Rabotvins is appointed as Belgian Royal Warrant Holder The whole team of Rabotvins-de Mour is proud to announce that it pleased to His Majesty King Albert II of Belgium to grant the title of Belgian Royal Warrant Holder to Mr Jacques De Schepper for the company Rabotvins. We consider this title as a privilege and a mark of confidence in the professionalism of our company and in the quality of our wines.

The vintage 2005 in Bordeaux : unbelievable quality! The excellent feeling we had after the harvest is now confirmed in our glasses: our Bordeaux wines 2005 are exceptional! The wines have a very deep colour and are wonderfully balanced with a lot of fruit and perfectly ripe tannins, to put it briefly this is an unforgettable vintage! The grapes are carefully selected on the "table de tri" Jean-Michel Garcion, our winemaker looks back on 2005, a year where everything took place in perfect conditions. To read his vintage report: click here

The vintage 2005 in the rest of France: great quality everywhere The wine producers we contacted to ask their opinion about the vintage 2005 are unanimously enthusiastic. In general the grapes were picked in perfect sound condition, and everyone underlines the very nice balance in the wines, combining a great concentration with a good acidity. In Champagne Benoît Tarlant is delighted to have succeeded such a nice vintage, because this was also the year when his first child was born … so he imagines already his son Gabriel tasting the top cuvées of 2005 for his 20th birthday! Globally everything went perfectly, the grapes were harvested at optimal maturity; especially the chardonnay is wonderful, with beautiful persistence and nice acidity, and also the pinot noir is very well structured. Benoît Tarlant with his son Gabriel, also from the "vintage 2005"! At Domaine Stentz in the Alsace region, 2005 is a superb vintage for gewürztraminer, tokay pinot gris and pinot blanc, and thanks to the beautiful autumn, the late harvest wines are fantastic. In the Jura region, the wines of Domaine Grand have a great concentration thanks to the low yields. The harvest 2005 at Domaine Grand In the Loire region too the yields are lower than usual, we tasted wines with lots of fruit and a great freshness. Daniel Brunier of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe (Châteauneuf-du-Pape) is convinced that this will be a great vintage; the white wines are beautiful, not heavy and very well balanced, but the result will certainly be marvellous for the reds, one of the very best vintages of the last 20 years, the level of 1998 … In the beginning of September, the eastern part of Languedoc was struck by heavy rainfall and floods, but fortunately the vineyards of Domaines Paul Mas were not affected. The yield here was on average 16% lower than usual, with an even higher deficit on sauvignon blanc and merlot, but the wines have rich fruit and very round, ripe tannins. Alain Gayraud, owner of Château Lamartine Finally, Alain Gayraud, owner of Château Lamartine (Cahors, South-West France) doesn't hesitate to state that 2005 is a fabulous vintage, the very best he ever produced (and that means quite a lot …). For more details per region: click here

Another recognition for the Babich Marlborough sauvignon blanc In the May 2005 issue of Wine Spectator the Babich sauvignon blanc Marlborough 2004 has been rated among the top 5 best value white wines in the world, with a score of  89/100.

Top wines from Tuscany in the range of Rabotvins: Querciabella, Castello di Bolgheri and Poggio a Poppiano

We recently added some absolute top wines from Tuscany to our range of Italian wines: Agricola Querciabella located in Greve in Chianti, an estate that is famous around the world and has been converted recently to biodynamic viticulture; it is not by chance that the highest quality is obtained here, the owners work on the slightest detail. Only great wines, some of them with very limited availability: Chianti Classico, a very elegant red with fine red berry fruit and a hint of spices Palafreno, a refined wine with silky tannins, this wine obtained the maximum score (5 grappoli) in the guide of the Italian sommeliers, Duemila Vini Camartina, an absolute top wine that combines power and refinement; 3 bicchieri in the Gambero Rosso, elected best wine of Italy in 2004! Batàr, a rare white wine, extremely refined and elegant Read more about it: click here (for the technical sheet, go to the map products) Castello di Bolgheri located in the commune of Bolgheri where you can find the most expensive wines of Italy. The vineyards of the castle of Bolgheri, property of Earl Federico Zileri (a descendant of the famous Gherardesca family), are located between those of Sassicaia and Ornellaia … The vines are still very young, but the first vintage (2001) is already astonishing with class, depth and complexity; recently this wine has been rated 92/100 by Wine Spectator. Read more about it: click here Federico Zileri Fattoria Poggio a Poppiano, located in Montespertoli near Florence, also a property of Federico Zileri. The vineyards are on a particularly interesting soil, very gravelly, in the area of Chianti Colli Fiorentini DOC, but Federico releases the wines as IGT Toscana (he uses less sangiovese than required by the DOC). Two remarkable wines: Calamita (70% sangiovese, 30% merlot): a very and pure juicy wine, plenty of fruit Flocco (50% cabernet-sauvignon, 30% merlot, 15% sangiovese, 5% cabernet franc): a wine with cellaring capacity, powerful and well balanced .

First impressions on the vintage 2003 in Bordeaux
The 2003 vintage in Bordeaux will be remembered! An important " coulure " in spring, an exceptionally dry and hot summer which made the vines suffer and a very early harvest: once again, all the skill of the growers and oenologists was needed to obtain well balanced wines, but we heard optimistic sounds coming from our properties and from Château Garraud … To read the impressions of Jacques De Schepper and a résumé of the campaign 2003 in Château Garraud: click here
A team of young  Belgian pickers	Château Garraud

New: Champagne Tarlant, champagne made of great wine
 

Since many generations the Tarlant family has a profound knowledge of their rich and very diverse vineyards in Oeuilly. Today their estate produces an exceptional range of champagnes: each of them has its unique and extraordinary character, which is underlined by the ageing in oak barrels and the long ripening "sur lattes" in the barrels. Their choice to use a very discrete dosage (6,2 g/l., and absolutely no dosage for the brut zéro) shows also their enormous respect for the natural qualities of the wine. We are proud to present you this interesting range: these rich, pure, well structured and elegant champagnes make clear that a real champagne is much more than just bubbles… Read more about it: click here (and take a look under Our Products)

New: Domaine Cady, Coteaux-du-Layon and Cabernet d'Anjou
Philippe and Sylvie Cady are the third generation to work on the estate located in Saint-Aubin de Luigné, which covers today 20 hectares; 14 among them are planted with chenin, 4 ha with cabernet and 2 ha with gamay, groslot and chardonnay. The predominance of the chenin grape is not surprising, because the soil of Saint-Aubin is reputed as being one of the very best to produce Coteaux-du-Layon; Domaine Cady is one of the most famous estates in the region for its sweet wines. In the viticulture the ecological approach is very important: since three years the estate is recognised by the independent organisation Terra Vitis, which controls the engagement of the wine growers to respect the environment by protecting the natural balance of the soil and the quality of the water (they minimize for instance the use of herbicides).
The grapes are harvested manually: thus, the bunches and the grapes are selected in order to obtain the best quality. Available now: Cabernet d'Anjou 2003 : an elegant halfdry rosé with nice aromas of raspberry Coteaux-du-Layon 2002 : a delicious sweet white wine with floral and fruity aromas and a creamy, fresh taste. Coteaux-du-Layon Saint-Aubin " Les Varennes " 2002 : a gorgeous, complex sweet wine with expressive aromas (mango, passion fruit, fig) and a rich taste with a mineral and spicy touch. More information: have a look in the map Our Products

Other new products
 

Tenuta Sant' Antonio released two new wines of the 2003 vintage with an interesting price, perfect to complete the existing range: The Soave 2003 is produced on a volcanic soil from garganega (90%), trebbiano di Soave (5%) and chardonnay (5%). Thanks to the high plant density and the careful pruning the yield is limited and there is a good aromatic concentration in the grapes. The grapes are hand picked; a short cold pressing (8-9° C) is followed by the fermentation at low temperature (16-17°) in order to preserve the aromas; then the wine rests on fine lees during 6 months. The result is a very pleasant, round white wine with a good typicity, a lot of fruit and a nice freshness. The Valpolicella 2003 comes from the younger vines planted on clayey land, and is made with the typical Valpolicella grapes (70% corvina and 30% rondinella); here too, the yield is limited by the important plant density and the guyot pruning. After manual harvest and cold maceration (12-15°) during a few days the wine ferments during 10 to12 days: thus a maximal extraction of fresh and fruity aromas and round, non aggressive tannins is obtained. The wine is soft, elegant and very fruity with intense aromas of red fruit such as cherries. Those who are familiar with the high quality of the Muscadet of Domaine de la Loge will be impatient to taste the special cuvée of the estate that is now available: Les Vieilles Vignes is made from a 50 years old vineyard with an average yield of 35 hl/ha. This wine ferments in old oak casks and rests on fine lees until the bottling by direct draining, followed by 9 to 10 months ripening in the bottle. This refined, elegant and rich wine is perfect with scallops, shellfish, crustaceans and fish with sauce. Two new wines in the Charles de Fère range: The Crémant de Bourgogne is made from 80% chardonnay and 20% pinot noir and ripens during at least 9 months in the bottle: it's a full, rich wine with a very nice sparkling, ideal as an aperitif but also with starters.. The Muscat blanc à Petits Grains Réserve, a "méthode traditionnelle" based on the finest variety of the Muscat grape, is very original: this half-dry, fruity sparkling wine has a brilliant golden colour, an expressive nose with the typical aromas of the Muscat grape (melon, flowers …). Seducing at the end of a good meal (with deserts) or just as a glass between friends.

Recent awards
 

In an article in the famous wine review Decanter (April 2004) about the crus bourgeois of the Médoc 2001 Château Haut Breton Larigaudière 2001 received the score of 17,87 with the mention " highly recommended ", the highest score attributed to a Margaux ! After having won a. o. the gold medal at the Vinalies Internationales, the Vista Alegre Late Bottled Vintage 1995 was selected as best wine in a comparative tasting organised by the Belgian review Ambiance Culinaire (score : 89,75/100) In the Chile's Wine Guide the Terranoble Carmenère Gran Reserva was crowned as " best Chilean carmenère ". The Schiaccianoci 2001, Negroamaro di Salento of Vigne & Vini won the gold medal on the Concours Mondial of Brussels 2004 The Babich Winemakers' Reserve Pinot Noir 2002 won the gold medal on the International Wine Challenge of Asia 2004 The Château-Chalon 1997 of Domaine Grand is making a collection of medals and awards, here are a few examples: Grand Prix d'Excellence in the Concours des Vinalies Internationales, Gold Medal in the Concours des Vignerons Indépendants 2004, Gold Medal in the Concours des Vins du Jura, Heartbreaker ("coup de Coeur") Guide Hachette 2005 ...

No red Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe 2002
 

After the terrible thunderstorm (and the floods that it caused) that struck the region on September 8 and 9 2002, the winegrowers from the Gard and the Vaucluse did their very best to save the harvest as much as possible. Châteauneuf-du-Pape was one of the most devastated appellations, and in Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe the Brunier brothers decided not to select a very limited special cuvée in order to be able to release a first wine. They chose to bring the red 2002 on the market under a very original label… Read more about it: click here

The vintage 2002 in Bordeaux
 

Château Haut Breton Larigaudière

2002 is one of those vintages from which the quality has been determined by the meteorological circumstances, unstable and not very good in the beginning but gradually better and finally very good in the final ripening phase. It will also be remembered because of the small volume. We had a dry winter, November and December were cold. Thanks to the mild weather during the first three months of 2002 there was an early budding out and a vigorous sprouting of the vines. In May there were many rainy days; the first days of June, at the moment that the first flowers appeared, were dry and warm, but later the situation deteriorated and rain and cold disturbed the flowering. These unfavourable meteorological circumstances caused “coulure” (loss of fruit) and “millerandage” (incomplete development of the bunch), and this explains why the production was so much lower than expected. The merlot was most affected, while the cabernet-sauvignon resisted well in general. During July, August and the beginning of September the weather was cool and not very sunny; in August there was even important precipitation. The situation became alarming because the ripening process was very slow and focuses of botrytis developed. Fortunately, the meteorological conditions changed radically as from September 9: we got a dry and relatively sunny and hot weather. It was thus possible to wait to pick the cabernet-sauvignon until it had reached the best maturity. The conditions remained very good until mid-October, facilitating the harvest. In a next message we will give you our first impressions on the 2002 vintage of our properties.

1500 CRUS ABORDABLES van FRANCK DUBOURDIEU
 

Franck Dubourdieu, oenologist of Bordeaux and independent taster, makes since 10 years a selection of the not classified estates and second wines. He accumulated no less than 25000 tasting notes, 3000 estates provided samples. The average of the notes obtained by each vintage he tasted determined whether a wine was classified in one of the three categories, “BONS”, “TRES BONS” and “EXCEPTIONNELS” (good, very good and exceptional wines). On average he tasted 6 vintages of each wine. This is the classification obtained by the wines of our properties: BORDEAUX - BORDEAUX SUPERIEUR “EXCEPTIONNELS” : Château TAYET, Macau SAINT-EMILION GRAND CRU “BONS” : Château TOUR BALADOZ, St.-Laurent-des-Combes MARGAUX “EXCEPTIONNELS” : Château HAUT BRETON LARIGAUDIERE, Soussans We are delighted by these good notes and would like to observe that for the higher appellations the last tasted vintage was the 1998. If the 1999 and the 2000 vintages had also been tasted, we would probably have obtained 3 times the classification among the exceptional wines (also for Château TOUR BALADOZ). This good result proves that the efforts we have been making for several years have borne fruit and encourages us to continue in this way.

A visit to Babich Wines in New Zealand

 

During the last years, New Zealand has been one of the most successful wine producing countries; especially the sauvignon blanc from the Marlborough region became a reference for the wine lovers, but the Kiwis have more to offer … For approximately three years we have been the enthusiastic ambassadors of the Babich wines, and since a long time we were curious to go and see on the spot. Peter Tratsaert discovered a clean and green country and was especially impressed by the professionalism and the vision of the Babich family and team: they planted the right grape varieties on the right soils, as well in Hawke’s Bay as in Marlborough, and acquired a extraordinary experience since 1916. The vineyard near the Awatere river in Marlborough Read more about it: click here

Increasing success for the grechetto of Agricola Goretti

 

	After the Arringatore (top-of-the-range red wine of the Goretti estate), it’s the grechetto, a refreshing and aromatic white wine from the vine of the same name, which collects the applause of the press and the public. It’s no wonder that the sales of this wine at a moderate price are in constant progress ... Highly recommended! Read more about it: click here

Recipe to serve with the grechetto: bresaola (as a starter or a light dish)

 

Put about five slices of bresaola (Italian dried meat) per person on a plate and garnish with rucola salad. Add according to your taste chips of Parmesan cheese (by scraping a piece with the sparing knife) and pour an excellent, fruity Italian olive oil over it. Serve with a slightly chilled Grechetto of Goretti and enjoy!

New: Terranoble Carmenère Reserva

 

The carmenère is originating from Bordeaux where this grape has nearly completely disappeared, because it is very sensitive to diseases and ripens quite late. That is why this grape variety needs a warm and dry climate, and thus carmenère settled in Chile, where it has been imported around 1850 and has been growing for almost 150 years without being differentiated from the merlot. Now the potential of this forgotten grape is being rediscovered, and this leads to very interesting results at a top winery as Terranoble … Their Carmenère Gran Reserva, powerful, complex and with a great depth, is the star of all the tastings, and now there is the Carmenère Reserva as an interesting alternative at a lower price: it is more supple with a deep colour, rich aromas of  fresh fruit and coffee and smooth tannin, and obtained already many rewards (e. g. Best Carmenère Reserve of Chile; gold medal at the International Wine Challenge 2001; selection “Best red wines of the year” in Decanter Magazine; Gold Medal Vinalies Internationales 2003). Read more about it: click here

	A big première for Château Haut Breton Larigaudière: the birth of the cuvée prestige “Le Créateur”, an exceptional cuvée which comes from a parcel of old vines and which has aged for a 100% in new oak barrels.

Our oenologist Jean-Michel Garcion (picture) describes it as a wine with an extraordinary depth ... For more information: click here.

	This splendid domain, situated a few kilometres to the east of Verona, ambitions the absolute top and is willing to do whatever it takes to get there. Huge amounts have already been invested in equipment, the building and the vineyard. Now available: Soave Superiore DOC "Monte Ceriani" 2000 (dry white wine) Valpolicella Superiore DOC "Monti Garbi" 1999 (red wine) Valpolicella Superiore DOC "La Bandina" 1998 (red wine) Amarone della Valpolicella DOC "Campo dei Gigli" 1998 (exceptionally powerful red wine) Find out more: click here.

This particularly experienced company (established in 1872!) has invested in modern means of production, but still uses the traditional techniques (based on infusion or maceration of quality fruit) which determine the quality of craftsmanship. The result is obvious: all the products have an outstanding concentration of pure fruit flavours! Another asset is the wonderful presentation, which makes most Bigallet-products also suitable as gifts Now available: Crème de Cassis Crème de pêche de vigne Crème de framboise Apéritif Vin et Pêche Apéritif Délice à la pulpe de framboise Sirop de citron jinot Sirop de grenadine More info: click www.bigallet.com

Picture: Gerhard Eifel shows how the vine should be trained.
(2 shoots in the form of a heart)