Last week I had the pleasure of sitting down for lunch with Morgane Renauld, the North American Area Manager representing Clarence Dillon Wines. The company is owned by Prince Robert of Luxembourg and owns a number of wineries and vineyards in Bordeaux, France. It is best known for its 1st Growth winery, Chateau Haut Brion, and another very high-end winery called Chateau La Mission Haut Brion. It also owns Chateau Quintus in the St. Emilion region of Bordeaux. However, it also produces affordable entry-level wines under the Clarendelle label. I was fortunate to sit down with Morgane to go through some of the wines in their collection.
2021 Clarendelle Blanc – this is an entry-level Bordeaux white wine made with a blend of 43-per-cent Sauvignon Blanc, 32-per-cent Semillon and 25-per-cent Muscadelle grapes. It is light and citrusy but not as acidic as wines made with 100-per-cent Sauvignon Blanc grapes. With the Clarendelle label, the Prince of Luxembourg wanted to make quality wines at an affordable price. So this is very well produced but made for immediate consumption. You can find it in B.C. Liquor Stores for $35.99.
2017 La Clarte de Haut Brion – this white wine is very different from the 2021 Clarendelle Blanc, and is sold at a higher price point. Grapes that may not meet the standards required to be used in the Chateau Haut Brion and Chateau La Mission Haut Brion flagship white wines (which are over $1000 each) are used to make this wine. Although it is not cheap at around $170 per bottle at B.C. Liquor Stores is about 1/8 of the price of the flagship white wines of these wineries. So in that sense, it is a steal. You will get a lot of oak influence and richer, fuller-bodied wine. This is a Semillon-predominant wine that can age for over 20 years.
Both of these wines paired well with a chilled tomato consommé with heirloom tomatoes, Thai basil and coconut.
2016 Clarendelle Rouge – I love this wine for value Bordeaux drinkers. The Prince of Luxembourg puts careful attention to this wine so the quality-to-price ratio is outstanding. It is a blend of 84-per-cent Merlot, 10-per-cent Cabernet Sauvignon and six-per-cent Cabernet Franc, so the softness of the Merlot pairs beautifully with a sprinkle of Cabernet grapes. You will get plenty of blackcurrant flavours with some earthy components. There is a good body and tannin structure but again, this is made for immediate consumption. You can also find it in B.C. Liquor Stores for $35.99.
2016 Clarendelle Medoc – For comparison, we tasted the Clarendelle Rouge with the Clarendelle Medoc, which is made from a blend of 51-per-cent Merlot and 49-per-cent Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is much heavier in terms of flavors and mouth feel and presents with a bit more oak influence and black cherries. I don’t see it currently in B.C. Liquor Stores, but you may be able to find it in specialty stores.
Both of these wines paired beautifully with a seared duck breast over a white bean cassoulet with double-smoked bacon, pork sausage and duck confit.
We finished with a tasting of the 2014 Chateau Haut Brion and 2014 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion. These wines are many years away from their optimal drinking window, so it was more like a sneak peek into the future excellence. But at over $800 and $500 a bottle respectively, they are not wines that most people will drink very often.
Until next time, happy drinking!
Tony Kwan is the Richmond News' new columnist. Lawyer by day, food and wine lover by night, Kwan is an epicurean who writes about wine, food and enjoying all that life has to offer.
