, soft wine exuding classic cedar box, cassis and ripe plums, and a regular medal winner in international competitions.

In 2002 the Sichel family acquired the 45 hectare Château d’Argadens, putting in place a vast renovation programme with the aim of making wines that would be a benchmark within the Bordeaux Supérieur category.

After 12 months in oak barrels, the Decanter 5-star D’Argadens Supérieur is a modern claret with lots of concentrated fruit and an attractive supple balance. Mike recommended the Supérieur red for a wild mushroom pasta dish a few weeks ago, for its great structure and complementary woody, earthy character.

The D’Argadens white, a Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend, is a superb alternative to Burgundy or the Loire for a top quality white, and a medal at last year’s Challenge International du Vin further validated the progress under Sichel.

There’s 10% off each of these great regional Bordeaux wines as part of our Summer Sale on all French wines, so no better time to get to know Maison Sichel.

Cabernet Franc is a wonderful grape. It’s been hiding in the shadow of Cabernet Sauvignon for too long now, and I for one will be starting to take it more seriously, especially as I’ll be sampling my way through Loire Valley’s finest next month.

It is more precocious than Cabernet Sauvignon, which would be a close cousin to Frank… sorry, I mean Franc. It buds and ripens at least a week before, making it particularly useful in Bordeaux’s cooler vintages when the more famous Cabernet may not reach full ripeness at all.

It’s a lighter, less tannic version of its relative, with aromas that are often more herbaceous, or even floral. In Bordeaux, it is usually part of the blend of red grapes although, unusually, it makes up two-thirds of the blend of Chateau Cheval Blanc, a famous first growth property in St-Emilion.

Cabernet Franc was as widely planted as Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux in the 1960s. True, this isn’t the case anymore as it’s been displaced by Merlot, but it maintains strongholds, such as on the right bank in Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. Cabernet Sauvignon is seen as too much of a risk here as it may not fully ripen.

In Loire Valley, when the grapes ripen fully, Cabernet Franc produces a beautiful silky texture with soft tannins and a characteristic aroma not unlike pencil shavings. With their relatively high acidity, they are not the most fashionable wines in Ireland, but they respond well to being lightly chilled and so are particularly useful for red wine lovers in the heat of the summer.

The fact that Cab Franc is not as pronounced as Cab Sauv in many quarters, including in body and in tannins, may be the reason it’s not as mainstream as its counterpart as a single varietal. If you get your hands on one and are not mad about it on its own initially, try it with food. It’s well worth a shot.

Julian at BubbleBrothers raves about Loire reds, so I’m looking forward to trying more. Hey, you know me, any excuse.

May was a bad month for many Bordeaux winemakers. Two freak hailstorms, consisting of tennis ball sized chunks of ice, tore through vines ripping branches and destroying huge quantities of grape stocks.

Fifteen thousand hectares were affected, in an area 30km long and 10km wide, starting at the Graves region, south Bordeaux, across the Garonne River to the Entre Deux Mers, and over Dordogne into Saint Emilion.

One of the unfortunate vineyards affected was Chateau Bauduc, owned by English couple Gavin and Angela Quinney. Bauduc is a 75 acre vineyard making upmarket house wines for leading British chefs Gordon Ramsay and Rick Stein.

In the attached video, Gavin takes us on a tour to view the damage severe hail like this can cause. Sadly, over 80% of the crop for 2009 was destroyed, including the fruit from the Les Trois Hectares plot, with Semillon vines dating back to 1947.

Our sympathy goes out to Gavin and Angela, who’s wines have continually flattered our customers, as well as ourselves and the world’s top wine critics. Hopefully, their fortunes can improve next year and they can start producing more fabulous wine.

To see our Chateau Bauduc range, click here, and for further reading on the winery, including rave reviews from Oz Clarke and Blake Creedon, click here.

It’s with good reason that I find myself writing about Bordeaux, so soon after last weeks post on Gordon Ramsay’s choice wines from Chateau Bauduc. It has aroused some discussion among Curious customers, making it more obvious than ever before of how highly people rate wine of this appellation. And it’s the 2005 vintage that’s been getting all the hype. But why?

Quite simply, 2005 proved to be one of those exceptional years, producing almost perfect conditions for grape growing, leading to better wine than in an average Bordeaux year, hence why it’s been the talk of wine lovers for the best part of four years. And it’s these wines you should be considering for the future.

Lay them down and drink years later for a fantastically different and an even better drinking experience. There are wines available that have been set aside already from the last decade, or before, but expect to pay a premium. Laying wine down yourself is the most economical way to do it, the only disadvantage of course being the wait. You will need patience and the willpower not to drink it too early.

Not all wines are suitable for aging and experts will determine very early on what kind of aging potential a wine has. Most, including many that you may consider expensive, are to be drank young. So when you’re choosing wines to lay down, ask your wine merchant which he or she recommends and when it will reach its peak. When you’re storing it, make sure it’s laid down on its side (to protect the cork) in a cool, dark place where the temperature will not fluctuate too much.

If you’re keen to bury a little treasure for the future, Chateau Reignac is our number one pick from Bordeaux. Due to peak around 2013, we dare you to come back to us in four years time and tell us that it wasn’t one of the best wines you ever tasted. A snip at €19.99, and even better with an extra 15% off in our Bordeaux sale, we’re going to be keeping a few wonder kids for ourselves, with Chateau Reignac being top of the list.

If you need any further recommendations or advice on wines for the future, feel free to get in touch via e-mail or phone. Promise we won’t bite…

At the beginning of 2008, the head sommelier from Gordon Ramsay’s three Michelin star restaurant selected two of Château Bauduc’s red wines for the list at the group’s flagship restaurant. The winery’s Clos des Quinze from their Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux vineyard and Les Trois Hectares from three hectares of Merlot vines right next to the Château, were chosen for one of the most prestigious wine lists in the country.

Regular Bauduc customers have long known that the company’s Bordeaux Blanc, made from Sauvignon Blanc, has had the accolade of being the house white in all of Ramsay’s restaurants for no less than nine consecutive vintages. It has also made it as a special selection at Rick Stein’s. The wine itself is light, ripe, fruity and nettley, with a citrus twist and get this – it’s even beaten Mouton Rothchild’s white wine in a blind tasting!

A recent article in the Irish Examiner had Blake Creedon salivating during a recent Curious Wines tasting:

‘Sauvignon’ it says on the label, an epiphany in conservative Bordeaux. Here the grassy zest of the Sauvignon is beautifully complemented by a very assertive rich round Semillon. My favourite.

Now it’s the turn of the reds to impress. In fact, the top selling red wine last year at restaurant Gordon Ramsay, still the only restaurant in London with three Michelin stars, was the 2003 forerunner to Les Trois Hectares – a limited cuvee made specially for the restaurant.

You may have seen Oz Clarke and James May at Château Bauduc in BBC’s Big Wine Adventure. After visiting, Oz commented, “Bauduc’s new Merlot-based flagship red, Les Trois Hectares 2005, is showing the delicious core of fruit typical of this vintage, plus classy oak”. Regarding Château Bauduc, he continued, “More than a match for quite a few much more expensive wines from top appellations”.

Yet more French wines from Curious that are drinking well above their appellation.