Cellar Notes

Saint Emilion in Bodeaux

By Al Spoler,

Published November 5, 2023 at 5:21 PM EST

This time of year, we like to roll out some of our big bottles for entertaining at dinner. If Bordeaux comes to mind Hugh thinks we ought to try the region known as Saint Emilion.

Price key: $=less than $20 $$=$20-40 $$$=$40-60 $$$$=above $60

Qualtiy key: *=decent wine **= very good wine ***=superb wine ****=elite wine
VALUE= exceptional wine for the money

Chat. Laplagnotte-Belvue, St. Emilion '20 *** $$ WINE OF THE WEEK
( Merlot heavy, generous fruit, spicy notes, fine grained texture)

Vieux Chat. Floquet, St. Emilion '21 **1/2 $ VALUE
(Almost all merlot, complex and subtle, built for aging)

Famille J.M. Cazes St. Estephe '16 **1/2 $$$
(Well known maker, great flavor, cabernet sauvignon heavy, classic claret)

All of these wines can be purchased at Kenilworth Wine and Spirits.

Cellar Notes

Al Spoler

Al Spoler, well known to WYPR listeners as the wine-loving co-host of "Cellar Notes" has had a long-standing parallel interest in cooking as well. Al has said, the moment he started getting serious about Sunday night dinners was the same moment he started getting serious about wine. Over the years, he has benefited greatly from being a member of the Cork and Fork Society of Baltimore, a gentlemen's dining club that serves black tie meals cooked by the members themselves who are some of Baltimore's most accomplished amateur cooks.

See stories by Al Spoler

Hugh Sisson

As General Partner of Clipper City Brewing Company, L.P., Hugh J. Sisson is among Baltimore's premier authorities on craft brewing and a former manager of the state's first pub brewery, Sissons, located in Federal Hill. A fifth generation Baltimorean, Hugh has been involved in all aspects of craft brewing.

See stories by Hugh Sisson