The Château Haut Descot of Bordeaux

Bordeaux’s Château Angélus has withdrawn its candidacy from the next St-Emilion classification, the producer announced today via a press release sent to Decanter. The withdrawal follows that of Château Cheval Blanc and Château Ausone who announced the news in July 2021.  Currently only Château Pavie remains a Premier Grand Cru Classé ‘A’ estate out of the original four having been promoted, alongside Château Angélus, in the 2012 ranking. Angélus said that, while the classification had long been ...

Last year, Cláudio Martins and Pedro Antunes caused a stir in the Portuguese wine trade when they unveiled a €1,000 talha wine from Alentejo. It was the most expensive non-fortified wine to emerge from Portugal’s shores, retailing at almost double the price of Douro icon Casa Ferreirinha Barca Velha. That wine was named Jupiter. Now Martins and Antunes have followed it up with Uranus, a red produced in Moreira del Montsant in the Catalan region of Priorat. It comprises 85% Garnacha Negra Peluda, ...

Andrea Franchetti, one of the most talented and visionary Italian producers, has died at the age of 72 in Rome. In 30 years exactly, he positioned his superTuscan Trinoro among the top Italian references, producing a wine with stylish elegance and outstanding potential for ageing. Franchetti’s Bordeaux blends were without the over-extractions that were on-trend in the 2000s, nor the excess of fruit following phenolic maturity. He followed a precise idea to produce classic wines for the long haul ...