JJ Buckley Fine Wines Blog

Over the past few years, merlot has suffered more than any other grape. But there are some compelling examples being produced these days. Here's how one winery is making it happen.

One of the advantages of spending a full week in Bordeaux at en primeur is the luxury one has to get to know a wine. Any other time of year, that would come through a winery visit, hanging out with the owner or winemaker, kicking the dirt, tasting through some barrel samples or older vintages.

Following our adventures in the Medoc, the JJ Buckley team crossed the river for a crash course in the 2010 vintage from the perspective of the Right Bank, home to the famed appellations of Pomerol and St. Emilion and the ever-trendy (ahem) merlot grape.

So after a night of much needed sleep we began today with a tasting of the 2008 lineup from Jean-Pierre Moueix. While the company has been run since the 1970s by Jean-Pierre’s son Christian, it still retains the name of its founder who started the business as a wine merchant in Libourne in 1937. The company is still there today, with their office and warehouse space located in a row of buildings built in the 19th century along the Dordogne River.

In this exclusive interview, Alex Lallos of JJ Buckley Fine Wines asks Christian Moueix, proprietor of Chateau Petrus, to express his thoughts on the 2007 vintage in Bordeaux.