Some thought it was a good idea, making it clear that Laville was the white wine of La Mission Haut-Brion while others were sorry to see an old name disappear from Bordeaux. Re-branding a well established wine brand is usually a very well thought out decision. In the case of Château Laville Haut-Brion, both names were historically justified. For almost 100 years, Château Laville Haut-Brion belonged to the Laville Family. Marie de Laville bought the estate on July 16, 1611. Ten years later it passed to her brother, Bertrand de Laville. It was only in 1717, that the Laville family sold the estate to a surgeon called Bernard Gaussens.

It made a lot of sense to name the wine after the place it came from. Even after the Laville family didn’t own the place, the successive owners kept the name as part of the tradition. But, at some point during the 20th century – around 1930 if I remember well my history – the owner of Château Laville, M. Bibonne, changed the name to La Mission Haut-Brion blanc. The Woltners went back to the original name.

What does this story tell us about re-branding a wine? For three centuries, the name of the Laville brand was associated to a family who did not belong to the place anymore. By changing the name to associate it to a place currently existing, La Mission Haut-Brion, two factors were accounted for at once: the historical value of the name and the consumer. The latter will gain a better understanding of a rather complicated system since there are three wines available in the La Mission Haut-Brion range: Château La Mission Haut-Brion red and white, La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion, the second wine (red) of Château La Mission Haut-Brion. It is always positive to help the consumer better understand the world of our wines.

Last week I was invited to the “Panorama” Tasting of the on line store Millesima.com on Sauternes and Barsac. I was privileged enough to taste château d’Yquem 1998, 2002 and 2005, Château Climens 1998, Château Rieussec 1997, Château Rabaud-Promis 1997, Château Coutet 1998 and 2004, château de Fargues 1996 and 1997. Many others were presentend but I was not able to taste all of them. Useless to say, those wines were gorgeous and it was a delight to go through the beautiful chais of Millesima, talking to wine makers and other passionate wine lovers while tasting those classics.

Of course, as you well know, I’m not an enologist and will not disgrace myself by writing tasting notes (Suffice to say they were wonderful). But I must say that among those jewels of Sauternes and Barsac, I found two pearls I never heard about: Château Liot and Château de Myrat (no site). Both wines were amazing and I started digging around trying to understand why they do not shine as much as they should. The case of Château de Myrat is rather puzzling. The estate belongs to the Pontac family – the very same Pontac family that created the notion of “cru” in the Bordelais and the very first brand, Haut-Brion, in the 17th century. Indeed the Pontac family owned Château Haut-Brion until the middle of the 17th century and its descendants now owns Château de Myrat. Why didn’t they apply the same strategy as their ancestors to brand their delicious wine? Of course, times changed but branding has now a lot more tools at its disposal than three centuries ago. Château Liot is a more discreet estate, located in the Barsac appellation – of course, less famous than the Sauternes – and belongs to the David family.

It is really too bad for two great brands not to get the proper attention. It would be so easy to have a good web site in French and English and try to use some of the new tools. Their wines deserve better communication.

As usual, a report by VinTank creates a lot of interest amongst wine aficionados and tech people. Good iPhone apps in the wine business are not that easy to find. VinTank’s report is of great help to the wine consumer: Paul Mabray went through all the hard work of buying the apps, and creating various filters to test them (wine reviews, wine and food pairing, wine journal, social media capabilities, Point of purchase option, User Interface, innovation and data cleanliness). With those 8 features, any wine consumer can chose the app most pertinent to his/her use.

VinTank’s paper is very informative on the best BtoC apps. The top apps recommended are good tools to establish and maintain contact between wine companies and consumers.

This said, my main concern is that there is no real app for wine professionals. As such I’m also interested in price comparisons between two or more sites and not only what the price point. I’d also be interested in auctions for more expensive wines.

Next steps for the industry: mobile site for all wineries to maintain the stream between wineries and consumers, more BtoB apps and specific apps for high end wines (Opus One, Haut-Brion, Palmer, Sassicaïa, etc.). And more reports from VinTank!

Second wines of classified growths have sometimes a hard time to have a life of their own and to be recognized by the consumers as high-quality wines. That’s why the story of the second wine of the famed Château Haut-Brion is so intriguing.

For many years, the second wine of Château Haut-Brion was named after the former owner of the plot where the grapes going in the wine were grown, Bahans. Unfortunately such a name is difficult to remember and pronounce, even for a French.

Prince Robert of Luxembourg, President of Domaine Clarence Dillon and one of the owners of Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion, decided to change the name, the label and the bottle of the wine. The bottle has now the same shape as the one of Château haut-Brion as well as a similar engraving in the neck of the bottle. The label is a replica of the Haut-Brion label. The drastic change is in the name: le Clarence of Haut-Brion.

Why Clarence? Prince Robert’s great grandfather was Clarence Dillon, the American and francophile banker who bought Château Haut-Brion in 1935. The naming of the bottle is an homage to the man who also designed the original and elegant shape of the Haut-Brion bottle in 1958.

The wine in the bottle is – obviously – as high quality as before. The same care and love went into it. Wine lovers will be able to discover the new 2007 vintage by the end of 2009 – a few months before Domaine Clarence Dillon celebrates the 75th Anniversary of the acquisition of Château Haut-Brion by Clarence Dillon.

The Bordeaux chateaux heard the requests and the pleas of the trade. The 2008 prices went down by about 40% for most estates. However there are a few significant exceptions. La Mission Haut-Brion came out at 110 euros and Haut-Brion at 150 euros – well above the four other First (Mouton, Latour, Laffite and Margaux sold at 100 and 110 €). Château Palmer came out at 80 euros, not very far from La Mission and well above the other Margaux wines of his category.

What does it mean? Those three estates have very strong and powerful images but very different histories. Haut-Brion and La Mission are now tied because they’re owned by the Dillon family but they have distinct history and wines. La Mission came up very strongly in quality

Wendy Narby is one of the best representatives of the links between Britain and Bordeaux. She moved to Bordeaux about 20 years ago and is now one of the best specialists of the Bordeaux wines, acting as a consultant, a teacher and a guide. She came to France in the ’80s to study wine marketing and got her master from a school of the ESSEC Group in Paris. Her dissertation was on “Marketing Bordeaux wine” – what a surprise! In 1989, she married Hamilton Narby, an English speaking Canadian from Montreal and a negotiant in Bordeaux. Hamilton convinced her to move to Bordeaux – “not a hard sell”, said Wendy with a smile.

I met Wendy a few months ago and I liked her warm and outgoing personality as much as her passion for Bordeaux, wine, food and everything good in life. I discovered her professional talent when she presented to a group of Napa Valley winemakers invited to Bordeaux the industry of the region. She mentioned the “innovative” aspect of the Bordeaux wine industry – to the surprise of her American listeners who pictured Bordeaux as the epitome of conservatism. She very nicely agreed to answer a few questions on this topic.

What makes Bordeaux “innovative” in the wine business?

I think it used to be conservative and for many properties it is perhaps an image they choose to cultivate but, for the vast majority, it is just no longer the case. Examples – look around some of the cellars, we have some of the most modern cellars using the very latest wine making techniques. Of course, Bordeaux is all about the place (terroir) but technique is nothing new. Blending but has always been a keystone of what is Bordeaux and if that is not a technique…!

Haut-Brion was one of the first properties to have stainless steel tanks as early as the 60′s and the innovations have been coming on ever since. One major reason I believe is the influence of the Institut d’Oenologie (Enology Institute) here, not just for the R&D going on there but for the rapid dissemination of this information from the institute to the growers and wine makers via the structure of consultants and through the role of the negociants that often get such criticism commercially but play a major role in many cases in advising their suppliers – growers – and offering them expertise that they would not normally have access to. They are also a very innovative force as they are in direct and constant contact with the market place which, for smaller growers, is very difficult, and they can relay this market information and translate it into practical wine making, packaging and marketing advice.

How do you foresee the future of the Bordeaux wines on the international markets? I’m referring mostly to the estates that are not part of the Grand Cru system. How could they manage to fight competition and innovate?

I see many young wine makers and managers at the properties I visit in the region. These young people are highly trained individuals either in oenology or in business or both! They speak foreign languages and have usually spent a period wine making or working in other wine regions throughout the world. They are bringing this experience and this market knowledge back home.

As a consequence they are making wines, especially in the ‘Everyday’ price range that are not just extremely good value for money but of consistent quality (often a criticism of Bordeaux with the vintage effect that accompanies our climate), of a style that suits the market for their price point and attractively packaged. They are also aware that making a fine wine is not enough. They travel and meet the customer either opening their cellars and their homes to visitors – hence, the increasing number of tasting rooms and chambres d’hôte (B&B) in the Châteaux especially in the Côtes region – or getting on the market place via the negociants, through initiatives like Everyday Bordeaux or in wine shows where they have direct contact with their final customers.

I also think that these wine makers show a side to Bordeaux that is uncomplicated and I believe that education as well as wine tourism is the key to reassuring people that choosing Bordeaux from a supermarket shelve or from a restaurant wine list is not automatically an expensive or an intimidating choice – Education is the key. The CIVB (Bordeaux Wine Council) via its wine school ‘l’Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux’ has betted on this by training 145 international wine educators about Bordeaux; its innovations and accessibility and also by partnering with 19 wine schools internationally to spread this message – being very aware that not everyone who is interested in Bordeaux can get here to learn about it. Since 1990, over 100,000 people worldwide have followed the Bordeaux Wine School programmes: amateurs, distributors and educators. As of 2007, 14 000 professionals had benefited from these training programs. Education is definitely a key.

Technical innovations in wine making and blending, a new generation and a new style of Bordeaux producers, education are indeed the keys to the new world of Bordeaux wines. Wendy Narby will be our guest on our live radio show, the new wine consumer, on March 17th. She’ll give us more details on this topic and you’ll have a taste of her warm personaility and passion for life and wine.

A few months ago, an article on wine as investment in Decanter Magazine raised all hell between pro- and con wine investors. Today, the subject is back on Bloomberg under the title: “Fine-Wine Investors Raise a Glass as Petrus, Margaux Lure Fund”. Robert Lench, manager of the Vinum Fine Wine Fund in Guernsey off the coast of Normandy, buys the most famous wines, such as Haut-Brion, Lafite or Petrus, for his fund and says it attracts many customers who are looking for tangible goods to invest in.

That is the paradox of the wine investment: scared by the volatility of the stock exchanges, people with cash buy real estate and… wine. What if the value of the wine goes down? Drink it, is the general advice. It is true it’s easier to drink a bottle of good wine than to sell a piece of real estate. And seeing the level of your bottle going down is less traumatic (and more pleasant) than watching the decreasing curve of your investments!

More seriously, according to Bloomberg journalist Adria Cimino, “Vinum’s Lench says historical wine data shows its value as a long-term investment. The top price at auction for 1996 Vintage Chateau Haut Brion jumped 89 percent from 1999 to 2007, according to Sotheby’s. The 1996 Vintage Chateau Lafite during the same period rose more than fourfold, the data show.”

Last Tuesday, I had the privilege of presenting Wine Brands at the WH Smith bookstore in Paris. besides listening to my blurb on the book, the attendants had the pleasure to taste one of my very favorite wine brand, Clarendelle in two colors and vintages: 2003 Clarendelle Red and 2005 Clarendelle white.

Not familiar with this brand yet? Clarendelle is certainly the first premium Bordeaux brand. It is the brain child of Prince Robert of Luxembourg, now President of the fabled Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion. It is also an homage to his great-grand father, Clarence Dillon, who bought Château Haut-Brion in 1935. More than seventy years after the arrival of Clarence Dillon in Bordeaux, his great-grandson, Prince Robert of Luxembourg, has opened a new chapter in the Dillon family story in Bordeaux, by creating Clarendelle. Both wines highlighted the evening by their quality and were highly appreciated by the guests.

Every year, Fall brings back on bookstores’ shelves a dozen of wine guides. We all have our favorite guide – for whatever reason: notation system, style, choice of wines, etc. To be totally frank, I got really bored with guides over the years and I don’t buy any of them anymore. Why? Tasting is a very personal experience and I don’t want somebody to tell me what I should buy or what I shouldn’t, based on the personal tastes or training of somebody I don’t know.

That’s why I got interested in a site created by a Swiss wine expert, Alain Bringolf, dedicated exclusively to Bordeaux wines. Alain is absolutely passionate about Bordeaux wines and has been drinking them – almost exclusively – for a few decades. A banker by training, he spent a lot of time tasting wines and sharing great wines with his friends. Over the years, he recognized that wine tasting is not an exact science: wine critics very often didn’t agree on a wine and gave contradictory information to the consumers. He started developing a mathematical system to compare scores from various sources. That’s how his first site, winemega.com, was born.

StatWine.com goes even further. It is the culmination of over 10 years of gathering data on Bordeaux wines. It wants to be the ultimate guide in choosing wines with as much objective information as possible to gather. He invented a grading system of his own in connection with the development of a full site on Bordeaux wines. The scores he attributes to a wine are an average of all the marks given by expert tasters. His current database (still growing) has about 25,000 scores. His database includes:

• “Price/Quality ratio: we regularly analyze statistics to determine value for money for each wine.
• Comparison with other wines (both overall and in the same appellation). This is based on an original model combining the scores in a given vintage and the estate’s track record (70% / 30%, respectively)
• Trends in quality over a decade
• Consistency over time compared to other estates in the appellation.
• A wine’s investment value, with an analysis of price increases since 2000.
• Rankings within the appellation, based on statistics over a ten year period.
• Comments and advice concerning each estate.”

Even if it is impossible to judge a wine “scientifically”, Bringolf’s system tries to be objective and gives as many clues and tips to choose a wine by taking account of one’s tastes.

How does it work? Every appellation is represented with a list of all the estates. Let’s go through an example.

I selected Pessac-Leognan and then Château La Mission Haut-Brion. The “Presentation” page brings information on the history of the place and its management. The “fact sheet” shows the percentage of each grape varieties and gives many technical information on the management of the vineyard, such as the type of picking, the area planted, the average yield, etc., the suggested ageing potential of many vintages, the food and wine matchings and the tasting notes (with their date). There is also a page of ranking – giving you the rank of the wine in its appellation, that enables you to identify the most reliable estates based on a long track record. Surprised that La Mission is just second behind Haut-Brion?

Next question answered by the site is: when to drink? Alain Bringolf explains: “Wine is a living thing that changes over time. The best wines usually go through several phases and reveal their true nature with age. Each of these phases can be interrupted by awkward intermediary periods (lasting months or even years), during which the wine does not show its best.” He provides a very easy to use tool: you select a wine and its vintage. The answer is intantaneous for La Mission 1994: “Wait. Maturing” and the site recommends a drinking window 2012-2016.

If my long and detailed post didn’t make you click away… yet, go see StatWine.com. There is a demonstration of the system and you can subscribe.

Each of the 61 chateaux listed in the historic 1855 Medoc classification and all 26 chateaux listed in the 1855 Sauternes classification will donate a bottle of their remarkable 2003 vintage to compose the most amazing wine collection. This wine collection will be auctioned at the French Ambassador’s Residence in Washington DC to the benefit of one of the most prestigious and important French-American institution, the French-American Cultural Foundation and its elegant publication, France Magazine.

Why is such an event relevant to this blog? First, the most famous French brands are represented: Château Haut-Brion, only by itself, is the very first wine brand historically speaking. It was recognized as early as the 18th Century as a brand. Second, this event is very representative of the special links between France and America: when times are hard and relationships difficult, wine appeals to the best in everybody. Because it is a cultural product, because it tells a story of terroir and mankind, wine is the best bridge between our two countries. It is wonderful to see 87 properties linked together to fund an organization working to promote our culture in the US. And the US are giving us so much: Tom Black, one of the most respected wine collector, will host the event and stage the auction. The French American Cultural Foundation and France Magazine writers are the best advocates of French culture abroad. We can’t thank them enough for their wonderful job. This auction is the right gesture to honor them.