June Grand Crew Pickup Party, Phoenix—1:00 to 3:00 PM

June 2023 Grand Crew Wine Selections

We are excited to announce our Grand Crew wine selections for June 2023!

This month, we’ve selected two unique Bordeaux wines that have already seen extended time in bottle, ideal for drinking now!

We can’t wait for you to try these bottles and hope you’re able to discover something new that you love about wine!

June’s Selections:

Château Clarke | 2012
Listrac-Medoc (Left Bank), Bordeaux, France
70% Merlot | 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
Intense and complex, the nose displays fresh and dried fruit aromas of blackcurrant and black cherry, violets, elegant spice and cedar notes from oak, and hints of menthol and licorice. The wine starts out round, rich, and concentrated on the palate with a backbone of firm tannins, and is balanced with beautifully fresh acidity.

Château Plince | 2015
Pomerol (Right Bank), Bordeaux, France
72% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Plump dark red cherry, red plum, and bramble on the nose with sweet spices of clove and cinnamon, forest floor, a hint of licorice and graphite, and notes of dried flowers. The wine is broad on the palate with fine-grained velvety tannins, and balanced with acidity and minerality on the lingering finish.

Stop by and try a splash of each wine and order additional bottles of your favorites.
We are excited to see you! 

Saturday, June 3rd

1:00—3:00 PM

– Phoenix –

About Bordeaux

Bordeaux is one of the most iconic and prestigious wine regions in the world, setting the gold standard for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot-based red blends around the globe. Its climate with variable rainfall makes every vintage unique, and its complex soil types make site selection and choice of grape variety critical in Bordeaux. Growers and winemakers must be carefully attuned to the land, vines, and resulting fruit characteristics to craft wines of power, elegance, and age-worthiness year after year.

Bordeaux is situated in Southwest France on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, divided by the Gironde Estuary at the confluence of the Dordogne and Garonne Rivers. The Left Bank was marshland up until the mid-17th century when Dutch residents drained the area, revealing gravely soils suitable for viticulture. To the right of the Gironde, the soils are more dominated by clay. The water-draining and heat-retentive properties of the gravely soils on the Left Bank make the area suitable for ripening Cabernet Sauvignon even in this Moderate Maritime climate. The Right Bank’s clay soils are ideal for the mid-ripening Merlot variety. Other grapes such as Cabernet Franc, Carmenere, Malbec, and Petit Verdot are also planted to balance the complex red blends on both sides of the Gironde.

About the Producers

Château Clarke

Château Clarke takes its name from the Irish family who bought this estate in 1771. After more than two centuries of wine-growing tradition and successive owners, the property was purchased by Baron Edmond de Rothschild in 1973. The vineyard was completely restructured and massive investments were undertaken in order to renovate buildings and improve winemaking and storage facilities. With a passion for excellence and the best things in life, the Baron made Clarke a benchmark for the whole region.

Edmond originally planted the vineyard holdings to Cabernet Sauvignon upon acquiring the property because it was the fashionable variety in the Medoc. However, after a careful soil study, he found that the land was better suited to Merlot. The property was then planted to 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon (with the wines reflecting this same ratio), at a density of 7,000 vines/ha promoting high-quality vine balance. Much of the soil is clay with limestone bedrock, ideal for Merlot that doesn’t need as much warmth to ripen. Cabernet Sauvignon is planted on sites with less clay, and a higher proportion of sand and gravel—ideal for a grape variety that needs a warmer microclimate to reach full ripeness.

Situated further from the Gironde, Listrac’s unique location with its complex soil types is beautifully expressed with the expert viticultural practices of Chateau Clarke. The Chateau is under the direction of Vineyard Manager Lindsay Lemarchand, Winemaker Mireille Seigonne, and Eric Boissenot, Consultant.

2012 Vintage

It was a wet, late year with a hot mid-summer. Autumn rains meant that late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignons needed careful micromanaging in the vineyard. Merlot ripened readily, and adequate, well-timed water stress yielded concentrated fruit.

Château Plince

Château Plince is situated just outside the village of Catusseau in Pomerol and has been owned by the Moreau family for over four generations (currently owned by Michel Moreau). The vineyard, planted on dark sandy clay with an iron-rich subsoil, is made up of one block and counts Châteaux Nenin and La Pointe as its neighbors.

The vineyard is tended traditionally and with great care throughout the year (leaf-thinning, green harvests) in order to produce optimally concentrated, ripe fruit that is expressive of the terroir.

After harvest, the grapes undergo careful sorting before being transferred to thermo-regulated cement tanks, where they are stored for one week of pre-fermentation maceration. The cement vats have been used by the family since the 1960s. Fermentation lasts for 1-2 weeks, and after 1-2 weeks of additional maceration, the wine is transferred to French oak barrels (1/3 new) for malolactic fermentation, followed by 12-18 months of aging.

Château Plince produces a classic Pomerol with the beautiful fruit, depth, and concentration typical of this appellation

2015 Vintage

A favorable year, especially for the Right Bank. Generous spring flowering and fruit set were followed by a dry, early summer leading to high-quality fruit that was harvested earlier than in 2014.